General Robert Smalls (1839-1915) first became known in the middle of the Civil War when he freed himself, his crew and their families from slavery on May 13, 1862, by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, and sailing it to freedom beyond the Federal blockade. Smalls received a reward and after the war served in the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina. This image is from Negro Stars in All Ages of the World by W. H. Quick, L. L. B.
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