From Slavery To The US House of Representatives-Representing South Carolina-He&nbsp;Became A Naval Hero at The Same Time He Freed Himself and His Family in May 1862
Robert Smalls was born a slave in South Carolina. During the Civil War, Smalls steered the CSS Planter, an armed Confederate military transport. On May 12, 1862, the Planter&rsquo;s three white officers decided to spend the night ashore. About 3 am, Smalls and seven of the eight enslaved crewmen decided to make a run for the Union vessels that formed the blockade, as they had earlier planned. Smalls dressed in the captain&rsquo;s uniform and had a straw hat similar to that of the white captain. The Planter stopped at a nearby wharf to pick up Smalls&rsquo; family and the relatives of other crewmen, then they sailed toward Union lines, with a white sheet as a flag. After the war, he went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives, representing South Carolina. (LOC)
Photo:&nbsp;Library of Congress description: &amp;#8220;Robert Smalls, S.C. M.C. Born in Beaufort, SC, April 1839&amp;#8221;.