THE PLANTER'S ROBERT SMALLS

'THE PLANTER'S' ROBERT SMALLS One of the shrewdest, smoothest slave escapes from the Deep South that I have ever read of involved Robert Smalls of Charleston, South Carolina, on May 13, 1862, aboard side-wheel steamer and armed dispatch-transport, "The Planter." Robert Smalls was the ship's pilot, although the was also a slave. He knew the shoals, eddies, shallows, tides of the tricky coastal waters and the signs, signals, semaphore of Confederate shippers and forts. Smalls and his family, his enslaved shipmates and their families, 16 people all total, took "The Planter" , with Confederate flag flying, and signal whistle blowing, past curious Charleston's infamous big cannon batteries and forts, evading mines, disguised in the 4:00 a.m. darkness of morning as the ship's captain and officers out on a morning run. The captain and crew were not aboard, having arranged to spend the night in town for entertainment. Smalls knew this. Captain and crew had done it before, trusting that Smalls and his enslaved shipmates would take care of things, as they always had done before perfectly. No less perfectly, this time, Smalls and crew swung swiftly and quietly into action, according to their plan. First, they got their wives and children aboard securely, safety; then, they secured their transport , artillery and ammunition safely aboard, they looked about in all directions; ate breakfast; cast off! Once they cleared Confederate cannon range, they surrendered this 308 ton gift to the Union Blockade armada, lying just outside of Charleston harbor under a white flag of truce to the startled Union ship's captain. Mission accomplished ! I have read of many exciting slave escapes, all daring, but few so harrowing or gripping! Both Smalls and the Planter enjoyed a momentous history after the amazing escape, a portion of which I quote from Wikipedia: "After his escape, Smalls served as a pilot for Union ships in the Charleston area. He was eventually assigned to serve aboard Planter again. On December 1, 1863, Planter was caught in a crossfire between Union and Confederate forces. The ship's commander, a Captain Nickerson, ordered him to surrender. Smalls refused, saying he feared her black crewmen would not be treated as prisoners of war and that they might be summarily killed. Smalls took command and piloted the ship out of range of the Confederate guns. As a reward for his bravery, he was appointed captain of the Planter, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.[2]Smalls served as captain until the army sold Planter in 1866 after the end of the war.[1]" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Planter_(1862)