1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Previously on Ridiculous History, we 4 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: dove into the story of Robert Small's If you haven't 5 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: heard part one yet, please please please pause, stop what 6 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: you're doing now and listen to part one. Perfect. I'm Ben, 7 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: that's our super producer, Max Williams. Who's this? Who's this guy? Who? Mean? 8 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: It's all and I don't know, man, let's just dispense 9 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: with the preamble get right to the heist. So he 10 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: knows he's got to have these flags up right, He 11 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: raises the Confederate flag, the Palmetto flag. They go towards 12 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: the open ocean. They get to the first checkpoint around 13 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: a little before three thirty in the morning, place called 14 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: Fort Johnson, and this is where the rubber really hits 15 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: the road. So he he doesn't know if they'll get caught. 16 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: This isn't a scheduled run, right, so he he sounds 17 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: a signal on the steam whistle and they just surprise, surprise, 18 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: wave him through. So they go deeper into the harbor. 19 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: It looks like this plan may actually work and they're 20 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: getting to Fort Sumter and he is small as is 21 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: playing back in his mind the many times that they 22 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: have made runs like this before. Right, just act normal. Also, 23 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: this captain's hat is not just the symbolic thing. It's 24 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: something that may be the watchman can see right as. Yeah, 25 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: it was. It was total of subterfuge. I mean, that 26 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: was what they were hoping, is to pass on through 27 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: without anything seeming amiss. So he tried to, you know, 28 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 1: maintain he had seen he had been through these checkpoints 29 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: many many times. He knew what the protocols were. He 30 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: knew how the captain carried himself, so he tried to 31 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: carry himself the same way. He stood there on the 32 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: deck with his arms crossed and pulled the hat down 33 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: over his face a little bit, but not in a 34 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: suspicious way. It was also nighttime, obviously, and they're not 35 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: passing directly by these folks that are, you know, manning 36 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: the checkpoints for fifteen AM. As per the protocols, the 37 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: planter blew its steam whistle, and according to a report, 38 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: a lot of the information we have about this comes 39 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: from this naval report, the Committee on Naval Affairs said 40 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: the signal was blown as coolly as if General Ripley, 41 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: who was at the time the commander of Charleston's Greater Defenses, 42 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: was on board. The guard at Fort Sumter sounded their 43 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: signal in return, and they were off. They passed the 44 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: checkpoint without any incidents. Yes, yeah, and they ended up 45 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: successfully passing five different Confederate gun batteries. So later the 46 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: Confederate forces and members of the Confederate Army would argue 47 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 1: that this worked because the Planter was known as a 48 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: guard vessel as well as a supply ship. So there 49 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: was a gun ship, right. I mean it had like 50 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: you know, it had on board, had that immunition, but 51 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: it also had guns and a pivot gun. So they 52 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: were doing everything right. And once they got out of 53 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: rebel gun range, an alarm went off because the Planter 54 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: was clearly deviating from the known roots. It was heading 55 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: directly for the Union blockade. And at this point, at 56 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: this point, the next few events are key and history 57 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: hinges on some very small decisions and they're very time sensitive. 58 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: Smallest immediately orders the crew to take down that rebel flag, 59 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: take down the palmetto flag, and then instead hoist up 60 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: a white bedsheet that his wife Hannah has brought on board, 61 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: and there's still in this this still like not daylight, right, 62 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 1: these are the wee hours. And so there's this Confederate 63 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: ship coming like assume the perspective of the Union sailors. 64 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: There's a Union ship called the USS Onward, and they 65 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: see this Confederate supply slash gut and vessel just bearing 66 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: down on them. They can't see the surrender flag because 67 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: the sun's not quite up yet, and they almost fire 68 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: on the Planter until thank goodness, someone aboard the Onward says, hey, 69 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: I see something. It looks like a white flag, right god. Um. 70 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 1: So the command was rescinded and the tension on the 71 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: Planter was palpable, and they I guess we're close enough 72 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: at this point that they could tell that they were 73 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: no longer being seen as a threat. Um. The Planter 74 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: got to the blockade, small step forward, and in that 75 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: also that cinematic moment, Beautiful whips off his hat and says, 76 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: good morning, sir, I've brought you some of the old 77 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: United States guns. Boom, mic drop, incredible, and they the 78 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 1: Onward or someone had a stars and stripes flag and 79 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: so they hoist that up and now they are a 80 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: treasure trove for the Union forces. Yes, the guns are 81 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: are going to help the war effort. Yes to the ammunition, 82 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: but perhaps more importantly, the knowledge that this ship and 83 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: Robert Small's brings to the Union. Now they know shipping routes, Now, 84 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: they know locations were minds have been planted. They know 85 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: the schedule upon which Confederate ships based their docking and 86 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: their departures. So people had tried this before, They tried 87 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: a version of this that were enslaved, people who had 88 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 1: tried to reach the Union fleets by rowing out in canoes. 89 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: But no one, absolutely no one had ever taken a 90 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: Confederate vessel of this size and turned it over to 91 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: the Union. Nobody had ever showed up with just this 92 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: many guns, and we're like, here, let me give you 93 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: some guns. So this guy quickly, right becomes a hero, 94 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: especially in the Union, and folks are gushing about him. 95 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: One Navy Admiral S. F. DuPont said, Robert Smalls is 96 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: superior to any who have come into our lines. And 97 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: the New York Daily Tribune has a great description of 98 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: this too. That's right. If each one of the general 99 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: in our army had displayed as much coolness and courage 100 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: as small as did when he saluted the rebel flag 101 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: and steamed past the rebel fort. By this time, the 102 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: rebellion would have been among the things that were past lovely. 103 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: So there's a lot of words to say a little thing, 104 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: but I would say of the time, I gotta say 105 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: to you, Ben, it feels like it's a common theme 106 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: among racists to underestimate people from other of other races, 107 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: you know, And that's the huge thing. And it's a 108 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: huge thing that caused them to get their hats handed 109 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: to them literally or taken from them. I don't know. 110 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: The point is, you never underestim to make the enemy. 111 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: And they got a little too cozy, and they thought 112 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: that they just had these folks under their thumb. Would 113 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: all the while they possessed intellect, They possessed the ability 114 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: to listen and learn and to um come up with 115 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: this incredible plan that required so much courage and just 116 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: logistical you know, planning, you know, and and the ability 117 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: to see an opening and take it. All the while, 118 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: all these idiot confederates thought they could just you know, 119 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: have a good old night on the town and that 120 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: that you know, they're underlings who they thought were lesser 121 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: than them would just do what they were supposed to 122 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: do and just mind the shop. It's so ridiculous. Yet 123 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: this is this is an interesting dichotomy because he said, 124 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: Smalls is rightly hailed as a hero in Union territory, 125 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: not so surprisingly in Confederate territory. They're very much more like, 126 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:32,559 Speaker 1: you're killing me Smalls. And they're there placing bounties on 127 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: this guy, like a four thousand dollar bounty just four 128 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: perspective to inflation and calculator boop that one just for 129 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: the perspective. That's uh, that's almost sixty seven thousand dollars today, 130 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: significantly more than he was trying to save to free 131 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: his family. And that captain, former captain of the planter 132 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: Us finally get court martialed. He is sentenced to three 133 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: months in prison. I think this later gets overturned. But 134 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 1: the Confederate brass was honestly, they were honestly bewildered and 135 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: confused because you know, racism is a lack of critical thinking, 136 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: so they couldn't understand that people, you know, wouldn't want 137 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: to be enslaved. That seems to be the part that 138 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: they couldn't understand, and they even hatched this conspiracy theory 139 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 1: that was short lived because we're talking about racism, But 140 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:41,359 Speaker 1: how racist is this? One guy? F. G. Ravenel concluded 141 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: that two white men and a white woman must have 142 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: conspired to make it happen, to make the escape happen, 143 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: because in his mind, there was no way that people 144 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: could have pulled this off on their own. So oddly enough, 145 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: his conspiracy theory is easily disproved. There's no record of 146 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: any white passengers on the planter at this time. Smalls 147 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: and the planter's crew had acted alone. And now he is, again, 148 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: we said, hailed as a hero. On May sixty two, 149 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: the US Congress passes a bill authorizing the Navy to 150 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: awards Smalls and his crew half of the value of 151 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: the Planter in return for rescuing her from enemies of 152 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: the government. So he gets fifteen hundred dollars just personally. Uh, 153 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: And then he is able to I love these stories 154 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: and all, he's able to buy his former owner's house. 155 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: That's right, because at this point it's sort of moot 156 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: the notion of him having to buy his freedom. I mean, 157 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: he he won his freedom by sheer bravery Um, and 158 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: you know, absolutely rightfully was looked at as a hero because, 159 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: like he said, Ben, he provided so much tactical information 160 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: that they never would have gotten otherwise and absolutely helped 161 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: the war effort in the Union's favor. And and it 162 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: was after the war ended that he was able to 163 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: buy his former owner's house in Bufort off of the 164 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: tax roles. It would have been I guess the equivalent 165 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: of what like a repossession or something like that, like 166 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: buying a house on the steps of the courthouse. Yeah, yeah, 167 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: I think that's yeah, I think that's a good modern comparison. 168 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: He also was underpaid, by the way. Later historians would 169 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: find out. One thing that was really important that he 170 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,439 Speaker 1: got was something he couldn't put a price on. He 171 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: had direct audiences with President Abraham Lincoln, like in a 172 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: couple of different meetings. And in one of these meetings, 173 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: Frederick Douglas joined the conversation, and Douglas is essentially saying 174 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: to Lincoln, look, you have got to let African Americans 175 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: joined the military. Uh, this is as who coming to 176 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,719 Speaker 1: us from the mental flaw article. And he says, furthermore, 177 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: you should have this guy, Robert Smalls lead the cause 178 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: and Smalls is on board. So he joins the U. S. Navy, 179 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: and he personally recruits around five thousand soldiers to the 180 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: war effort. Uh. And it's a strong case to make, 181 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 1: you know, to say we are literally fighting for freedom. 182 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: Not to mention this is again, this is still during 183 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:28,679 Speaker 1: the Civil War, you know, we we we fast forward 184 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: it a little bit to when he bought the house, 185 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 1: but there is quite a bit of conflict left. And 186 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: now Smalls is occupying a strategic position, you know, in 187 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: the U. S. Navy where he is using some of 188 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: those things that he learned when he was listening, you know, 189 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: and being underestimated in Charleston for the benefit of the Union. 190 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: And he also recruits around five thousand African American soldiers. 191 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: Then in October of eighteen sixty two, he actually goes 192 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 1: back to the Planter and pilots it officially as part 193 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: of Admiral DuPont's South Atlantic Blockading squadron Um. And according 194 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: to that same eighteen eighty three Naval Affairs Committee report, 195 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: Smalls engaged in no less than seventeen military operations, including 196 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: a very important strategic one. On April seventh, eighteen sixty three, Um, 197 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 1: the attack on Fort Sumter and another attack on Foley 198 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: Island Creek, South Carolina a few months later, where he 199 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,719 Speaker 1: so he was the pilot, he wasn't the commander, just 200 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: just to get the military turn straight. Before he was 201 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: the wheelman to the pilot. Now he is the pilot 202 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: to the commander. Um. But when they're getting pinned down 203 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: with some was described in that report as very hot fire, 204 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: the white man who was the captain of the ship 205 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:54,960 Speaker 1: apparently turned tail and hid in the coal bunker and 206 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: Smalls had to take over. Um, and he you know, 207 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: won the day essentially, and then the ship was steered 208 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: to safety. Um. It's not a good look for the captain. 209 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: Well yeah, I mean at this point, even like clearly 210 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: the Union is still pretty racist itself, right, But at 211 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 1: this point even the Union brass is like, Okay, this 212 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: guy has pretty much been the captain of this ship 213 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: like the whole time, right, He's we can just say that, 214 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: and so to say, let's make it official. So he 215 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: gets promoted to the rank of Navy captain, and he 216 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: becomes one of the highest paid black soldiers of the 217 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: Civil War because he is earning from eighteen sixty three 218 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: on onward. He's earning about a hundred and fifty dollars 219 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: a month. That's nothing to sneeze at. And he's not, 220 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: by the way, he's not resting on his laurels when 221 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: he's not out on the sea. Instead, when he is 222 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: not actively working as a Navy captain, he is fighting 223 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: for civil rights. And we see stuff about this in 224 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: the historical record. Uh. The next year, in December of 225 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four, he gets booted out of a street 226 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 1: car in Philadelphia because it's supposed to be a white 227 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: people only street car. And so he says, you know what, 228 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: you messed with the wrong guy. We're gonna protest the 229 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: segregation in public transit. We're gonna organize, and we're going 230 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: to use the power of the people to make sure 231 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: the public transit is actually for you know, members of 232 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: the public. Three years later, Uh, those street cars got integrated. 233 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 1: That's right. And when the war did finally come to 234 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: an end in April of eighteen sixty five, there was 235 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: a ceremony that took place on board the Planter in 236 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: the Charleston Harbor where Smalls was in attendance. So full circle. 237 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: There um pretty incredible story of a not a heist 238 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: for the purposes of you know, personal gain or wealth, 239 00:15:55,920 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 1: but one with with heart, you know, and with a 240 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: absolutely justified goal. Yeah, it's a it's a it's a 241 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: hist based in morality and emancipation. Yeah, this is so 242 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: Small's life doesn't end when the war ends. So he 243 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: returns to Beaufort, South Carolina, and this is when he 244 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: purchases that old house he grew up in because it 245 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 1: had been seized by union authorities. His former owners, the 246 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: McKey family, try to sue for it, but he puts 247 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: together testimony, uh, and he wins the He wins the lawsuit. 248 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: He establishes a local school board. It's one of the 249 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: first schools for black children in this part of the country. 250 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: He opens a general store. He in eighteen sixty eight, 251 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: he successfully runs for a seat in the South Carolina 252 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: House of Representatives, and then he runs for the state Senate. 253 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: Two years later, he starts a newspaper. We're just listing 254 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: things off at this point. This is how much stuff 255 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: the guys doing. Eighteen seventy two, he starts The Southern Standard, 256 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: and then he runs for US Congress just like two 257 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,919 Speaker 1: years later. Yeah, talking about a landslide of the vote 258 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: UH and served five non consecutive terms where he pushed 259 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: for desegregation legislation in the military and restaurants UM from 260 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: his post in Washington, d C. And he was a 261 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: huge force within the military itself. He successfully pushed for 262 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: and led to the opening of the South Carolina Marine 263 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: Base at Paris Island, which is also a very important 264 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:47,959 Speaker 1: strategic location. Unfortunately, he was some the target of some 265 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: accusations of corruption. UM. He was accused by partisan forces 266 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: of taking a five thousand dollar bribe when he was 267 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: in the state Senate, and in eighteen seventy seven he 268 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: was convicted of that and served three years in prison. 269 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: Um he was released after an appeal and in eighteen 270 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: seventy nine he was pardoned by the governor. But stuff 271 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: like that's hard to you know, wash away, even if 272 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: it was, which it seems like it was to me 273 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:21,119 Speaker 1: likely a smear campaign. Yeah yeah, And he was sentenced, 274 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: but it was he appealed to that, so he didn't 275 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 1: end up serving the full time, and it speaks volumes 276 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: that the governor pardoned him. Unfortunately, Hannah passes away in 277 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty three. Later, in eighteen ninety, Smalls remarries. He 278 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:43,160 Speaker 1: works as a collector for US customs from about eighteen 279 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: eighty nine to de early nineteen hundreds nineteen eleven. He 280 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:52,199 Speaker 1: still active in politics. There is one strange moment that 281 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 1: occurs towards the ends of the end of this story. 282 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 1: Miss McKee, from all those years ago, it was still 283 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: alive and in later in her years, she suffers from dementia. 284 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: And if you've ever encountered someone who is you know 285 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,360 Speaker 1: who is afflicted by this, you understand that they can 286 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: feel out of time, out of place, they can forget things, 287 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: and according to according to one story, she would wander 288 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 1: into his house more than once because it's how she 289 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: used to live at and she would think was still 290 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,119 Speaker 1: her house, and so instead of kicking her out on 291 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 1: the street, he would often invite her inside until you 292 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: know someone could come help her, which I think says 293 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: powerful things, you know. And in nineteen fift Robert Smalls 294 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 1: passes away at age in the same house he grew 295 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 1: up in and he passes from diabetes and malaria. His 296 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: family goes on to live in the house for the 297 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,439 Speaker 1: next ninety years. If you find yourself off out that 298 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: way in South Carolina, you can check out the house. 299 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: It is a National Historic Landmark today. That's right. And 300 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: I think we can close with a with a really 301 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: great quote from UM. Robert Small's obviously witnessed the full 302 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: gamut of slavery, segregation, emancipation and everything that went along 303 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:22,199 Speaker 1: with it, and the very slow process of obviously that 304 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: we're still dealing with today of you know, truly seeing 305 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,399 Speaker 1: African Americans as equals and having them be treated that 306 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: way across the board. I think we've come a long way, 307 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: but sometimes it feels like two steps forward, three steps back. UM. 308 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: But this is what he had to say regarding you know, 309 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,439 Speaker 1: Jim Crow laws and all and and just literally the 310 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: trajectory that I'm kind of describing. UM. He had this 311 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: to say, my race needs no special defense for the 312 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: past history of them in this country. It proves them 313 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they 314 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: need is an equal chance in the battle of life. 315 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: So we wanted to share some more parts of Robert 316 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: Small's story and things related to this, UH, and we 317 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,919 Speaker 1: we are getting a lot of this information with the 318 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: help of our fantastic research associate, Gabe. So Gabe, if 319 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: you're listening, shout out to you, dude, as always. It 320 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: turns out that you may not have to travel to 321 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:22,199 Speaker 1: South Carolina to see this house because Amazon is adapting 322 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: Robert Small's story into a movie, which I think is 323 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 1: long overdue. I've been familiar with the story in the past, 324 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: and my first question was like, why why is this 325 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: not already like ten different films totally. I mean, we 326 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,439 Speaker 1: we've used the term of cinematic throughout this telling, and 327 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: I think it's it's absolutely perfect for that. The film 328 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: is called Steal Away, and the filmmaker's name is Charles Burnett, 329 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: who is attached to direct, with Cotty Chub and George 330 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 1: Plomondon as producers. This is from an article from Deadline. 331 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: And then we have Malcolm m Mays, who I'm not 332 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 1: super familiar with. Young young actor, looks to be um 333 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: and he was in a film called snow Fall Um. 334 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 1: He's also a filmmaker. He's he directed some things. He 335 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,120 Speaker 1: is writing the script with t I attached along with 336 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: John ortiz Um. No specifics are been given yet about 337 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:20,640 Speaker 1: who's gonna play who. Yep, we're we're a little bit 338 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 1: ahead of the curve here. Uh. You can also see 339 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:30,760 Speaker 1: uh memorial to Robert Small's at the Waterfront Park in Charleston. 340 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: Don't miss that. And this is just one example of 341 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: the stories that you may not have learned in high 342 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 1: school about this period in history. And these stories are 343 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: important and they do matter in the modern day. We 344 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: would love to hear other stories like this that you 345 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,680 Speaker 1: may know from you know, your own family history or 346 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 1: from your neck of the global woods. These sorts of 347 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: inspirational heist and escapes. Thank you so much everyone for 348 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: tuning into this two parter episode. Uh side note peek 349 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: behind the curtain. Noel, Max and I decided that we 350 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: would do our own heist for Heist Week, so we've 351 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: stolen another week in our hist week. So now we've 352 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: got like it's it's just heist time. It's Hist Fortnite, 353 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: Heist Fortnite Hist season, so we can't wait for you 354 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: to tune in to learn about another heist related to Australia. 355 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: Those are all the spoilers will give you. But as 356 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: we're thanking people, of course, big big thanks to Casey Pegram, 357 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: big big thanks to Max Williams, uh and big big 358 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,360 Speaker 1: thanks to Alex Williams who composed this track. As this 359 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: is a spoiler alert, now we're we talking about having 360 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: Alex on the show. Yeah, we are. We are definitely 361 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: gonna do that around a really cool historical episode of 362 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: Ephemeral that is already available, so why not check it 363 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,639 Speaker 1: out now? Max tell us a little bit about the 364 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: episode so people can listen to advance of Alex's appearance. Yeah. Yeah, Yeah, 365 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,439 Speaker 1: it's a super exciting episode that we have. It is 366 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: called thirty seven Days of Peril. It is based off 367 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: of the writing stuff this guy named Truman efforts and 368 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: it's actually it's a pretty cool stories about his real 369 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: life experience of pretty much getting lost in the middle 370 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: of Montana and Wyoming. So it takes place like eighteen 371 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 1: seventy and unfortunately he gets separated from not just this party, 372 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:30,119 Speaker 1: but then loses Actually, you know, I want to cut 373 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: off there because you all should go and listen to this, 374 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: but you know, just a harring tale of perseverance and 375 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:40,159 Speaker 1: you know, getting through the odds when you shouldn't. Um 376 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 1: amazing sound designed by Alex Williams just sounds absolutely amazing 377 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 1: for fans of this podcast. You may you know hear 378 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: familiar voice, which is a pretty good, pretty funny, rather 379 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 1: enjoyable and all in all, I just think it's an 380 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: amazing listen. And obviously we'll talk about that some more here, 381 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: you know, hopefully in the near future. But yeah, go 382 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: check that out once again. It is ephemeral. The episode 383 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: is thirty seven Days of Harold. And while you're there, 384 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 1: you know, mus go check out the rest of our content. 385 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: We have all seasons one and two out now and 386 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: we were releasing a new episode every other week. Check 387 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: it out Ephemeral the podcast on the I Heart Radio app, 388 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Uh. In 389 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 1: the meantime, huge thanks to you, Max, Huge thanks to 390 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: Alex who composed our theme. Ben, thank you as well 391 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 1: for going on this adventure with us. Hey back at 392 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 1: you and old Thank you as always, and of course 393 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 1: a better way to end uh. Big thanks to our 394 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: nemessies Jonathan Strickland for not show it enough yep, but 395 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 1: I think you for for a show up for a 396 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 1: drop in. And once again thanks to Gabe Luizier for 397 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: finding all these amazing sources. Uh and thanks to all 398 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: the you know, originators of all these amazing storces, PBS, 399 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:07,120 Speaker 1: Mental Flaws, History Daily dot org, Battlefields dot org, Smithsonian 400 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: mag and NPS dot gov and once more. To learn 401 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: more about this and dive deeper into the story of 402 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: Robert Smalls, be sure to check out Beef Free or Die, 403 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: the amazing story of Robert Small's escape from slavery to 404 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: Union hero. We'll see you next time, folks. For more 405 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 406 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:38,439 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.