1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,320 Speaker 1: This amazing story is going to give you chills. Hitchore 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: did for me when backstory listener Robert Rusr suggested it. 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: Robert Smalls was a young slave at the height of 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: the Civil War. He was brave and brilliant. He managed 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: to steal a Confederate supply ship delivered to the North, 6 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: then fought on board that same ship for the Union, 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: eventually becoming its captain. And that was all before the 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: age of twenty five. Later he was a five term congressman. 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. A lifetime of accomplishment, courage, and remarkable compassion. 10 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: Next on the back story. The backstory is back Wow. 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: Imagine the guts you'd have to have to be a 12 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: slave on board a small ship called the Planter during 13 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: the Civil War. It was a cotton steamer that had 14 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: been outfitted as a rebel transport and supply ship. His 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: name is Robert Small's. He knows how to navigate the 16 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: coastal waters of South Carol as well as the shallow 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: harbor in Charleston, so he's trusted with the ship as 18 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: its harbor pilot by the ship's owners and the officers 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: on board. It's just before daybreak on May thirteenth, eighteen 20 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: sixty two. The white officers assigned to the ship kind 21 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: of carelessly decided to spend the night before off the 22 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: ship at a big party in town. That left Robert 23 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,759 Speaker 1: alone on board with eight other members of the slave crew. 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: He sees his chance, and in one breathtaking moment of courage, 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: runs with it. His wife and other family members of 26 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: those on board have already escaped and are met at 27 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: a rendezvous point. Back on board the ship, they silently 28 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: slip away from the dock in the darkness. Now wearing 29 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: a broad brimmed straw captain's hat to hide his face, 30 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: Robert steers the ship past checkpoints, moving slowly, giving the 31 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: proper whistled signal codes, and then out into the open sea. 32 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: Finally outside of can Confederate waters. The crew raises a 33 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: white bed sheet and Robert surrenders the ship to the 34 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: blockading Union fleet. The Union soldiers are at first confused, 35 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: and they point weapons at this little ship until they 36 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: notice the white flag. Robert calls out, good morning, sir, 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: I've brought you some of the old United States guns. 38 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: I'm delivering this war material, including these cannons, and I 39 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: think uncle Abraham Lincoln can put them to good use. 40 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: This is how Robert Small's achieved a crazy win win, 41 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: but he really knew how to make the most of it. 42 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: He wanted to present the ship to Rear Admiral Samuel 43 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: DuPont under one condition. If DuPont would guarantee sanctuary to 44 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: the black families on board, Robert would share his tremendous 45 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: storehouse of knowledge about the difficult topography of the seafloor 46 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: around Charleston's harbor and coastline, as well as the layout 47 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: of the rebel fortifications, their weapons and the range those 48 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: weapons could reach, along with what vessels were in the 49 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: harbor and their patrol schedules. He knew all of this. 50 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: This guy was a genius. It was more info than 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: Union spies had been able to gather in the previous 52 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: six months. Admiral DuPont not only accepted, he even went further. 53 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: With DuPont's backing, the Navy offered Robert a deal. If 54 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: he would serve as the Planter's ship pilot as a 55 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: member of the U. S. Navy, they would pay him 56 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: the ship's full prize value for the capture. Robert agreed, 57 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: and after serving in that role, he asked for command 58 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: of the Planter, and Robert Small's became the first black 59 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: man to be given command of a Navy ship since 60 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: the Revolutionary War. Think how amazing that is. In less 61 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: than four hours, Robert had done something unimaginable. In the 62 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: midst of the Civil War, this twenty two year old 63 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: blackmail slave had taken over a heavily armed Confederate ship 64 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: and delivered seventeen black passengers, nine men, five women, and 65 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: three children out of slavery and into freedom. But his store. 66 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: He doesn't end there. Small's traveled to Washington to meet 67 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: with President Lincoln, convincing him to allow black men to 68 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: serve for the Union Army. During the war, he fought 69 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: in seventeen battles and recruited five thousand black soldiers to 70 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: the Northern cause. By January of eighteen sixty four, after 71 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: his hometown of Beaufort had been taken over by the North, 72 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: Robert used his prize money to buy the mansion of 73 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: his former owner, where he'd been a slave. Suddenly, this 74 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: former slave was not only a war hero and national celebrity, 75 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: but the owner of a planter's mansion. After the war, 76 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: he started a successful business selling supplies to freed black people, 77 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: and he became heavily involved in Republican politics, eventually serving 78 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: five terms in Congress, and he was a major advocate 79 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: for public education and civil rights. During the era of Reconstruction. 80 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: He became friends with Presidents Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt. 81 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 1: One of his greatest attributes was his compassion. In fact, 82 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: he spoke about his former owner, John McKee, saying he 83 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: was about as decent as a man can be when 84 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: he owns another human being. And one day, Jane McKee, 85 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: the widow of his former owner, now dealing with dementia, 86 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: had walked back into that house on Prince Street, which 87 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: he had loved and was now owned by Robert, thinking 88 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,239 Speaker 1: she still lived there. While John McKee had been kind 89 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: to work for, Jane had been cruel and difficult. Nevertheless, 90 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: Robert greeted her, brought her inside his house, and then 91 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: took care of her, allowing her to remain there for 92 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: the rest of her life. It's an incredible story. Robert 93 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: Small's proved that kindness is not born of weakness, but 94 00:05:51,960 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: of incredible strength. I would like to thank backstory listener 95 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: Robert Rusr for sharing this inspirational story. If you have 96 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: a story you'd like me to take a deeper dive 97 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: into and share, please reach out. You can DM me 98 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,480 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele or on Instagram at Real 99 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, 100 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. 101 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,960 Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We 102 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to 103 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions 104 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at 105 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, 106 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,039 Speaker 1: the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.