1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry

In the June 2009 Civil War Times edition (p. 32) the author states, [The] “54th Volunteer Massachusetts . . . [was] the first black regiment raised in the North.”

This is not entirely accurate. The 54th Mass was the first Union black regiment formed in Massachusetts, but NOT the first-ever black Union troops raised to fight for the North. The 54th was initially formed in late February 1863 and then began to be mustered into service in late March 1863.

The first Union black regiment to be raised and formed was the 1st South Carolina Infantry.  The story of how the approval for the first black regiment came about is fascinating.

Escaped slave and Union war hero Robert Smalls went to Washington in August with Mansfield French to seek permission from President Abraham Lincoln to allow blacks to serve in the Union forces.  That meeting took place on August 20, 1862.  Lincoln no doubt remembered meeting Smalls in late May 1862 when he awarded Smalls his reward-bounty for turning the Confederate steamer – The Planter – over to the Union navy in mid May. Smalls surely used his leverage as a war hero to implore the President to allow the first black troops to be officially organized.

On August 25th, 1862, Secretary of War Stanton officially authorized the raising of the first black soldiers under the command of Brigadier General Rufus Saxton.

According to McPherson (p. 167, The Negro’s Civil War), by November 7th the ranks of the first black Union regiment were filling up rapidly and the 1st South Carolina Infantry was mustered in. The first black recruits were mostly made up of Sea Island blacks, otherwise known as Gullah.  Robert Smalls himself was a Sea Island former slave.  Robert was born in Beaufort but his mother Lydia was born on Ladies Island in the low country.

Thus the first black Union soldiers wearing the blue uniform, and officially recognized by the war department, were largely Gullah blacks from the low country of South Carolina.

According to Dyer’s Compendium, the 1st South Carolina Infantry saw the following action before the 54th Mass was even mustered into service (late March 1863).

• 3 Companies on Expedition along coasts of Georgia and Florida November 3-10, 1862.
• Spalding’s, on Sapello River, Ga., November 7 (Co. “A”).
• Doboy River November 8.
• Expedition from Beaufort up St. Mary’s River in Georgia and Florida January 23-February 1.
  Read Higgonson’s Report
• Duty at Beaufort, S. C., and Port Royal Island till March, 1863.

Source: Frederick A. Dyer “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion” vol. 3

About 200,000 blacks fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Many historians agree that without the assistance of the black Union soldiers, the war would have gone on much longer or may not have even been won by the North.

Sources referenced:

* James M. McPherson, The Negro’s Civil War. 2003 (revised).
* Stephen V. Ash, Firebrand of Liberty. 2008.

is awarded five cannisters

Robert Smalls (1839 – 1915) is a little known figure outside of South Carolina but he deserves to be known by everyone, especially by those who love great stories.

I stumbled upon the story of Smalls’s infamous escape as a slave during the American Civil War (May 1862) by accident. Several years later after thorough ongoing research has rewarded my diligence with finding this book by Billingsley.

The author takes a sociological approach throughout making it for an interesting angle to consider the life and accomplishments of Smalls.

There are several other fine books available about Robert Smalls – mostly out of print – so this edition is updated, accurate, fairly comprehensive and a rich source for understanding Smalls.

Well-documented and carefully researched.

is awarded five cannisters

I recall reading biographies of Jacques Cartier, John Paul Jones, and Davy Crockett when I was in the 4th grade. These stories took my imagination along great paths of discovery and ignited a love for history for me.

I wish I could have read Halfmann’s version (Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story) of the Robert Smalls (1839-1915) story of escaping from the Confederacy during the Civil War when I was 10 or 11. It would have fired my imagination and interest in the American Civil War much earlier.

Halfmann’s version of the Smalls story is refreshingly accurate and very well written. The text moves along at a good pace. Unlike Kennedy’s new book on Smalls (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief), Halfmann is faithful to the true story in what she covers and what she has to omit for a children’s audience.

A real surprise is the bibliography in the back of Halfmann’s book which will serve the curious teacher and student well.

I would add one book to the reading list (for the teacher) that Halfmann does not cite as a source for her book: Yearning to Breathe Free: Robert Smalls of South Carolina and His Families, by Andrew Billingsley.

Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story book should be in every elementary school library in the United States.

We suppose few events that have taken place during the war have produced a heartier chuckle of satisfaction than the capture of the rebel armed steamed Planter . . . . It is a remarkable instance, even in these times, of riches taking themselves to wing and flying away. Here were eight ‘contrabands’ made out of the commonenst clay imaginable, and with souls so vulgar that their very existence had been questioned; yet they actually emancipated not only themselves, but as many others, bringing a highly valuable present to Uncle Sam . . . The fellow who managed the affir proves that, in spite of his name, for he is no Small man.

The New York Commercial Advisor, May 19, 1862
Miller, p. 9-10

YOU GOTTA BE S#*%&IN’ US, MATT

There really are no words that can fully describe the colossal stupidity of the mainstream media’s latest Kennedy Wonder Blunder.

As readers of this blog already know, we’re quick to call em out when they screw up (which is sadly, way too often these days), but this one is just beyond the pale. 

Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stopped by NBC’s The Today Show to promote his latest book, Robert Smalls: The Boat Thief. But before he could even begin to tell the story of this African-American Civil War hero, host Matt Lauer had to pop right off and ask him the most tasteless, idiotic question imaginable:

“So,” Lauer asks gushingly, “I just gotta ask…how’s your Dad doing?”

At first, Kennedy just registers a startled glare. Then, realizing that Our Hero Isn’t Very Bright, he nods, accepting that Mr. Lauer obviously (and inexplicably) somehow thought that the ailing Senator Ted Kennedy was his father. (Nevermind the fact that Mr. Lauer had just introduced him as Robert F. Kennedy *Jr.*, “the son of former attorney general and senator Robert F. Kennedy”, not Ted Kennedy, but ah, whatever.)

But NBC isn’t alone when it comes to boneheaded bloopers of this sort. Nope, ABC News did the same thing back in May, when they erroneously reported that RFK Jr. was the son of President John F. Kennedy!

Seriously. You absolutely cannot make this stuff up. Those of you who saw the Lauer interview live earlier this week are probably still trying to pick your jaws up off the floor. But just in case you missed this priceless little gem, here it is:

You may also want to check out these related stories on the massive epidemic of poorly-informed reporting about the Kennedys by our national media (that is, if you’ve got the stomach for it. Be prepared to cry `til you laugh, folks…because it’s so bad, even we can’t believe the news we have to bring you sometimes.):

“Whoops, They Did It Again” (yes, even the Boston Globe, the Kennedys’ hometown newspaper)

“ABC News Can’t Keep Their Kennedys Straight” (apparently, NBC News can’t either.)

NOTE: For those reading this article who might have, by some remote possibility, been living under the same rock with Matt Lauer for 40 years, RFK Jr’s father, Senator Robert Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968.

“ROBERT SMALLS: THE BOAT THIEF” AVAILABLE NOW

On a moonlit night in the spring of 1862, six slaves stole one of the Confederacy’s most crucial gunships from its wharf in the South Carolina port of Charleston and delivered it to the Federal Navy. This audacious and intricately coordinated escape, masterminded by a 24-year-old sailor named Robert Smalls, astonished the world and exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did not crave freedom or have the ability to take decisive action.

In his new children’s book, Robert F. Kennedy recounts the story of Robert Smalls, who would go on to become a captain in the Navy. An excerpt.

Introduction
Charleston. One year before, the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter had launched the American Civil War. Confederate forces now occupied Fort Sumter and the many fortified islands that guarded the Rebel harbor. The Union forces had enjoyed very little in the way of good news since the Confederate takeover of Charleston.

Then, on a moonlit May night, nine black slaves stole the Confederate commander’s gunship as it lay tied to a wharf in front of Confederate headquarters in Charleston Harbor and delivered it to the American navy. The vessel, a giant side-wheel steamship called the Planter, was the fastest ship in the harbor. She was the pride of Charleston and the most important ship in the local Rebel fleet. The daring slaves had commandeered her from under the noses of twenty-one Confederate troops guarding her from just a few feet away.

The brassy getaway riveted world attention and enraged the Confederate government. The loss of their finest ship, with its load of irreplaceable cannons and ordinance, was a terrible blow to the Rebel cause. But, even worse, the audacious and intricately coordinated escape exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did not crave freedom and were incapable of decisive and deliberate action.

The saga of courage at the birthplace of the Civil War electrified Northern states weary of disastrous reports from the battlefield. The New York Times proclaimed the noble feat “one of the most heroic acts of the war.” Northern papers praised “the plucky Africans” for their gallantry. They acclaimed the plot’s ringleader — a illiterate slave pilot named Robert Smalls—as a national hero. Smalls, they said, had proven that black slaves were ready for full freedom and citizenship. The New York Daily Tribune asked, “What white man has made a bolder dash or won a richer prize in the teeth of such perils during the war?” The paper concluded that Smalls’s actions had shown that “Negro slaves have skill and courage. They will risk their lives for liberty.”

The daring adventure shattered widespread stereotypes about African slaves and inspired the broad public support that encouraged President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves and giving them full United States citizenship.

Both North and South were ravenous for every detail about this extraordinary slave, Robert Smalls, who had masterminded this magnificent escapade.

This is his story.

Chapter three
None of the slaves would sleep that night. Around 3 a.m., Smalls silently broke into the officers’ quarters to steal the broad-brimmed, straw Confederate captain’s hat and the captain’s uniform and pistols. The slaves all swore to one another that if they were caught, they would detonate the ship’s explosives, sink the Planter, and die fighting.

Knowing the captain and mates might return as early as 5 a.m., they fired up the steam engines at 3:30. The roar seemed loud enough to waken the whole city. Thick smoke from the stacks swept down onto Charleston. A terrifying eternity passed as the eight men waited for the steam pressure to build, frightened that the howling, billowing turbines would alert the captain or cause someone to sound the fire alarms. They prayed that the armed

Confederate guards who patrolled the wharf, expecting an early departure, would not sound the alert. When the pressure was sufficient, Smalls ordered his men to loose the lines and raise the Confederate flag. Then he blew the Planter’s whistle to signal they were leaving the wharf. Smalls stood beside the wheelhouse at the captain’s post, wearing the captain’s hat and uniform. He held his arms akimbo, imitating the captain’s well-known posture.

Shielded by darkness, the Planter steamed slowly across the harbor to the dock where the women and children were secretly stowed. As soon as they had climbed aboard, Smalls turned his ship and sailed leisurely seaward, passing six fortified Confederate checkpoints bristling with deadly guns, and sounding at each the prescribed coded signals, which Smalls knew by heart.

The tide was against them, and they did not reach Fort Sumter till daylight. As they passed the great fort, Smalls fetched up his collar and pulled the straw hat low to hide the black skin of his face. He pulled the rope, making two long whistles and a short jerk—the code for guard boats leaving the harbor.

The officer on watch signaled to him to pass, and Robert, cool as ice, steamed at a crawl directly under Fort Sumter’s steep stone walls and powerful cannons. In that moment of greatest peril, he prayed to himself, “Lord, you brought Moses and the Israelites from slavery, safely across the Red Sea. Please carry your children now to the promised land of freedom!”

As soon as she was beyond Sumter’s guns, Smalls buried the Planter’s throttle and changed course, racing for the open sea and the blockades.

Through the morning mist, Robert could see the silhouettes of ten warships from the federal blockade squadron on the horizon. He set course for the nearest federal gunboat. As the slaves made good their escape, Robert ordered his men to strike the Confederate colors and haul up a bedsheet he’d stripped off one of the bunks.

In the crow’s nest on the federal frigate Onward, the lookout spotted the Confederate gunship coming at full speed toward them out of the fog, and sounded the alarm. Thinking it meant to ram them, the Onward’s captain,

F. J. Nickerson, brought Onward about to meet the hostile attack with his broadside guns. Just as he was about to order a cannon barrage, a sailor shouted that the ship was flying a white flag, and Captain Nickerson instructed his gunners to hold their fire. He signaled the Planter to pull in astern.

Captain Nickerson saw a dashing young black man wearing a Rebel captain’s hat, dressed elegantly in a white shirt and Confederate officer’s waistcoat, leaning confidently against the Planter’s gunwale. Doffing his hat expansively, the handsome youth saluted and called to the captain, “Good morning, sir! I’ve brought you some of the old United States’ guns.”

In front of Smalls on the Planter’s deck, eight triumphant black men began cheering wildly. When Captain Nickerson boarded the Planter, the exultant crew engulfed him, pleading that he give them an American flag to raise above their prize.

The moment the Stars and Stripes were hoisted, five more black passengers emerged from the Planter’s hatches, two women and three children. Smalls’s wife, Hannah, with tears of joy flowing down her cheeks, raised her infant son, Robert, in her arms and told him to gaze at the American flag. “It means freedom, child! Oh, Robert, it means freedom!”

Captain Nickerson greeted them cordially, and after hearing Robert Smalls’s story, sent him to retell it to the blockade squadron commander, who decided to send the Planter with its crew of escaped slaves under Union commanders sixty miles up the coast to Port Royal, the headquarters of the Union army and fleet. Their families would go to Beaufort, where they would be safe for the remainder of the war.

Excerpted from “American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief”. Copyright (c) 2008 by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Reprinted with permission from Disney-Hyperion. Excerpt from NBC Today.

Cover image for "Robert Smalls: The Boat Thief" by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The latest addition to “American Heroes,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s series of children’s books, is set for release later this month. You can pre-order it now at Amazon.com.

Here’s a brief synopsis from the book’s publisher, Hyperion:

Kennedy’s previous book in the American Heroes series is “Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War,” released last November.