Reference Entry
ROBERT SMALLS SEIZES THE PLANTER
Before dawn on May 13th, 1862, an enslaved harbor pilot named Robert Smalls puts a quiet plan into motion in Confederate-held Charleston. While the white officers of the steamer Planter are ashore, Smalls and a small crew of fellow enslaved sailors steam the vessel out of the harbor, picking up their families along the way. Wearing the captain’s coat and hat, Smalls issues the right whistle signals to pass Confederate forts, then steers for the dark shapes of the Union blockade.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Robert Smalls seizes the Planter
Before dawn on May 13th, 1862, an enslaved harbor pilot named Robert Smalls puts a quiet plan into motion in Confederate-held Charleston. While the white officers of the steamer Planter are ashore, Smalls and a small crew of fellow enslaved sailors steam the vessel out of the harbor, picking up their families along the way. Wearing the captain’s coat and hat, Smalls issues the right whistle signals to pass Confederate forts, then steers for the dark shapes of the Union blockade. When the Planter comes alongside, he delivers not only a valuable transport ship, but also charts, signals, and information about harbor defenses. The daring escape becomes a powerful story of individual initiative within the larger naval war. Smalls later serves with Union forces and enters political life, but on this May morning in 1862 his act alone shifts matériel, intelligence, and morale in favor of the United States cause.
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