Plaque Text for South Carolina Landmark #10-76:
Early on May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved harbor pilot aboard the Planter, seized the 149-ft. Confederate transport from a wharf just east of here. He and six enslaved crewmen took the vessel before dawn, when its captain, pilot, and engineer were ashore. Smalls guided the ship through the channel, past Fort Sumter, and out to sea, delivering it to the Federal fleet which was blockading the harbor.
Northern and Southern newspapers called this feat “bold” and “daring.” Smalls and his crew, a crewman on another ship, and eight other enslaved persons including Smalls’s wife, Hannah, and three children, won their freedom by it. Smalls (1839-1915) was appointed captain of the U.S.S. Planter by a U.S. Army contract in 1863. A native of Beaufort, he was later a state legislator and then a five-term U.S. Congressman.
More about The Seizure of the Planter:
This daring escape took place while the Union was blockading Charleston Harbor from seven miles offshore. As the white officers were going ashore for an evening of leisure, Mr. Smalls asked Captain Relyea if some of the crew could get a visit from their families. Permission granted, the wives and kids of the Black crew came to visit, heard about the plan, and gathered at a different wharf for pickup. Donning a straw hat to look like the captain’s, and well aware of the usual whistle signals in the port, Mr. Smalls safely navigated his crew and their families past five Confederate forts to the U.S.S. Onward and freedom!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Historic Charleston Foundation!
- Become a member of the South Carolina History and Archives Foundation!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
76 E Bay St
Charleston, SC 29401
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!