By Luana M. Graves Sellars
Artwork by Sonja Griffin Evans
You might have already heard about Robert Small’s daring escape-to-freedom story. In fact, being in the Lowcountry, you might also know that he was a U.S. Congressman. However, there is a deeper and more intriguing story that goes well beyond the well-known list of his successes. It is the story about the significant role Robert Smalls played nationally in post-Civil War Reconstruction, as well as regionally in the history of Beaufort County and Hilton Head.
According to Congressman Jim Clyburn, “Robert Smalls was the most consequential South Carolinian to ever live. His participation and contributions to our state make him the most consequential person to come from South Carolina.”
Born in 1839 to a house slave in Beaufort, Robert Smalls was a man of determination, character, and strength that was evident when he was a small child. Trusted by his master John McKee, Robert was sent to “hire himself out for work” as a day laborer on the docks in Charleston at the age of 12. By the time he was 17, Smalls had married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid. Freedom was always his goal, and he tried unsuccessfully several times to buy freedom for his wife and their three children.
Sailing into History
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Robert Smalls had gained considerable experience on, and around the water, and this enabled him to work his way up to being a sailor on the Confederate supply ship, CSS Planter, that delivered supplies between the forts as far away as Florida. Not only was he a competent, seasoned sailor, Smalls was smart and observant. He was also trustworthy, which earned him the respect of the ship’s officers. What they did not know, was that Robert Smalls also had a fierce determination to obtain freedom for himself and his family, and that he had devised a risky plan to emancipate himself. His plan required that he have a detailed understanding of the workings of the ship and the mannerisms of the captain.
Early on Tuesday morning, May 13, 1862, while the Captain and crew of the Planter slept on shore, Smalls and eight other slaves and their families piloted the ship through the Charleston Harbor. Disguised as the ship’s Captain, Smalls was able to mimic the behavior of the Captain’s body movements and signals, gaining clearance for them to sail for seven miles undetected past five military checkpoints. Once out of the range of the Confederacy, they faced a new challenge because they needed to enter waters controlled by the Union forces without being fired upon and sunk.
As they sailed towards the Union’s ship USS Onward, they quickly removed the Confederate flag and replaced it with a bedsheet which was the universal sign of surrender. When they delivered the Planter, to the Union army, Smalls reportedly told the astonished Union officers, “I am delivering this war material including these cannons, and I think Uncle Abraham Lincoln can put them to good use.”
This daring escape was even more significant because the Planter was loaded with ammunition and supplies, important military documents, and a Captain’s Code Book that described shipping routes, mine locations and Confederate ship movements. This acquisition of a Confederate ship was a major win for the Union, and Smalls was given $1,500 in compensation.
The Union army recognized Robert Smalls as a Navy Captain and war hero. This led to him becoming one of the Union Army’s first Black Naval Pilots, and he continued to pilot the Planter in 17 additional military operations. Some of these operations were launched from Hilton Head Island.
Smalls’ daring escape was motivated by his burning desire for freedom for himself and his family as well as his determination to join the Union Army. This was one of the key factors that influenced President Lincoln to write the order that allowed Blacks to join the military campaign against the South. The order enabled the first 5,000 Blacks to officially join the Union Army. They became the 1st and 2nd South Carolina Colored Regiment.
In May 1864, Robert Smalls was named an unofficial delegate to the Republican Convention in Baltimore, where he argued on behalf of the Port Royal Experiment, a U.S. government program meant to aid newly freed slaves to transition from slavery status to freedmen and women. Smalls extolled the benefits of this experiment that could become a significant portion of the model for post-war reconstruction.
Due in part to the combined support and influence of Robert Smalls and Harriet Tubman, the Port Royal Experiment was approved by Washington. This program eventually became the catalyst for the development of two historically important areas in Beaufort County: Mitchelville, notable as the first self-governed town run by former slaves, located on Hilton Head Island, and the Penn School, one of the first schools for newly freed slaves known for its support for education and civil rights for African-Americans since the Civil War.
Robert Smalls’ extraordinary story doesn’t end with his war exploits. After the war, and his distinguished service to both the U. S. Army and the U. S. Navy, Smalls returned to Beaufort, SC where at a tax sale, he bought the home that had been owned by of the McKee family, his former owners. Smalls discovered that the war had left the McKee family destitute, and in an extraordinary demonstration of a kind and forgiving heart, he allowed members of the McKee family to continue living in the house. Remarkably, he even allowed the matriarch, who had become senile, to continue to believe that she was still lady of the house until her death.
From Slave to Successful Entrepreneur
During his time in Beaufort, Robert Smalls became a prosperous businessman. With the help of four other Black businessmen, he formed the Enterprise Railroad Company, the only black-owned railroad company in the history of the U. S.. The company was organized in 1870 to transport freight by horse-drawn street railway between the Charleston wharves and the surrounding railroad depots creating connections to other cities. Smalls’ business involvements also included publishing the newspaper Southern Standard, running a store to service the needs of freedmen, and opening a school for Black children.
Smalls evolved into a public speaker through the retelling of his exploits on the Planter. Both his celebrity, and passion for improving the lives of his people, led him toward politics. A founder of South Carolina’s Republican Party, Smalls explained that his allegiance was to the Republicans was because it was “the Party of Lincoln which unshackled the necks of four million human beings.”
It was evident in all of Smalls’ political work that he was a strong proponent of equality and justice for Blacks. “My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be equal of any people anywhere,” Smalls asserted. “All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.”
Despite fierce opposition from the Democratic Party, threats of violence, and incarceration he was not deterred from running for office. He said, “Every colored man who has a vote to cast, would cast that vote for the regular Republican Party and thus bury the Democratic Party so deep that there will not be seen even a bubble coming from the spot where the burial took place.” Regardless of the threats to his safety, Smalls believed that as a politician, he could affect positive change for his constituents.
Smalls was first elected to a term in the South Carolina State House of Representatives as a Republican from 1870 to 1874. Eventually, he was elected as a U.S. Congressman from 1875 to 1887.
Throughout his tenure in public office, Smalls utilized his political voice to improve the lives of African Americans by authoring and lobbying several legislative initiatives. His advocacy for civil rights defined his life. While in Philadelphia, even though he was a war hero, he was asked to surrender his seat aboard a bus to a white passenger. Rather than relinquish his seat, he exited the bus, which precipitated mass boycotts against the segregated public transportation system. His advocacy led to the passage of legislation that integrated public streetcars in Philadelphia in 1867.
Robert Smalls’ life was transformative. His courage and progressive initiatives helped to shape the nation’s history as well as the history of his people in ways that make him a hero for all times and for all people.
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