The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross

Robert Smalls: A Daring Escape

Clip: Episode 3 | 3m 8s

Robert Smalls was enslaved and working on a ship used by the Confederate forces during the Civil War. In a daring escape past Fort Sumter, he sailed the ship full of fellow crew members and their families to freedom. He delivered the ship to Union forces and served with the Union during the war before becoming a South Carolina Representative to Congress.