News
How Robert Smalls sailed his crew and family to freedom during the Civil War
By: PBS Newshour
Posted on:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NewsHour) — During the transatlantic slave trade, Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the largest slave ports in the United States. But at the height of the Civil War, Charleston’s waterfront was the backdrop of one enslaved man’s daring escape. In this installment of our series, “Hidden Histories,” we get the story of Robert Smalls, who stole a Confederate ship and sailed to freedom.