In today’s episode we will be discussing Robert Smalls, the slave who seized a Confederate ship during the Civil War and sailed it to freedom.

Just before dawn on May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls and a crew composed of fellow slaves, slipped a cotton steamer off the dock, picked up family members at a rendezvous point, then slowly navigated their way through the harbor. Smalls, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and Confederate coat to help hide his identity, acting as the captain, responded with the proper coded signals at Confederate checkpoints, including Fort Sumter, and other defense positions. After clearing the Confederate checkpoints, Smalls sailed into the open seas. Once outside of Confederate waters, he had his crew raise a white flag and surrendered his ship to the blockading Union fleet.