Robert Smalls

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. tells the story of another great American hero, a man who did not flinch in the face of extraordinary dangers-a man whosededication to the cause of freedommade him one the most important participants in the American Civil War. On a moonlit night in the spring of 1862, six slavesstole one of the Confederacy's most crucial gunships from its wharf in the South Carolina port of Charleston, and delivered it to the Federal Navy. This audacious and intricately coordinated escape, masterminded by a 24-year-old sailor named Robert Smalls, astonished the world and exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did notcrave freedom or have the ability to take decisive action.Robert Smalls's heroic career had only begun. Abrilliantsailor and strategist, he was quickly promoted to the rank of captain in the Federal Navy where he served courageously inmany critical battles.Not only was Smalls agreat soldier, he was alsoa powerful activist, whose appealto Abraham Lincoln convincedthe presidentto enlist 5,000 former slaves, shattering the color barrier that had kept black men out of the service. Smallsdrewgreat crowds as an eloquentpublic speaker, and hisoutstanding characterinspired the broad public support that encouraged Lincoln to ratify the Emancipation Proclamation.