On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls—a 23-year-old enslaved Black man—led one of the most daring escapes of the Civil War. Along with 12 fellow enslaved crew members, Smalls commandeered the Planter, a Confederate transport ship outfitted as a gunboat. Disguised in the captain’s uniform, he navigated the heavily fortified Charleston Harbor, passed Confederate checkpoints, and successfully surrendered the vessel to the Union Navy. His intimate knowledge of naval protocols and local waterways made the escape flawless. The Planter was welcomed into Union hands, and Smalls was later appointed as the ship’s captain—the first Black man to command a U.S. military vessel. His heroism helped persuade President Lincoln to accept African Americans into the Union Army.
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