Robert Smalls (1839–1915) was an African American war hero, businessman, and politician, and the first Black captain of a US Navy vessel. Born into slavery, Smalls was forced to pilot ships for the Confederacy around Charleston during the Civil War. In 1862, Smalls, along with a small crew of fellow slaves and their families secretly commandeered the Confederate steamship CSS Planter and navigated it out of the harbor and into Union hands. Smalls’ daring escape garnered widespread attention and admiration, earning him recognition as a war hero in the North and a symbol of hope for those still enslaved in the South. His actions fueled the momentum of the abolitionist cause and helped persuade President Lincoln to press forward with his plan to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. As a freedman Smalls continued to prominently serve the Union cause. His knowledge of coastal waterways proved invaluable, and he played a crucial role in several key military operations, aiding in the capture of a number of Confederate-held forts and vessels. In 1863, after a ship he was piloting was sunk in battle, Smalls was granted command of the USS Planter as a reward for his bravery, making him the first Black captain in the US Navy. 

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