From Slave to Congressman

AT THREE O’CLOCK on the morning of May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved man working for the Confederate army, risked his life and those of his crew and family. He ordered the sidewheel steamer known as the Planter to fire up its boilers. Robert had piloted the ship many times from its mooring in Charleston Harbor under orders from Confederate Captain Charles Relyea. But this time, only slaves were on board.

Captain Relyea and his officers had disobeyed orders and gone to spend the night with their families. The crew had been waiting for this opportunity. Months before, in a playful moment, one of the crewmen had dropped Captain Relyea’s hat onto Smalls’s head. This innocent joke gave Smalls an idea. Since his short, stocky build was similar to the captain’s, could he pass for the man if seen in bad light and from a distance? Once the thought entered Robert’s mind, it obsessed him.

For a slave, Smalls had a good job. as it carried supplies, messages, and soldiers along the South Carolina waterfront. Yet he hated helping the Confederates fight the war. If the Union army were to win, there was a chance that President Lincoln would outlaw slavery. Robert longed to be a free man.