4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Journey to Freedom Strong Voices A Helping Hand Healing Hands Behind Enemy Lines On the Front Lines Right Hand Man Timeline Glossary Source Notes Index 6 10 12 16 18 24 28 30 30 31
JOURNEY TO FREEDOM Robert Smalls longed for freedom He was an enslaved person living in South Carolina a state where slavery was permitted But the Civil War 1861-1865 was changing the course of the nation The Union made up of Northern states fought to end slavery in the US The Confederacy made up of Southern states fought to keep slavery Many people of color including Black men of the Fourth US Colored Infantry fought for the Union during the Civil War
On May 12 1862 twenty three year old Smalls was working on the USS Planter a Confederate ship That night Smalls and the crew took control after the captain and officers left the ship to go into town They sailed the Planter up the coast and stopped along the way to pick up their families Smalls sailed the ship to Union ships near Fort Sumter early on May 13. He delivered the Confederate weapons that were on board his ship to the Union army Smalls had guided seventeen people to freedom He was honored by the navy and later fought for the Union Smalls's story is one of many that is often not discussed in teachings of the Civil War People from underrepresented groups made great contributions to the war and their stories often go untold Robert Smalls The USS Planter was built in South Carolina in 1860
