The Giant Life of Robert Smalls

One of the most satisfying benefits of traveling is learning the local lore and history of a place and its people. On a recent trip to South Carolina, I stumbled upon the Robert Smalls house and learned of his amazing life. The discovery of this history is exhilarating even as its obscurity is troubling.  My Virginia history classes had never introduced me to Robert Smalls, a Black man born into slavery in Beaufort, SC, in small quarters behind this house. (The house is still privately owned so I could not tour it or even get close enough for a great photo.)

Robert Smalls led a giant life. In 1851, at the age of twelve, he was sent by his owner, John McKee, to Charleston to work on the docks. He was allowed to keep only $1/week of his earnings which he turned into a profit when he created a small business buying and selling candy on the streets. In Charleston, he learned the ways of shipping and piloting vessels, which came in handy when he later commandeered the USS Planter, while the White officers spent the night on shore, to transport his fellow Black crew members and everyone’s families into the arms of Union soldiers and thus, into freedom. He turned the USS Planter over to Union Troops. The daring escape convinced President Lincoln to allow Black men to fight in the Civil War. Smalls went on to recruit over 5,000 Black men into battle on behalf of the Union. He served throughout the Civil War where he was present for 17 major battles for both the Navy and the Army, piloting several battleships for the Union.

Smalls returned to Beaufort after the war and used the $1500 reward money for delivering the USS Planter to the Union to buy the very house where he was once enslaved when the owner, John McKee, lost it during the war due to delinquent taxes. Talk about sweet irony. He allowed Mrs. McKee to live in the house at a time when dementia kept her from understanding that she no longer owned it.

Smalls opened up a business in Beaufort to help newly freedmen with educational and literacy resources. He bought a building that he turned into a school for Black children. He went on to be a partial owner of a horse-drawn railway to transport cargo in and around the area as well as the owner of a Black newspaper called the Beaufort Southern Standard. In local lore, Mr. Smalls also prevented the lynching of a Black man by a local mob. The man was falsely accused of murder and Mr. Smalls used his political influence with the town’s mayor to get the mob to back down.

Smalls’ activism was not constrained to the battlefield or business. Once in Philadelphia, he refused to give up his seat on a streetcar for a White passenger, deciding instead to depart the streetcar. When news grew about a Civil War hero being denied equal access, the PA legislature began steps to integrate the public transportation system.

Smalls served in elected positions in both the South Carolina statehouse and for five sessions of US Congress as a representative from the 5^th and 7^th districts of South Carolina between 1875 and 1887. His legislative credits include measures to make school compulsory for all South Carolinians as well as a variety of Civil Rights bills.

Any one of these accomplishments could have branded him a local or national hero. I understand that his national obscurity may be dissipating since Amazon is apparently exploring a script based on Smalls’ life for a made-for-tv movie.

I’ve always been intrigued by the circumstances that bring forth distinct heroism in the world. I love learning about individuals who overcome great obstacles and daunting odds to be successful or to have an impact in the community or to stand up to injustice. So many of these stories start in or have a connection to homes. What did Robert Smalls learn in the small dwelling behind his owner’s house that created such courage and drive? He must have had felt some affection for the property and the town for him to return so many years later. Why did he invest so much of himself in improving his community? As always, I have more questions than answers.

As I start a new year, I’m faced with the decision of which goals to plot out for the year. Instead, I might just try pursuing a giant and brave life. I am grateful to have learned about Mr. Smalls’ grand life. We need more of these inspirational stories.