February 20, 2024 • 6 mins
This is the remarkable story of Robert Smalls. In 1862, he was a young slave who managed to commandeer a rebel warship in Charleston, South Carolina’s heavily fortified harbor, turn it over to the North and go on to have a spectacular business and political career.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This amazing story is going to give you chills. Hitchore
did for me when backstory listener Robert Rusr suggested it.
Robert Smalls was a young slave at the height of
the Civil War. He was brave and brilliant. He managed
to steal a Confederate supply ship delivered to the North,
then fought on board that same ship for the Union,
(00:20):
eventually becoming its captain. And that was all before the
age of twenty five. Later he was a five term congressman.
I'm Patty Steele. A lifetime of accomplishment, courage, and remarkable compassion.
Next on the back story. The backstory is back Wow.
(00:42):
Imagine the guts you'd have to have to be a
slave on board a small ship called the Planter during
the Civil War. It was a cotton steamer that had
been outfitted as a rebel transport and supply ship. His
name is Robert Small's. He knows how to navigate the
coastal waters of South Carol as well as the shallow
harbor in Charleston, so he's trusted with the ship as
(01:05):
its harbor pilot by the ship's owners and the officers
on board. It's just before daybreak on May thirteenth, eighteen
sixty two. The white officers assigned to the ship kind
of carelessly decided to spend the night before off the
ship at a big party in town. That left Robert
alone on board with eight other members of the slave crew.
(01:27):
He sees his chance, and in one breathtaking moment of courage,
runs with it. His wife and other family members of
those on board have already escaped and are met at
a rendezvous point. Back on board the ship, they silently
slip away from the dock in the darkness. Now wearing
a broad brimmed straw captain's hat to hide his face,
(01:49):
Robert steers the ship past checkpoints, moving slowly, giving the
proper whistled signal codes, and then out into the open sea.
Finally outside of can Confederate waters. The crew raises a
white bed sheet and Robert surrenders the ship to the
blockading Union fleet. The Union soldiers are at first confused,
(02:09):
and they point weapons at this little ship until they
notice the white flag. Robert calls out, good morning, sir,
I've brought you some of the old United States guns.
I'm delivering this war material, including these cannons, and I
think uncle Abraham Lincoln can put them to good use.
This is how Robert Small's achieved a crazy win win,
(02:32):
but he really knew how to make the most of it.
He wanted to present the ship to Rear Admiral Samuel
DuPont under one condition. If DuPont would guarantee sanctuary to
the black families on board, Robert would share his tremendous
storehouse of knowledge about the difficult topography of the seafloor
around Charleston's harbor and coastline, as well as the layout
(02:55):
of the rebel fortifications, their weapons and the range those
weapons could reach, along with what vessels were in the
harbor and their patrol schedules. He knew all of this.
This guy was a genius. It was more info than
Union spies had been able to gather in the previous
six months. Admiral DuPont not only accepted, he even went further.
(03:18):
With DuPont's backing, the Navy offered Robert a deal. If
he would serve as the Planter's ship pilot as a
member of the U. S. Navy, they would pay him
the ship's full prize value for the capture. Robert agreed,
and after serving in that role, he asked for command
of the Planter, and Robert Small's became the first black
(03:38):
man to be given command of a Navy ship since
the Revolutionary War. Think how amazing that is. In less
than four hours, Robert had done something unimaginable. In the
midst of the Civil War, this twenty two year old
blackmail slave had taken over a heavily armed Confederate ship
and delivered seventeen black passengers, nine men, five women, and
(04:01):
three children out of slavery and into freedom. But his store.
He doesn't end there. Small's traveled to Washington to meet
with President Lincoln, convincing him to allow black men to
serve for the Union Army. During the war, he fought
in seventeen battles and recruited five thousand black soldiers to
(04:22):
the Northern cause. By January of eighteen sixty four, after
his hometown of Beaufort had been taken over by the North,
Robert used his prize money to buy the mansion of
his former owner, where he'd been a slave. Suddenly, this
former slave was not only a war hero and national celebrity,
but the owner of a planter's mansion. After the war,
(04:44):
he started a successful business selling supplies to freed black people,
and he became heavily involved in Republican politics, eventually serving
five terms in Congress, and he was a major advocate
for public education and civil rights. During the era of Reconstruction.
He became friends with Presidents Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt.
(05:06):
One of his greatest attributes was his compassion. In fact,
he spoke about his former owner, John McKee, saying he
was about as decent as a man can be when
he owns another human being. And one day, Jane McKee,
the widow of his former owner, now dealing with dementia,
had walked back into that house on Prince Street, which
(05:26):
he had loved and was now owned by Robert, thinking
she still lived there. While John McKee had been kind
to work for, Jane had been cruel and difficult. Nevertheless,
Robert greeted her, brought her inside his house, and then
took care of her, allowing her to remain there for
the rest of her life. It's an incredible story. Robert
(05:47):
Small's proved that kindness is not born of weakness, but
of incredible strength. I would like to thank backstory listener
Robert Rusr for sharing this inspirational story. If you have
(06:07):
a story you'd like me to take a deeper dive
into and share, please reach out. You can DM me
on Facebook at Patty Steele or on Instagram at Real
Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia,
Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We
(06:31):
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
This amazing story is going to give you chills. Hitchore
did for me when backstory listener Robert Rusr suggested it.
Robert Smalls was a young slave at the height of
the Civil War. He was brave and brilliant. He managed
to steal a Confederate supply ship delivered to the North,
then fought on board that same ship for the Union,
(00:20):
eventually becoming its captain. And that was all before the
age of twenty five. Later he was a five term congressman.
I'm Patty Steele. A lifetime of accomplishment, courage, and remarkable compassion.
Next on the back story. The backstory is back Wow.
(00:42):
Imagine the guts you'd have to have to be a
slave on board a small ship called the Planter during
the Civil War. It was a cotton steamer that had
been outfitted as a rebel transport and supply ship. His
name is Robert Small's. He knows how to navigate the
coastal waters of South Carol as well as the shallow
harbor in Charleston, so he's trusted with the ship as
(01:05):
its harbor pilot by the ship's owners and the officers
on board. It's just before daybreak on May thirteenth, eighteen
sixty two. The white officers assigned to the ship kind
of carelessly decided to spend the night before off the
ship at a big party in town. That left Robert
alone on board with eight other members of the slave crew.
(01:27):
He sees his chance, and in one breathtaking moment of courage,
runs with it. His wife and other family members of
those on board have already escaped and are met at
a rendezvous point. Back on board the ship, they silently
slip away from the dock in the darkness. Now wearing
a broad brimmed straw captain's hat to hide his face,
(01:49):
Robert steers the ship past checkpoints, moving slowly, giving the
proper whistled signal codes, and then out into the open sea.
Finally outside of can Confederate waters. The crew raises a
white bed sheet and Robert surrenders the ship to the
blockading Union fleet. The Union soldiers are at first confused,
(02:09):
and they point weapons at this little ship until they
notice the white flag. Robert calls out, good morning, sir,
I've brought you some of the old United States guns.
I'm delivering this war material, including these cannons, and I
think uncle Abraham Lincoln can put them to good use.
This is how Robert Small's achieved a crazy win win,
(02:32):
but he really knew how to make the most of it.
He wanted to present the ship to Rear Admiral Samuel
DuPont under one condition. If DuPont would guarantee sanctuary to
the black families on board, Robert would share his tremendous
storehouse of knowledge about the difficult topography of the seafloor
around Charleston's harbor and coastline, as well as the layout
(02:55):
of the rebel fortifications, their weapons and the range those
weapons could reach, along with what vessels were in the
harbor and their patrol schedules. He knew all of this.
This guy was a genius. It was more info than
Union spies had been able to gather in the previous
six months. Admiral DuPont not only accepted, he even went further.
(03:18):
With DuPont's backing, the Navy offered Robert a deal. If
he would serve as the Planter's ship pilot as a
member of the U. S. Navy, they would pay him
the ship's full prize value for the capture. Robert agreed,
and after serving in that role, he asked for command
of the Planter, and Robert Small's became the first black
(03:38):
man to be given command of a Navy ship since
the Revolutionary War. Think how amazing that is. In less
than four hours, Robert had done something unimaginable. In the
midst of the Civil War, this twenty two year old
blackmail slave had taken over a heavily armed Confederate ship
and delivered seventeen black passengers, nine men, five women, and
(04:01):
three children out of slavery and into freedom. But his store.
He doesn't end there. Small's traveled to Washington to meet
with President Lincoln, convincing him to allow black men to
serve for the Union Army. During the war, he fought
in seventeen battles and recruited five thousand black soldiers to
(04:22):
the Northern cause. By January of eighteen sixty four, after
his hometown of Beaufort had been taken over by the North,
Robert used his prize money to buy the mansion of
his former owner, where he'd been a slave. Suddenly, this
former slave was not only a war hero and national celebrity,
but the owner of a planter's mansion. After the war,
(04:44):
he started a successful business selling supplies to freed black people,
and he became heavily involved in Republican politics, eventually serving
five terms in Congress, and he was a major advocate
for public education and civil rights. During the era of Reconstruction.
He became friends with Presidents Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt.
(05:06):
One of his greatest attributes was his compassion. In fact,
he spoke about his former owner, John McKee, saying he
was about as decent as a man can be when
he owns another human being. And one day, Jane McKee,
the widow of his former owner, now dealing with dementia,
had walked back into that house on Prince Street, which
(05:26):
he had loved and was now owned by Robert, thinking
she still lived there. While John McKee had been kind
to work for, Jane had been cruel and difficult. Nevertheless,
Robert greeted her, brought her inside his house, and then
took care of her, allowing her to remain there for
the rest of her life. It's an incredible story. Robert
(05:47):
Small's proved that kindness is not born of weakness, but
of incredible strength. I would like to thank backstory listener
Robert Rusr for sharing this inspirational story. If you have
(06:07):
a story you'd like me to take a deeper dive
into and share, please reach out. You can DM me
on Facebook at Patty Steele or on Instagram at Real
Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia,
Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We
(06:31):
have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele,
the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.
Popular Podcasts
1. The Podium
The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast. Join us for insider coverage during the intense competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony, we’ll bring you deep into the stories and events that have you know and those you'll be hard-pressed to forget.
2. In The Village
In The Village will take you into the most exclusive areas of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to explore the daily life of athletes, complete with all the funny, mundane and unexpected things you learn off the field of play. Join Elizabeth Beisel as she sits down with Olympians each day in Paris.
3. iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2024 Olympics.