Smalls was just one member, albeit very important, of the Planter's crew. The ship was captained by Charles J. Relyea. The other white officers were first mate Samuel Hancock and engineer Samuel Pitcher. None of the three were from the South, nor were the Confederate Navy officers. They were merchant sailors hired on as contractors and reported to Ferguson, the ship's owner.
Six other enslaved black men, two engineers and four deckhands made up the rest of the Planter's crew. Three of the six were owned by Ferguson, while the other three and Smalls were emplyed by their owners.
For defense, the Planter was armed with a 32-pounder pivot gun on the bow and a 24-pounder howitzer astern. Smalls and the other black crewmembers would have been trained to use those guns if needed.
As Smalls watched the Confederates closely, events would convince him to make a bold move.
On November 7, 1861, the Union Navy captured Beaufort and the sea islands around the harbor of Port Royal. Although the town was damaged and most of its white residents fled, Smalls was thankful to learn that his mother was safe among the now ownerless 10,000 former slaves.
--Old B-Runner
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