Was the Wreck of Robert Small's Planter Found at Cape Romain?-- Part 3: Capturing the Planter

Robert Smalls was born a slave in the Beaufort area, but far from being a field hand, he became a  river pilot in Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1850s.  He was later conscripted by the Confederates  to serve as the pilot on the Planter.

He took the Planter early on the morning of May 13, 1862, after the Confederate officers on the ship left the ship for a night on the town.  

He steamed upriver to pick up family and friends, then turned around and slipped past five Confederate batteries in Charleston Harbor to reach the Union blockading ships.

Taking Quite the Chance.

Old B-Runner