French Quarter in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Robert Smalls

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 19, 2016

1. Robert Smalls Marker

Inscription. Robert Smalls was born into slavery on April 5, 1839, in Beaufort, South Carolina. In 1851, he was sent to work in Charleston to earn money for his owner. At the age of 23, he was a crewman on the steamer Planter, an armed transport in service to the Confederate defenders of Charleston. On May 13, 1862, Smalls, with a crew of other enslaved men, embarked on a daring dash for freedom. Before dawn, without alerting the guards, he piloted the Planter from Southern Wharf to North Atlantic Wharf, near this spot, picked up his family and guided the vessel past the harbor defenses to the Union ships blockading Charleston harbor. This heroic act of bravery made him a national hero and contributed to the Union war effort. Following the Civil War, Smalls was elected to both houses of the South Carolina Legislature and then served five terms in the United States House of Representatives. He ended his long life of public service as Collector of Customs at Beaufort, where he died on February 23, 1915, and where he is buried.

Erected 2012 by City of Charleston.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:

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African Americans • Government & Politics • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 32° 46.675′ N, 79° 55.527′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in the French Quarter. It can be reached from the intersection of Vendue Range and Concord Street, on the right when traveling east. Located in Waterfront Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Vendue Range, Charleston SC 29401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker:

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 19, 2016

2. Robert Smalls Marker

Charleston Harbor (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Elizabeth Timothy (about 500 feet away); Lee Cohen Harby (about 500 feet away); Farmers and Exchange Bank (about 500 feet away); Slave Auctions (about 500 feet away); The Old Exchange (about 600 feet away); Convention on Ratification (about 600 feet away); As Old as Charleston (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Robert Smalls Captain of the Gun-Boat “Planter” image. Click for full size.

Internet Archive

3. Robert Smalls Captain of the Gun-Boat “Planter”

from Harper's Weekly, June 14, 1862.

The Gun-Boat “Planter” run out of Charleston, S.C., by Robert Smalls, May, 1862 image. Click for full size.

Internet Archive

4. The Gun-Boat “Planter” run out of Charleston, S.C., by Robert Smalls, May, 1862

from Harper's Weekly, June 14, 1862.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,969 times since then and 130 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 21, 2016, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on August 28, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.