Robert Smalls was good at what he did, so good that he was eventually faced with a dilemma. He could risk his life -and the lives of his family and crew- in a complicated scheme that could go wrong at any second. Or he could sit out the war and possibly spend the rest of his life as a slave. After meticulous preparations, he jumped at a sudden opportunity with no room for error.
Robert Smalls’ escapade during the Civil War is so exciting that it should’ve been made into a movie long ago, but it’s not even included in school history books. Read more about the hijacking of the Planter and Smalls’ accomplishments afterward in a previous post.
For a wonderfully dramatic and well researched podcast about Robert Smalls.