Robert Smalls (Listener Request)

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

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Hey everyone, welcome back. 

Throughout the Civil War, thousands of Black Americans took advantage of the surrounding chaos to escape to freedom. Taking flight, men and women living in forced servitude in the south desperately made their way north, seeking refuge with Union troops. One such individual to achieve freedom in this way was Robert Smalls. 

Long time supporter of the podcast Val reached out a while back asking me to cover Robert Smalls. A man born into slavery who coordinated one of the most daring escapes imaginable, Smalls’ story is incredible and filled with twists and turns. So this week, I am diving into the history of Robert Smalls. Who was he? What made his escape so incredible? And what did he do once his freedom was secured? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. His mother, Lydia Polite, was an enslaved woman assigned as a house slave for Henry McKee. The home, a two story mansion with a prominent front deck located at 511 Prince Street, was built by McKee in the 1840s. Smalls’ mother had been forcibly enslaved since she was kidnapped from her home on the Sea Islands at the age of 9. The identity of Smalls’ father remains unclear; there are suspicions that it could be either Henry McKee, his son, or the plantation manager Patrick Smalls. Whoever his father, they were likely a white man as Smalls’ was described as mulatto and would be mistaken for a white man later in life. 

Smalls was highly favored over the other slave children on the McKee property - so much so that his mother worried about his future prospects in bondage. Polite felt strongly she needed to teach her young son about the horrors of slavery in preparation for his future and so she pushed him into the fields to work and watch fellow slaves suffer beatings. Smalls apparently did not learn the right lesson; instead of growing docile and subservient, accepting his fate as somehow less than his white counterparts, Smalls went in another direction. He was defiant, often ending up in the town jail. Not to be deterred, Lydia asked for her son to be hired out - sending her son at age 12 to other farms and job sites to learn how to be a slave. 

This work enabled Smalls to learn a number of jobs, including as a waiter in a hotel, as a laborer on the city docks, and assisting sea captains working on boats where he was able to retain $1 of his earnings per week. Smalls’ extensive experience working on the water taught him not only how to navigate the various waterways throughout the south, but also how to properly command a vessel. Smalls met his future wife Hannah Jones while working outside of the McKee plantation. Jones was also enslaved by the Kingman family, and she worked at a local Charleston hotel. In 1856, the two received permission to get married and live together in an apartment and the couple eventually welcomed two children. Despite his horrific birthright, Smalls knew slavery was not the life he wanted for himself or his children. He was acutely aware that his and Hannah’s limited freedom was granted only at the benevolence of their quote unquote masters and that it could be taken away from him at a moment’s notice. Therefore, he decided to inquire into how much it would cost to purchase his family’s freedom. Although the Kingman’s were apparently open to the idea of a sale, the price was quite steep at $800. Smalls only had $100 and therefore needed another plan. 

When the shots were fired at Fort Sumter in 1861 marking the beginning of the Civil War, Smalls was working as an enslaved crew member aboard the cotton transport ship, The Planter. The vessel, docked in Charleston Harbor, was transformed for the war into a confederate transport ship. Having mastered the various aspects of sailing, Smalls began to formulate a plan to secure his freedom that was incredibly dangerous - commandeer The Planter and deliver it to union lines. There were several problems with this plan. First, Smalls had to convince others to help him in his endeavor as he would be unable to manage the ship on his own. This ran the risk of his plot being reported to the ship’s commander and Smalls facing severe punishment as a result. Second, the ship had to be left alone - which was against the law. Per Confederate General Order Number 5, boat crews were expected to stay on board day or night so that they were always prepared to leave if called. 

However, Smalls knew this was an order many captains did not follow, including the captain of the Planter, C.J. Relyea. Several boat crews would leave the enslaved members alone on the ship while they went into town to visit families or enjoy a stiff drink. While this decision ran the risk of a court martial for violating the rules, it appears the risk was not taken seriously by members of the Planter, who frequently left the ship unattended. Of course, once in control of the ship, Smalls still had to get it out of Confederate territory and close enough to the Union lines without calling attention to himself until just the right moment. 

As author Cate Lineberry describes, quote: “though the wharf and the U.S. fleet were only about ten miles apart, Smalls would have to pass several heavily armed confederate fortifications in the harbor as well as multiple gun batteries along the shore without raising an alarm. The risk of discovery and capture was high,” end quote. 

By taking command of a confederate vessel and sailing it toward Union blockades, Smalls was running a risk of being shot and sunk by U.S. forces. He had to ensure he got close enough to the Union line that they could see his plea for freedom, while also operating a way that did not raise any confederate suspicions. If any part of his plan went awry, Smalls faced certain death. Smalls shared his plan with his wife Hannah who asked what would happen if he was caught. His response, “I shall be shot.” 

Despite the danger, Smalls forged ahead with his plans. He shared his ideas with the rest of the enslaved crew in either late April or early May. In explaining his plan, Smalls insisted that the crew had to be ready at a moment’s notice and that they would have to take advantage of the opportunity as soon as it presented itself. On the evening on May 12, The Planter sat docked in port after spending several days delivering supplies to various confederate outposts. The ship was being prepped to make another set of deliveries the following morning, and was outfitted with around 200 rounds of ammunition, and six heavy guns to fight against potential enemy fire. After preparations were complete, Captain C.J. Relyea released the white crew to spend the night in port, leaving the ship under the care of the seven enslaved men. The Captain had no reason to suspect any trouble; he had left the ship in their hands before without any issues and likely did not believe the men on board had the capacity or intelligence to try any funny business. An assumption Robert Smalls was all too happy to take advantage of. 

Under the cover of darkness in the early morning hours of May 13, 1862 Robert Smalls and several members of the crew made their escape. To get out of the harbor without drawing suspicion, Smalls ordered both the confederate and state flag hoisted. Smalls, who had been compared to the Captain before, disguised himself in the Captains wide brimmed straw hat and mirroring some of his mannerisms to avoid detection. In what I am sure was a very tense few moments, a confederate ship did pull alongside the steamer for closer inspection, however Smalls’ plan seemed to be working as they let the Planter sail on without incident. 

Once clear of the harbor, The Planter docked to pick up awaiting family, including Smalls’ wife and two small children. I was unable to locate exactly how Smalls and the others got word to their loved ones, but they were waiting and came with their own supplies - including a white bed sheet Smalls hoped to use as a white flag to notify the Union blockade The Planter was under the command of friendly sailors. The ship arrived at Fort Sumter around 4 in the morning where Smalls ordered the men on board to pull down the confederate and state flags and hoist the white sheet as a sign of surrender. But the weather was not on their side as the harbor was covered in a thick layer of morning fog. Miraculously The Planter was able to get close enough to the Union lines without taking on fire and Robert Smalls delivered the ship and all of its cargo to the federal troops in exchange for his freedom. The whole saga took less than four hours. 

Once safely across union defense lines, Smalls ingratiated himself with the federal troops, sharing important confederate intelligence he gleaned while working on the ship. Those in command quickly recognized Smalls’ intelligence, saying his was quote “superior to any who have come into our lines” unquote. Unable to earn rank with the confederate army, the union named Smalls as pilot of several vessels, taking full advantage of his knowledge of the southern ports. Smalls also recognized the power of allowing Black men to serve on the side of the union, and personally lobbied Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to allow the enlistment of black soldiers. Once authorized, Smalls went to work, recruiting 5,000 soldiers on his own. 

Smalls did his part to help the union win the war, engaging in nearly 20 military actions, including a battle on April 7, 1863 that earned Smalls a promotion to Captain. After his promotion, Smalls earned $150 per month, making him one of the highest paid black soldiers of the Civil War. Smalls returned to the Planter in October 1862 where he continued to support the union war efforts and endeavored to beat the confederacy once and for all. 

On May 30, 1862, Congress passed a private bill authorizing the Navy to appraise the confiscated ship The Planter and to give Smalls and his crew half the ship’s value. As a result, Smalls received a $1500 payment, which he used to purchase the home of his former enslaver, Henry McKee. Hundreds of white residents fled the Beaufort area upon the start of the Civil War, leaving the McKee house unprotected. It was confiscated by the Union army and sold at an auction to Smalls for $605. 

After the war, Robert Smalls emerged as leader of his community, thanks both to his impressive military service and his connections with the formerly enslaved community in South Carolina. He enjoyed a sterling reputation among his neighbors in Beaufort and started a small business with Richard Gleaves, a store geared toward selling goods to freedmen. He also stepped into the political arena, beginning in 1864, when he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. He was arrested in Philadelphia the same year for riding in a segregated street car and organized a boycott in response, eventually leading to the city’s decision to desegregate public transportation in 1867. 

In 1868, he was sent as a representative to help write the new state constitution, where he lobbied for the inclusion of publicly funded education. Small was elected to the state house of representatives the same year, followed by the state senate in 1872. And despite the fact that the Democratic party was slowly but surely decreasing black access to the franchise, Smalls continued to enjoy political success, getting elected to the United States Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 1874. 

Smalls served in the House for five consecutive terms before leaving in 1887. In 1890, Smalls was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison as collector at the port in Beaufort, a position he maintained for several years. With age came chronic disease, and Smalls spent the latter part of his life dealing with the complications of diabetes. His health led him to decline offers of appointments to the Spanish American war, and a diplomatic post as the U.S. minister to Liberia. Although his health may have precluded him from federal service, Smalls continued to loom large in his local community, lending his voice at least once to prevent the lynching of black men accused of killing a white man. 

Robert Smalls died from disabetes and malaria on February 23, 1915. He was 75.

A man who was born into slavery, Robert Smalls planned one of the most audacious and elaborate escapes in history. Never willing to accept what the cards dealth him, Robert Smalls made his own path and worked hard to improve the lives of his fellow Black Americans both in and out of politics. 

A big thank you to friend and long time listener Val for making the recommendation. As usual, I learned so much putting this episode together and it is always so refreshing to look up new understudied folks from history. If you ever want me to cover a topic, just let me know. You can find me on most of the socials or through my website at www dot civics and coffee dot com. The website is also where you can see transcripts, source material, and learn about how you can support the pod. 

Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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