Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839, in Beaufort, South Carolina, into the brutal institution of slavery. His mother, Lydia Polite, was enslaved by the McKee family, and Robert spent his early years in their household. His mother, having grown up in the fields and seen the full horrors of slavery, feared her son might grow up naïve to its cruelties. So, she ensured he witnessed the harsh conditions of the fields and the slave markets in Charleston. It was a formative education—one that planted the seeds of defiance.

Life in Charleston
As a teenager, Smalls was hired out by his enslaver to work in Charleston, where he was allowed to keep a small portion of his wages. He worked a variety of jobs—waiter, lamplighter, and eventually as a dockworker and sailor. It was on the bustling Charleston waterfront that he gained intimate knowledge of boats, tides, and the harbor—skills that would soon change history.

By his early twenties, he had become a skilled pilot of ships, especially the Confederate transport steamer Planter. At this time, he married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid. Desperate for freedom, he tried to buy his family’s freedom, but the price was steep—$800—and his savings were far from enough.

The Daring Escape (May 13, 1862)
At the height of the Civil War, with the Confederate army relying on slave labor, Smalls saw an opportunity to seize freedom.

On the morning of May 13, 1862, while the white officers of the Planter were ashore, Smalls and a small crew of trusted enslaved sailors quietly took control of the ship. Dressed in the captain’s uniform and mimicking his mannerisms, Smalls piloted the Planter through five Confederate checkpoints in the Charleston Harbor—each waving them through.

He then picked up his wife and children—who were hiding nearby—and steered the ship full-speed toward the Union blockade. As dawn broke, he approached the USS Onward, lowered the Confederate flag, and raised a white bedsheet in surrender.

His words to the Union officers: “I’ve brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!”

Smalls delivered the ship, its cargo of artillery, and vital intelligence on Confederate defenses. The act was nothing short of revolutionary—he became a national sensation.

War Hero and Recruiter
Smalls’s bravery earned him a meeting with President Abraham Lincoln, and his story helped convince the Union to allow Black men to serve in the military. He became an active recruiter and helped raise thousands of Black troops for the Union.

He personally served as a pilot for the Union Navy, participating in 17 naval battles. In one case, when a white captain fled under fire, Smalls took command of the Planter again, was later promoted to captain himself—the first Black man to command a U.S. military vessel.

Post-War Political Leader
After the war, Smalls returned to Beaufort as a free man—and a property owner. He bought the house where he was once enslaved, a poetic twist of fate.

Smalls quickly emerged as a leading political figure during Reconstruction, working to improve conditions for freedmen. He helped draft South Carolina’s new constitution, advocated for public education, and served in both the South Carolina House and Senate.

From 1875 to 1887, he served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, championing civil rights, voting access, and fair labor. He was a rare Black voice in Congress during a time of rising white supremacy and voter suppression.

Later Life and Legacy
As the gains of Reconstruction were rolled back and Jim Crow laws rose, Smalls remained a steadfast voice of resistance. In one of his last public statements, he declared:

“My race needs no special defense… All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.”

Smalls died in 1915, but his legacy lived on. He’s been honored with schools, ships, statues, and a growing recognition of his role in shaping American history.