#fortsumter

[whencyclopedia]

A map of the American Civil War (1861–1865), a nationwide conflict sparked by the secession of eleven Southern states following Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860. The Confederacy, founded on the preservation of slavery, clashed with the Union over secession, federal authority, and emancipation. The war opened with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 and quickly spread across multiple...

[petervintonjr]

Lesson #107

"Good morning, sir! I've brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!"

In another "why on earth haven't they made a movie out of this person's life yet?" entry, we examine the fascinating tale of Robert Smalls.  Born enslaved on a plantation in 1839 Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls's childhood was, as one might expect, a never-ending horror show --the region was still grappling with the aftermath of Denmark Vesey's (planned) slave uprising, and local laws had decidedly amped up the oppression and the cruelty.  At the age of 12 Smalls's owner sent him to Charleston to work as a ship-rigger and sailor.  At the time all earnings went to the owner but Smalls managed to negotiate being able to keep 85% of the earnings by the time he was 18 --his plan ultimately being to buy his wife's and daughter's freedom.  During these years he learned everything there was to learn about seamanship and by the time the Civil War kicked off, Smalls found himself serving as a deckhand about the sidewheel steamer Planter, a supply ship tasked with delivering armaments to various Confederate forts, including the now-infamous Fort Sumter.

On May 13, 1862 at 2:30 a.m., Smalls changed the narrative a little. 

While the Planter was berthed in Charleston and all of her white crew (including its officers) were ashore, Smalls snuck his wife and children aboard her, and, along with twelve other secretly-recruited slaves from the city, commandeered the vessel and sailed her right past 5 other Confederate ships and other heavily-armed shore emplacements and forts --Smalls having mastered the coded whistle signals necessary to bluff his way past.  The Planter then approached the Union blockade and raised the white flag to hail a Union clipper ship, the Onward.  The Planter's entire store of munitions, plans, charts, and codebooks were turned over to U.S. Naval intelligence, and the ship itself became a Union warship.  Smalls quickly gained notoriety in the Union's cause and drew the attention of President Lincoln, which almost certainly influenced his decision to permit Black soldiers to enlist in the Union Army.

There is of course a great deal more to the story --not the least of which includes Smalls's commissioning as an actual U.S. Navy officer and formal instatement as the Planter's actual Captain.  He also piloted the Skipper, the Isaac Smith, and the ironclad Keokuk.  He supported Sherman's March to the Sea and was present for the Union flag-raising ceremony at Fort Sumter in April 1865.  His postwar story is equally compelling --including his purchase of his former owner's plantation house in Beaufort, and the founding of a school for Black children.  He lent support to the Freedmen's Bureau, started and published a Black-owned newspaper, the Beaufort Southern Standard , and then --perhaps most improbably of all-- in 1874 ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, won, and served in Congress a total of five terms (first in South Carolina's 5th District, then after gerrymandering, the 7th District).  His public role did not end in 1884 --he lived long enough into the twentieth century to witness the rise of Jim Crow and fiercely pushed back against Black disenfranchisement, which was being rewritten back into a great many state constitutions, including South Carolina's.  Smalls died of malaria in 1915, at the age of 75. 

A monument to Smalls at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort includes his 1895 statement to the South Carolina legislature: "My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."

(Okay, I fibbed a bit in that first paragraph --there IS in fact a Robert Smalls biopic at last greenlit and in development by Amazon Studios.  No casting announcements yet, but it will reportedtly be directed by Malcolm M. Mays.  Keep an eye out.  In the meantime, for further enrichment I would recommend "Moonlight Helmsman" by Richard Maule and "Trouble The Water" by Rebecca Dwight Bruff --while I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, these two books definitely bring the drama and the excitement while still staying true to the actual facts.)

[omniatlas]

North America 160 years ago today: Attack on Fort Sumter (12 April 1861) https://buff.ly/2P4fceF Despite the Confederacy's declaration of independence, the United States Army still garrisoned a number of forts in the south. The most vulnerable was Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, which desperately needed to be resupplied. However when newly elected US President Lincoln ordered the navy to ship in supplies, the Confederate government considered it an act of war and attacked the fort from land. The American Civil War had begun. #1861 #19thcentury #americancivilwar #americanhistory #april #april12 #confederacy #fortsumter #historicalmaps #histories #historyfacts #historygram #historymajor #historymatters #historyschool #mapping #maps #northamerica #southcarolina #militaryhistory #ushistory #uscivilwar #confederatestates #victorian #victorianera #abrahamlincoln #worldatlas #todayinhistory #historytoday #thisdayinhistory (at Fort Sumter Tours) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNj66e1gHd8/?igshid=1eekc7q7oep8e

[peaceheather]

Now that we're home, I will say we went to South Carolina to visit my husband's family for Christmas. We also went to a couple of beaches to collect shells, including one with Fort Sumter across the way a little bit, and the historic Charleston Market where I picked up this glass pendant. I'll try and get pictures of the shells we collected at some point, once they've been cleaned better. #southcarolina #beach #dichroicglass #dichroic #dichroicglassjewelry #christmas #fortsumter https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ppC7GlfIy/?igshid=1cxtz1ipm6vbz

[omniatlas]

North America 156 years ago today: Attack on Fort Sumter (12 Apr 1861) http://omniatlas.com/maps/northamerica/18610412/ Despite the Confederacy's declaration of independence, the United States Army still garrisoned a number of forts in the south. The most vulnerable was Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, which desperately needed to be resupplied. However when newly elected US President Lincoln ordered the navy to ship in supplies, the Confederate government considered it an act of war and attacked the fort from land. The American Civil War had begun. #northamerica #history #welovemaps #1860s #1861 #americancivilwar #americanhistory #april #april12 #canadianhistory #colorado #confederacy #dominicanrepublic #fortsumter #kansas #maps #mexicanhistory #mexico #napoleoniii #nebraska #nevada #newmexico #northdakota #southcarolina #southdakota #spain #texas #unitedstates #utah (at Fort Sumter)

[davesdailyfinds]

USS Yorktown and Fort Sumter day 🇺🇸💪🥵🤘🏼#ussyorktown #fortsumter (at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdymlduJItu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[vb03photography]

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Can’t believe it’s been 3 years since I explored this island military base! #SC #FortSumter (at Fort Sumter National Monument) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3cKpEHNyd7YVWjP8JyEfUj3WDTrdCY0QGB2w0/?igshid=kt6k6teq96hw

[yaksnbass]

Spending the last day of my #charleston trip at #patriotspoint Naval museum and #fortsumter man the memories that rush back when I see an old #f14tomcat sitting on the #flightdeck (at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlF0vxgOWL/?igshid=1ifk2aooj1ngr