Thread by @WillMcAvoyACN

Okay, let's talk about Robert Smalls, since it seems a high percentage of my followers don't know who he is.

If I do my job right, then by the end of this story you will wonder how that could be possible, and how there are not statues to this guy anywhere

https://twitter.com/WillMcAvoyACN/status/1278149105311719426?s=20

The following THREAD will explore the life and times of Mr. Robert Smalls. Please note that this is a high-level story of the man's life, and I'm not going to get into an extreme level of detail, because I could talk about Mr. Smalls all night.

You'll see why. Here we go.

Robert Smalls was born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina. It is widely believed that his owner was also his father, and became a favored slave. His mother, fearing her son would not know the horrors of slavery, asked that he be made to work the fields and witness a whipping.

When he was a teenager Smalls was 'hired out' of the plantation where he worked and was drawn to the ocean. There he worked his way up the ship's ladder, eventually become a defacto "pilot" of the ship, though slaves were not allowed to hold such a title at that time.

He quickly learned his way around Charleston's harbor, and was widely regarded for his skill in navigating the area. Then the Civil War broke out.

Smalls, being one of the best navigators in the South, had been working to save money to buy his and his family's freedom.

Because of his skill he was assigned to be the (again defacto) pilot of the CSS Planter, a lightly armored transport ship in the Confederate Navy. It was a steamer, with a length of 147 feet. The ship was regularly used to transport weapons around the Charleston harbor area.

Now, the Charleston harbor was one of the most secure harbors of the Confederacy, with multiple island forts defending the area, mines strategically placed throughout. Navigating it was tough, as this map shows.

Meanwhile just outside Charleston was the Union blockade, an alignment of ships attempting to prevent traffic from coming into or leaving the Confederacy. Smalls could see the union ships from port in Charleston.

And so Smalls began to plan an escape.

Smalls was not the only slave serving on the CSS Planter. Smalls approached all the other enslaved men serving on the ship (save one, whom he did not trust) and informed them of his plan to save them and their families.

What happened next is just badass. There's no other word.

On May 12, 1862, the CSS Planter picked up weapons from a nearby island and returned to Charleston harbor, where ammunition was added to the ship.

At the same time, Smalls and other slaves family members were on a boat docking in Charleston harbor.

Tonight was the night.

The CSS Planter was docked directly below General Roswell S. Ripley's headquarters. The three white officers left the ships in Smalls and the other enslaved men hands. At 3 a.m. the CSS Planter left dock and headed for a nearby wharf to pick up his and the crew's family members.

Smalls himself dawned the Captain's uniform. The captain of the Planter had a habit of wearing a large straw hat, which Smalls also donned. Once the crew and their families were onboard, Smalls began to navigate their escape from Charleston Harbor.

Now, remember, Charleston harbor is notoriously hard to navigate, has multiple Confederate checkpoints they will pass, and dawn is not too far away. But Smalls remains cool, and does everything exactly as if the Captain was on board, even crossing his arms in the same manner.

Make no mistake, this was an incredibly risky endeavor. There were five checkpoints on the way out of the harbor, Confederate forts where the signals would need to be perfect. The last of which was Fort Sumter. Yes, that Fort Sumter.

Smalls displays the correct signals at all five forts. The alarm is not raised until they cleared Sumter. Smalls even knew the range of the guns at Sumter, and waited until they exited the range until making a turn straight for the Union blockade.

The crew quickly lowered the Confederate flag and raised a white bedsheet that Smalls' wife had brought with her. Even still, the USS Onward, the Union ship they were approaching was preparing to fire until they saw the bedsheet blowing in the morning breeze at the last minute.

When it became clear the Onward would not fire upon the ship an actual party broke out on the deck of the Planter, with singing, dancing and celebration. Finally, the man who piloted the ship greeted the commanding officer of the Onward.

"Good morning, sir!" he said, removing his straw hat "I've brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!"

The Onward's captain then boarded the Planter, and Smalls asked for a United States flag to fly. The CSS Planter had become the USS Planter, and Smalls had escaped.

If this were a movie, our story would stop here.

But Robert Smalls isn't a movie character, he's an American hero, and his story has several other chapters that I encourage you to explore, including his service in the U.S. Navy and Army.

Among the items Smalls was able to provide the Union--far more valuable than the guns onboard or even the ship itself--was the Captain's codebook, which provided all kinds of Confederate naval secrets to the US Navy, including a map of the harbors mines.

Smalls was also debriefed by military leaders and provided valuable intelligence into the locations of Confederate troops, which challenged some of their beliefs of strength-holds and weaknesses.

Eventually Smalls would return to pilot the USS Planter, and during a mission took command of the vessel after the white Captain hid during a mission, wishing to surrender. Smalls knew that surrender could mean death for him and the other black crewmen and navigated to safety.

As a result of his actions and his existing celebrity status, he was eventually made the (unofficial) Captain of the USS Planter and continued in that role for several months.

After the war Smalls and his fellow crewmen onboard the CSS Planter were awarded half the value of the vessel for providing it to the US. Smalls used that money and the money from his military paycheck to buy a house in Beaufort, South Carolina.

His former master's house.

In his later life, Smalls became a newspaper publisher, a businessman, and a Congressman, serving multiple districts from South Carolina. He vigorously fought against disenfranchisement and fought tirelessly for a free and compulsory public education system in South Carolina.

Smalls died in 1915 at age 75.

There are almost no statues to the man anywhere in the United States.

No one is told about his skill or bravery, yet he is far more accomplished than any number of Confederate Generals you likely know by name or by statue.

Robert Smalls. An American hero.

We'll be back in a moment.

A few weeks ago we talked about some of the statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which has just so many racists. I didn't make it to South Carolina, Smalls' home state.

South Carolina's are John C. Calhoun and Wade Hampton III.

Calhoun is widely considered the grandfather of the Confederacy, as his term as President largely paved the way for the Civil War to occur, but Wade Hampton III may be the more detestable figure.

Hampton was born the son of a wealthy owner of plantations throughout the South. His family traced back to the Revolutionary War and when his father died in 1858, Hampton inherited all of his property, including a large number of slaves.

Now Hampton opposed secession officially, but as one of the largest single owners of human fucking beings in the south Hampton was also deeply invested in maintaining his wealth and fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

After the War, Hampton ran for governor. His campaign was driven largely by the Red Shirts, which Hampton encouraged. The Red Shirts were effectively a terrorist group that used violence and intimidation to suppress Black people from voting, including torture and murder.

Hampton openly campaigned with the Red Shirts. They were at all of his events.

There is a statue of this man in the U.S. Capitol.

South Carolina should replace him with Robert Smalls.

CORRECTION: Vice President. Calhoun was Vice President, but he was a particularly powerful force in Washington.