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Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Apr 2, 2014 · Robert Smalls was an enslaved African American who escaped to freedom in a Confederate supply ship and eventually became a sea captain for the Union Navy. After the war, he became a...
Jun 13, 2017 · As thin wisps of smoke rose from the vessel’s smokestack high above the pilothouse, a 23-year-old enslaved man named Robert Smalls stood on the deck. In the next few hours, he and his young...
May 15, 2024 · Robert Smalls was an American war hero and politician who, during the Civil War, became the first Black captain of a vessel in U.S. service. He served multiple terms as a congressman from South Carolina during Reconstruction.
Robert Smalls was born in 1839, enslaved by a local planter in Beaufort, South Carolina. By the time he was 23 years old, Smalls had won freedom for himself and his family, and was a famous war hero. He became a prominent leader in the community during the Reconstruction era, including service in both the state and national legislature.
Robert Smalls made a daring sea escape during the Civil War as a slave and went on to serve five terms in Congress as a Representative from South Carolina.
Robert Smalls did something unimaginable: In the midst of the Civil War, this black male slave commandeered a Confederate ship and delivered its 16 black men, women and children passengers from slavery to freedom. From slave to sailor to Congressman, read on for more about this extraordinary person.