In an incredible adventure, on May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls piloted a commandeered confederate ship through the mined Charleston Harbor, and past lookouts, before surrendering the ship to Commodore S.F. DuPont, commander of the federal fleet barricading Fort Sumter.
In doing so, Smalls helped convince President Lincoln that blacks could be "brave and strategic in pulling off military maneuvers," helping in the decision to allow African Americans to join the fight in the Civil War.
Mr. Smalls is a Civil War hero, served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, ran a newspaper, and helped found a state Republican Party.
LINK: Thomas-Lester, Avis (2012), "Civil War hero Robert Smalls seized the opportunity to be free," The Washington Post, March 2
In doing so, Smalls helped convince President Lincoln that blacks could be "brave and strategic in pulling off military maneuvers," helping in the decision to allow African Americans to join the fight in the Civil War.
Mr. Smalls is a Civil War hero, served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, ran a newspaper, and helped found a state Republican Party.
LINK: Thomas-Lester, Avis (2012), "Civil War hero Robert Smalls seized the opportunity to be free," The Washington Post, March 2
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