How did a 22 year old slave
meet President Lincoln
and convince him to let black people
fight for their freedom?
Well, that's a hell of a tale, so listen up.
Robert Smalls grew up a slave in Charleston, South Carolina,
where his master rented him out
to work on a cotton steamer called the Planter,
where Smalls became a sail maker
and developed a love of the sea.
I'm king of the world!
I'm sorry, did I say king? I meant slave.
I'm slave of the world!
[playing tune]
[Hart]
the Planter was converted into a gunship.
On April 12th, 1861, the Confederate Navy
opened fire on Fort Sumter,
which was still held by the Union Army
and the Civil War began.
By this time Smalls was so skilled,
he was trusted to be the wheelman,
A.K.A. the pilot of the Planter.
[cannonball approaches, crashes]
He knew Charleston Harbor better than anyone,
and loved piloting the Planter,
although he wasn't exactly keen on fighting
to preserve the Southern way of life.
Fire!
Damnation, we missed!
Whoops! Hit a manatee. Sorry!
[Hart]
Smalls!
...who had no idea that Smalls
was hatching a secret plan.
About 3:00 AM on May 13th, 1862,
the Planter was left unattended,
and Smalls made his move.
Disguising himself in the captain's clothes,
he steamed away from the Charleston port.
About an hour and a half later,
he reached the first Confederate Navy checkpoint
at Fort Sumter.
He'd studied the captain's body language
and used the signals the sentry would be looking for.
Captain Relyea?
What y'all doing out here at this ungodly hour?
Uh...
What's the matter, skipper? Cat got your tongue? Hmm?
Here we go. Ahem.
[imitating captain] Greenhorn spoon, I say.
I merely had momentary mucus nugget
lodged in my esophageal area.
Well, sorry to hear it, sir.
My throat's been botherin' me as well.
Can I offer you a lozenge, sir?
Oh, no, don't trouble yourself.
Oh, it's no trouble at all.
I'll hop in the dingy, row it out to you posthaste.
No, no, please, I insist.
-Cherry flavored. -Not a fan.
-I got honey lemon, too. -Blech.
-Mentholyptus? -Enough.
-But, sir--! -I hate lozenges, okay?
Good day, sir.
CSS Planter, cleared for passage.
[Hart]
he got to step two of his plan--
a prearranged rendezvous with a bunch of other slaves
and their families, including his wife and his son.
Thank you, Captain Relyea.
Captain Relyea? Son, it's me, your daddy.
Oh, thank you, Daddy!
[Hart]
Smalls got through three more checkpoints
and then, as dawn broke,
Smalls sailed North for the Union Naval blockade
just north of Charleston Harbor.
But when the Union captain
spotted the Confederate gunship coming at 'em,
he got a little jumpy.
Fire!
[crash]
[groans]
What the--? John, I told you, fly that sheet up the flagpole.
I'm sorry, man. I'm really diggin'
on this thread count right now.
Run it up the mast, you idiot!
Come on, man, I been sleepin' on burlap all my life!
Now, John!
-I'm naked up under here. -I don't give a damn.
[Hart]
and held their fire.
Minutes later, the men, women, and children
on the Planter were free at last.
Congratulations, you're all free.
[cheers, applause]
Thank you, sir.
And, in addition to our own freedom,
I hope that the Planter may be of some use to Uncle Abe
to help the fight for those we left behind.
It will.
I love you, Captain Relyea.
[scoffs]
Oh, right.
I love you, Daddy.
What's wrong with that kid?
He thought his dad was someone else
just because he was wearing a hat?
Hey, listen, a minimal disguise
can be surprisingly effective.
Look, watch this.
See this right here? Clark Kent.
Right?
Superman. See how that works?
But they're comic book characters.
Yeah, but what we just saw was a sketch comedy reenactment.
I think they added the thing with a hat as a joke.
Oh, I see.
But the basic story was true.
No, 100%. Anyway, listen to me.
Robert Smalls' story just gets better from there.
When he turned that ship over to the Union,
the government gave him a reward of $1,500,
which would be about $35,000 today.
Ooh.
That's one of those new super fast cameras.
We only have to hold still for another 12 minutes.
[clock ticking]
[Hart]
and soon got an invitation
to meet Abraham Lincoln at the White House
where he made the case that black people
should be allowed to fight
in the United States Armed Forces.
I don't know why Negros would be motivated
to risk their lives to fight slavery.
Well, um, with all due respect, sir...
[laughs]
Man, I totally had you.
[Hart]
captain in the U.S. Navy,
where he piloted the USS Planter
to many victorious battles,
including the defense of Fort Sumter
after the Union retook it.
Fire!
Boo-ya!
[Hart]
a successful businessman in Philadelphia
before moving back to South Carolina,
where, in 1874, he got elected
to the United States Congress, and served five terms.
And here's the best part.
In 1865, he bought his former master's mansion
and raised his family there.
He even let his master's widow live in the spare room.
And that's why everyone
should know about Robert Smalls.