FIRST  AFRICAN-AMERICAN  USN  SHIP  CAPTAIN

Robert Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, on April 5, 1839, in a cottage behind the Henry McKee house.  He was the son of Lydia Polite, a house servant who had been working for the McKees since she was taken from her family as a young child.  Robert’s father was very likely to have been McKee’s son, the plantation owner where Lydia’s family lived and worked all of their lives. 

Robert’s early life was rather easy compared with that of other enslaved children. He was taken around town by Henry McKee and had opportunities to play with children both black and white. The ease of Robert’s life was disturbing to his mother as she knew that Robert did not understand the horrors of slavery.  So Lydia made arrangements for Robert to spend time with her family on the plantation where he could see how slavery could be.  On the plantation Robert slept with enslaved family members on the earthen floor and worked picking cotton, rice, and tobacco from sun up to sun down.  Robert was taught the lessons of slavery first hand and when he returned to Beaufort, Lydia took him to the whipping post so he could see how enslaved people were beaten when they broke the rules.  Robert learned the lessons well which led him to defiance as he began to challenge the local slave laws, frequently finding himself in the Beaufort jail,

At age 12, Robert Smalls moved to Charleston and began to perform a number of jobs, waiting tables, lamp lighting, working on the waterfront and finally working on the transport steamer PLANTER.  During this time Robert had to give all of his earnings except for $1.00 a week to the McKees.  Aboard PLANTER, Robert was industrious and learned all the skills needed to become an excellent pilot as well as assisting the Captain in many of his duties.  At the age of 19, Robert married Hannah Jones and realizing that married white couples lived together he asked for and was granted permission to live with his wife.  But Robert was dissatisfied because he realized that they were not free, and that his wife and children could be taken from him at any time.  Thus he proposed buying his wife and two children but the purchase fee was $800, much more than he had.

When the Civil War broke out the Confederates commandeered the PLANTER into service and Robert continued working on board as an enslaved man along with three other enslaved men.  On the night of May 12-13, 1862, the three CSS PLANTER white officers went ashore for the evening.  Robert had been planning how to escape slavery and this gave him his opportunity.  With the other three enslaved men they gathered their families on PLANTER for a daring voyage.  Wearing a hat and clothes similar to the captain’s and knowing the correct signals for safe passage, Robert was able to successfully sail PLANTER past five Confederate gun batteries in Charleston Harbor.  Hoisting a white bedsheet as a surrender signal as they reached Union forces blockading Charleston harbor, Robert surrendered CSS PLANTER to the Union and freedom was achieved for 23-year old Robert Smalls and the other 15 people with him.  Union newspapers hailed Robert as a hero and called the ship “the first trophy from Fort Sumter.”

Robert Smalls was permitted to remain as Pilot/Commander aboard the now USS PLANTER and later served aboard the ironclad gunship USS KEOKUK.  His service included deactivating mines that he had helped plant while enslaved by the Confederacy and he guided Union forces to Confederate outposts.  As a result of his activities and fame he was awarded an audience with President Abraham Lincoln as he reportedly helped recruit nearly 5,000 African-American men for the Union forces.

After the war Richard returned to Beaufort and purchased the McKee house where he lived until his death.  During this time he continued to build upon his reputation as a leader in the African-American community.  He was one of the founders of the South Carolina Republican Club, served on the County School Board, helped establish the first school built for African-American children and was elected to Congress, serving five terms that led to the creation of Parris Island Marine Base in South Carolina.  After losing his seat in Congress in 1888, Robert Smalls returned home as Collector of Customs for the Port of Beaufort, an appointment from President Benjamin Harrison and held for nearly twenty years.  He also served as a Major General in the South Carolina militia.

Robert Smalls died on February 22, 1915, and is buried at Tabernacle Baptist Church Cemetery in Beaufort.

On September 15, 2007, the U.S. Army Vessel MG ROBERT SMALLS, the largest Army transport ship of its kind, was commissioned in his honor.  An historian wrote concerning him: “In Robert Smalls we find a person that reflects man at his very best.  He lived a life of courage and service that is an inspiration to all people of all ages.”  A great granddaughter wrote: “Grampa was the most significant black hero in the Civil War.  He became the first black captain of a U.S. vessel after an act of bravery under fire.”

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)