Robert Smalls, Unsung Civil War Hero

Robert Smalls, Unsung Civil War Hero

Constant Wonder

The Last Slave Ships

Episode: The Last Slave Ships

  • Apr 1, 2021 6:00 pm
  • 10:59 mins

Here's the legacy of one Civil War hero you probably haven’t heard of. Robert Smalls was an enslaved man who took over a Confederate ship, freed sixteen other enslaved people, and surrendered the ship to the Union. Then he went on to have a fiery legislative career. Guest: Douglas Egerton, Professor of History at Le Moyne College