To escape from slavery in Charleston, South Carolina, all Robert Smalls had to do was smuggle his family onto a boat, steal it from Confederate officers, sneak past the harbor defenses, slip beneath the guns of Fort Sumter, and aim for the safety of the Federal blockade. Historian Walt Young joins the Emerging Civil War Podcast to share the story.

This episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast is brought to you by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at ⁠civilwartrails.org⁠ to start planning your trip today.