True Life Tuesday: Robert Smalls

 I know I say this a lot but this story would make a great story. I have seen many posts online that state the same thing.

Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. His mother, Lydie Polite, was a house slave. His father was not named but it is believed that he was the son of the owner, Henry McKee. Robert was raised in the house and was provided with a few more freedoms than the other slaves. 

In 1851 the McKee's moved to Charleston, South Carolina. Robert was hired as a rigger on the waterfront and eventually became a sailor. In 1856 he married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid. She had one daughter and together they had a daughter and a son. Their son eventually died of smallpox. He attempted to buy his wife and children but failed. 

In March 1861 he was hired as a deckhand on the Confederate supply ship the Planter. Over several months he studied how to navigate the ship and planned an escape. On May 13, 1862 he, along with 8 men, 5 women and 3 children (including his wife and children) sailed the Planter our of Charleston Harbor in the middle of the night. He successfully maneuvered the ship through 5 checkpoints before reaching the open sea and heading for the Union blockade. The ship was almost shot at by the crew of the USS Onward but they removed to Confederate flag and raised a white sheet. The documents on the ship provided the Union with extremely important information on the Confederate's plans.

Smalls' story help lead President Lincoln to allow freed blacks to serve in the Union military. Congress also bestowed a $1500 prize to him. During the rest of the war he served as a captain in the Union Navy. He conducted 17 missions in the Charleston area. After the war he was made a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia. He bought his former owner's home and took in some of the McKee family who were now destitute.

Smalls ran a general store, a school for black children and a newspaper. He served as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention. From 1874-1879 he served in the US House of Representatives. In 1877 he was convicted of taking a bribe but he was eventually pardoned by the governor. He served as a US Customers collector from 1889-1911. He remained active in politics for the rest of his life. He died at home on February 23, 1915 of natural causes.