Robert Smalls Civil War Hero Robert Smalls Robert

Robert Smalls Civil War Hero

Robert Smalls Robert was the pilot of the and. Onward was knowledgeable Planter. Smalls eventually approached theship U. S. S. of the ofblockading Charlestonfleet harbor as well as She all the gun and of to surrender. brought withtroop her apositions 24 -pound the armies guarding the harbor. Smalls and the It Confederate has justa gotten darkpivot on the evening of rifle May 12, 41862. howitzer, 32 -pound gun, a 7 -inch and smoothother slaves quietly got had the and headed thewas General Roswell Ripley andship theunderway other white Confederate bore cannons. Planter served as headquarters shipfor and mouth of of the harbor and the carry blockading Union fleet. Soon officers the Steamer Planter have just gone ashore to they attend valuable because she could as many as one thousand would have to under the gave guns of Fort Sumter. To. This increase a party in Charleston, leaving the her black crew alone. was troops and herpass shallow draft freedom throughout their of success, Smalls donned thehad clothing of Planter's not chances unusual except that the Robert crew had planned on these events. much of the coastal waters. Smalls been born on Confederate and gave correct signals. trickon Quickly, thecaptain black families left from their hiding. The places the Sea Islands andcrew's knew thethe waters Beaufort, South worked because they are not fired upon until other vessels and came aboard the Planter. after they Carolina to Florida. Together they were important prizesare forout the of. Union. range.

Robert Smalls Robert was born April 5, 1839. by a white Smalls Fathered mother, Lydia, At 12 Smalls’ owner sent him man and born when from Lydia descended of slaves to Charleston to hire himself He was hired as deckhand on was 49, was Smalls was a Guinea, born onalso Ashdale out. He worked steamer as a waiter, the Confederate house slave. had no Plantation on. He Ladies’ Island, lamplighter and. He dock-worker Planter in 1861. was able But who was this daring siblings. S. C. and During worked. Smalls’ there as a was an allowed to retain toand obtain education and young slave pilot? interview American field hand. with Herthe owner, John $1/month of his pay. At was pilot of the Planter at 18, Freedmen’s Inquiry Mc. Kee, brought her to he negotiated with his owner Charleston, S. C. , in 1862. Commission, he stated that Beaufort to work as a house and thereafter retained all he was, relatively speaking, slave. but $15/month of his pay. well treated.

Robert Smalls This photo shows the Planter loaded with 1000 bales of Planter operated a unit of. Confederate the U. S. Navy's South Atlantic cotton, Georgetown, South Carolina, probably In 1861 -at 62, she served the Army asinan 1860 -61 armed or Following the Civilas War, Planter returned to commercial Blockading Squadron during Later in thatatyear, she was transport and dispatch vessel. 1866 -76. She was a side-wheel steamer, built Charleston, service. She was lost in 1876. 1862. transferred to the South Carolina, in U. S. 1860. Army.

Smalls and his crew of 12 Robert Smalls Commander Duwas Pontdetailed as In Federal latewere November of 1863, slaves welcomed as In service, Robert Pilot to the Planter. Later submitted the claims for Plantercontinued saw action heroes. Union press hailedof Smalls asthat pilot Smalls was assigned to theby these men to Washington A Congressional bill signed prompted white captain Smalls asand aits national hero, to his ship, ultimately ironcladhis. Keokuk for an attack despite misgivings that President Lincoln awarded surrender. Smalls knew calling the ship “the General first he became its captain. into would Charleston Harbor. they be Since prize money tohonored. Smalls and his could Saxton expect extremely poor trophy from Fort Sumter. ” Rufus refused Smalls’ Things soon went awry and these men had been slaves associates. treatment from the During atospeaking of request enlist in tour the Army the order of battle was and the Dred Decision Generally, any. Scott enemy ships Confederates and instead New York to to raise support as his value the Union asfora abandoned, each ship said were merelyare takenthey in this manner urged the gunners to carry the Union cause Smalls was ship pilot was more valuable. fightingasfor contraband, ititself. took athe special treated prizes for. Keokuk men on. The captain took cover presented an engraved Smalls served under over thegold eventually suffered 90 act ofperformed Congress to award the who the while the crew fought on medal by “the colored command of the Navy and shell hits and was soon ship as a prize, so it courageous act. and even sent under Smalls' leadership. This citizens ofbut New York” the Army was not for a his to the bottom. Smalls was valued at $9, 168, or one action prompted the heroism, love of liberty and member of either service. survived and was transferred third its true value. promotion of Robert Smalls patriotism. back to the Planter. to the position of Captain. Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls After the war, Smalls had a distinguished political career, becoming a major general in the South Carolina militia from 1870 to 1877, a state legislator, and a five-term U. S. Congressman during the 1870 s and 1880 s. He participated in drafting the constitution of the state in which he had been a slave.

ELECTION METHODS IN THE SOUTH BY THE HON ROBERT SMALLS, FORMERLY CONGRESS In South. REPRESENTATIVE Carolina there is. OF neither a free. FROM ballot Henorremained politically active, an honest. SOUTH count, CAROLINA and since the election in 1874 the history of elections in the State is often speaking out for the The highest rightofofa acontinued citizen, and by far the most the history series of murders, important for the protection all brutality citizens, is rights that the outrages, perjury, and. African fraud. of. The the for the candidate his and right fraudtoofvote thehad Democracy in the of campaign Americans gained during choice and toofhave as cast. of and election 1876 his andvote thecounted determination The Constitution of the Unitedbut States Reconstruction and against its result were only equaled, not and the constitutions of Kuklux all the States guarantees excelled, by the outrages which the restoration of southern the right to all citizens who have not North. aroused the indignation of the entire forfeited the same by the commission of Jim Crow laws. certain crimes and conviction therefore. It is not a question of fitness, intelligence, wealth, color, or previous condition of servitude, but a right secured by the organic law of the country and bestowed upon all. Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls He was appointed U. S. Collector of Customs for the port of Beaufort, S. C. in 1889 and occupied this position for nearly 20 years. He lived as owner in the house in which he had been a slave. In 1975 the Robert Smalls house was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior.

Robert Smalls In 2003 the Army announced that it would name its newest Logistics Support Vessel (LSV-8) the Major General Robert Smalls, the first U. S. Army vessel named for a Civil War hero and the first to bear the name of an African American.

Robert Smalls died at Beaufort on February 22, 1915. There is a memorial bust of him in front of the African Baptist Church in Beaufort. He is buried at the Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Robert Smalls The African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass kept this summary of Robert Smalls’ life in his scrapbook.

Robert Smalls designed his life to stand for something larger than the self. The story of his valor, love of liberty, justice and equality can serve as an inspiration for all Americans, most especially for those with significant obstacles to overcome. By using Robert Smalls as a role model in designing their own destinies our youth can say, “NOTHING ever stopped Robert Smalls, not even slavery. What could possibly stop ME? ”

Robert Smalls designed his life to stand for something larger than the self. The story of his valor, love of liberty, justice and equality can serve as an inspiration for all Americans, most especially for those with significant obstacles to overcome. By using Robert Smalls as a role model in designing their own destinies our youth can say, “NOTHING ever stopped Robert Smalls, not even slavery. What could possibly stop ME? ”

Bibliography The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. The release of the Douglass Papers, from the Library of Congress's Manuscript Division, contains approximately 7, 400 items (38, 000 images) relating to Douglass' life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, and public servant. The papers span the years 1841 to 1964, with the bulk of the material from 1862 to 1895. The collection consists of correspondence, speeches and articles by Douglass and his contemporaries, a draft of his autobiography, financial and legal papers, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous items. These papers reveal Douglass' interest in diverse subjects such as politics, emancipation, racial prejudice, women's suffrage, and prison reform. Included is correspondence with many prominent civil rights reformers of his day, including Susan B. Anthony, William Lloyd Garrison, Gerrit Smith, Horace Greeley, and Russell Lant, and political leaders such as Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison. Scrapbooks document Douglass' role as minister to Haiti and the controversy surrounding his interracial second marriage. The online release of the Frederick Douglass Papers is made possible through the generous support of the Citigroup Foundation. The Library of Congress provides access to The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. There may be content that is protected under the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. Credit Line: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division http: //memory. loc. gov/mss/mfd/19/19024/0001 d. jpg

Bibliography As part of its educational mission, The Cornell University Library makes available via the World Wide Web digital versions of certain items from its collections. This material is to be used for personal or research use only. Any other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication, or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Library is prohibited. The Library will grant or withhold permission on a case by case basis, and a usage fee may be required depending on the type of proposed use. Permission requests may be sent to the appropriate contact address for each digital collection. Copyright and other rights in the images, underlying encoded text, selection, indexing, and display of materials in Cornell Digital Library Collections are held by the Cornell University Library to the extent permitted by law. Users should be aware that materials made available in Cornell Digital Library Collections may be subject to additional restrictions. These include but are not limited to the rights of copyright, privacy, and publicity. Such restrictions are likely to be controlled by parties other than the Cornell University Library. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such rights, obtaining any permissions, and paying any associated fees required for the proposed use. http: //cdl. library. cornell. edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer? coll=moa&root=/moa/nora 0151/&tif=00597. TIF&view=50&frames=1 Although the image was not used as is, a portion of the information in this article was transcribed.

Bibliography Item Title Mc. Kee-Smalls. House, 511 Prince Street, Beaufort County, SC Alternate Title Robert. Smalls. House Call Number HABS SC, 7 -BEAUF, 32 Created/Published Documentation compiled after 1933. Notes Survey number HABS SC-398 National Register Number: 74001823 Collection Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress) Repository Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division, Washington, D. C. 20540 USA DIGID http: //hdl. loc. gov/loc. pnp/hhh. sc 0410 Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey or Historic American Engineering Record, Reproduction Number (Ex: "HABS, ILL, 16 -CHIG, 33 -2")

Bibliography The following statement is made by the Ohio Historical Society, the owner of the original materials reproduced here The Ohio Historical Society is offering public access to these materials for educational and research purposes only. Most of the published materials digitized for this electronic collection date from before 1923 and are presumed by the Ohio Historical Society to be in the public domain. The rights of some other materials have been dedicated to the public. However some materials may be protected by U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U. S. C. ) Reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with the patron. Capt. Robert Smalls [from newspaper] SOURCE Cleveland Gazette 15, no. 48 (07/02/1898): 01 SUBJECTS Afro-American government executives Afro-Americans--Portraits MEDIUM Newspaper CALL NUMBER Newspaper Roll#4431 REPOSITORY Ohio Historical Center Archives Library http: //dbs. ohiohistory. org/africanam/page. cfm? ID=18945

Bibliography Photo #: NH 74054 Steamship. Planter (1860 -1876) Courtesy of E. D. Sloan, Jr. , 1971. U. S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 70 KB; 740 x 570 pixels http: //www. history. navy. mil/photos/images/h 74000/h 74054. jpg Photo #: NH 63568 Confederate Army armed transport Planter (1861 - 62) Engraving published in Harper's Weekly, 14 June 1862. U. S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 77 KB; 590 x 635 pixels http: //www. history. navy. mil/photos/images/h 63000/h 63568. jpg This is a World Wide Web site for official information about the Naval Historical Center and naval history. It is provided as a public service by the Naval Historical Center. The purpose is to provide information and news about the Naval Historical Center and naval history to the general public. All information on this site is in the public domain and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER 805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD WASHINGTON DC 20374 -5060

Bibliography Photo #: NH 58870 Robert Smalls Engraving published in Harper's Weekly , 1862. U. S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 108 KB; 590 x 665 pixels http: //www. history. navy. mil/photos/images/h 58000/h 58870. jpg Photo #: NH 66586 Robert Smalls U. S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 77 KB; 520 x 765 pixels http: //www. history. navy. mil/photos/images/h 66000/h 66586. jpg This is a World Wide Web site for official information about the Naval Historical Center and naval history. It is provided as a public service by the Naval Historical Center. The purpose is to provide information and news about the Naval Historical Center and naval history to the general public. All information on this site is in the public domain and may be distributed or copied unless otherwise specified. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER 805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD WASHINGTON DC 20374 -5060

Bibliography We invite you to use any content that is generated by the National Constitution Center, free of charge, for any nonprofit or educational purpose. This content may not be downloaded, stored, copied, distributed, or otherwise used for a commercial purpose without the prior written consent of the National Constitution Center. In any event, the use of National Constitution Center content for either a commercial or noncommercial purpose is subject to the following conditions: The content may not be modified in any way. Attribution to the National Constitution Center is required in the following format: "Used with Permission of the National Constitution Center". The photograph in the article carries the credit line: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division but I was unable to find this photograph online at the LOC.