Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Apr 2, 2014 · Robert Smalls was an enslaved African American who escaped to freedom in a Confederate supply ship and eventually became a sea captain for the Union Navy. After the war, he became a...

Jan 11, 2025 · Robert Smalls was an American war hero and politician who, during the Civil War, became the first Black captain of a vessel in U.S. service. He served multiple terms as a congressman from South Carolina during Reconstruction.

Robert Smalls was born in 1839, enslaved by a local planter in Beaufort, South Carolina. By the time he was 23 years old, Smalls had won freedom for himself and his family, and was a famous war hero. He became a prominent leader in the community during the Reconstruction era, including service in both the state and national legislature.

Aug 1, 2016 · Smalls’s war-time accomplishments made him a political force in the Sea Islands, with its overwhelmingly black population. In 1867 Smalls was one of the founders of the Republican Party in South Carolina, an organization to which he remained loyal all his life. Legislator, congressman.

Robert Smalls did something unimaginable: In the midst of the Civil War, this black male slave commandeered a Confederate ship and delivered its 16 black men, women and children passengers from slavery to freedom. From slave to sailor to Congressman, read on for more about this extraordinary person.

Escaped slavery in South Carolina by commandeering a Confederate ship, breaking through a blockade and surrendering the ship to the U.S. military. First Black pilot in the U.S. Navy, fought in 17 battles during the Civil War as the captain of the USS Planter

Feb 17, 2021 · Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839 into the institution of slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, located just south of Charleston on the coastal Sea Islands. His mother was an enslaved woman, Lydia Polite .

Dec 15, 2007 · Robert Smalls was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on April 5, 1839 and worked as a house slave until the age of 12. At that point his owner, John K. McKee, sent him to Charleston to work as a waiter, ship rigger, and sailor, with all earnings going to McKee.

Robert Smalls' life story is a real hero’s adventure of bravery and compassion. Born in Beaufort, SC in 1839 Robert Smalls' owner hired him out for several types of jobs. Smalls eventually became one of the best navigators on the coast.