08/03/2026
Robert Smalls Steals the USS Planter
On 13 May 1862, Robert Smalls, a slave who was pilot of the USS Planter, quietly took the ship from the Charleston SC wharf and past successive Confederate forts, saluting each installation as usual by blowing the steam whistle. As soon as the steamer was out of range of the last Confederate gun, Smalls hauled down the Confederate flag and hoisted a white one. Then he turned the Planter, which often carried cotton and other items to market from Edisto Island to Charleston, over to the USS Onward of the Union blockading force. Along with Smalls, the Planter carried 15 other slaves to freedom behind Union lines including seven crewmen, five women, and three children. In addition to the cargo of artillery and explosives, Smalls brought valuable intelligence, including word that the Confederates had abandoned defensive positions on the Stono River.
