The Slave Who Hijacked a Confederate Warship & Became the First Black Captain in the US Navy

The Robert Smalls House, South Carolina

On a foggy Charleston morning in 1862, enslaved pilot Robert Smalls pulled off one of the Civil War’s boldest escapes.

He commandeered a Confederate steamship, rescued his family, and sailed straight into Union waters. His childhood home still stands in Beaufort.

Here’s the heist that made history, and where you can see the place he called home.

How Robert Smalls Learned to Navigate Charleston Harbor

At age 12, Smalls was sent to work in Charleston. He found jobs on the busy waterfront as a dock worker, sail maker, and ship rigger.

While working these jobs, Smalls taught himself how to navigate ships. He studied maps and watched experienced pilots handle vessels through the tricky waters around Charleston.

By 1861, he knew every channel, sandbar, and current in Charleston Harbor. This knowledge would soon change his life and help the Union war effort.

The Confederate Steamer Planter

The Planter was a 147-foot steamship that moved cotton before the Civil War. When fighting broke out in 1861, Confederate military commander General Ripley took the ship for war use.

The ship now carried troops, delivered messages, and laid underwater bombs in harbor channels. Smalls worked on the Planter as a wheelman, steering the vessel through waters he knew by heart.

The white officers trusted Smalls completely.

Planning the Daring Escape

From Charleston Harbor, Smalls could see Union ships enforcing a blockade. In April 1862, he made a plan to take the Planter and sail it to those ships.

He told his idea to fellow slave crewmen he trusted. When he explained the danger to his wife Hannah, she bravely answered: “It is a risk, but you and I, and our little ones must be free.”

For the plan to work, all three white officers needed to leave the ship overnight.

The Night Before The Escape

On May 12, 1862, the Planter picked up four large guns from Coles Island to bring to Charleston. Back at the dock, the crew loaded ammunition and firewood onto the ship.

Smalls asked permission for family members to visit the ship that evening. As night fell, the three white officers left to sleep in town, breaking Confederate rules requiring officers to stay aboard. Everything was now set.

Seizing the Planter at Dawn

At 3:00 a.m. on May 13, 1862, Smalls and seven slave crewmen started the ship’s engines. Smalls put on the captain’s uniform and straw hat as a disguise.

With the Confederate flag flying, they steered away from the wharf. The ship then stopped to pick up waiting family members at another dock.

Sixteen slaves—nine men, five women, and three children—now risked everything for freedom on the stolen ship.

Navigating Past Confederate Forts

Five armed forts guarded Charleston Harbor. If caught, everyone aboard faced death. Smalls knew he had to fool each checkpoint.

When forts signaled the ship, Smalls answered with the correct whistle blasts and hand signals. He copied the captain’s walk and kept his face hidden under the straw hat.

Fort Sumter was the final test. When guards signaled with lights, Smalls answered correctly. The Planter passed through at 4:30 a.m. without raising alarm.

Approaching the Union Blockade

Once beyond Confederate guns, Smalls replaced the rebel flag with a white bedsheet. This signaled surrender to Union ships.

The USS Onward spotted the Planter approaching and prepared to fire. A crewman noticed the white flag just in time and shouted for others to hold fire.

As they pulled alongside the Union ship, Smalls called out: “Good morning, sir! I’ve brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!”

The Value of Smalls’ Intelligence to the Union

Smalls gave the Union Navy more than just a ship. He handed over Confederate codebooks and maps showing underwater mine locations in Charleston Harbor.

He told Union commanders which forts had weak defenses and revealed that many Confederate troops had been sent to other states. This left Charleston with fewer defenders than the Union thought.

One week later, Union forces captured Coles Island without a fight thanks to Smalls’ information.

Congressional Recognition and Reward

Northern newspapers praised Smalls’ bravery while Southern papers demanded punishment for the officers who left the ship. The New York Times called it “one of the most heroic acts of the war.”

The U.S. Congress awarded prize money to Smalls and his crew for capturing the vessel. Smalls received $1,500 as his share. This was actually far less than deserved.

The ship was valued at only $9,000 when its true worth was closer to $67,000.

Returning to the Planter as a Free Man

The Union Navy hired Smalls as a pilot because he knew the local waters so well. He guided Union ships through the same channels he had once navigated as a slave.

In 1863, Smalls became captain of the Planter, the first Black man to command a United States vessel. He held this position until 1866 when the ship was sold.

Later in 1897, Congress granted him a pension equal to a Navy captain’s in recognition of his service.

Visiting The Robert Smalls House

You’ll find the Robert Smalls House at 511 Prince Street in Beaufort, South Carolina. The house remains a private residence, so you can only view it from the street.

No interior tours are available. A historical marker near the property describes Smalls’ daring escape aboard the CSS Planter.

To learn more about his naval feat, visit the nearby Beaufort History Museum on Craven Street, which displays artifacts and information about Smalls’ life. The house is within walking distance of Beaufort’s historic downtown.

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