Robert Smalls was born in Beaufort in 1839 to Lydia Polite, an enslaved woman. Smalls later purchased his childhood home , located at 511 Prince Street, from his former master.

South Carolina state Reps. Brandon Cox, R-Goose Creek, left, and Jermaine Johnson, D-Columbia, right talk about their efforts to honor Robert Smalls, who will soon be the first African American ...

A portrait of Robert Smalls from between 1870 and 1880. The unanimous passage of the bill to honor Smalls marks a significant shift in South Carolina’s recognition of its history.

Robert Smalls published a newspaper, established a transportation company and served five terms in the United States Congress. Before those laudable accomplishments, though, Smalls had to secure ...

Robert Smalls escaped slavery by stealing a slaveowner's ship and later became a South Carolina political leader, championing equal rights and literacy. Soon he'll be honored as the first ...

Robert Smalls was born in 1839 in Beaufort and died in 1915 in his hometown a free, but somewhat forgotten man who lived a life unimaginable to a woman holding her son born into slavery.

At 23-years-old, Robert Smalls won freedom for himself and his family. The Beaufort County man went from slavery to pilot during the Civil War before being elected to Congress.

In 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved man, commandeered a Confederate ship during the Civil War to bring slaves to freedom. Later, he was elected to the state Legislature and Congress.

The First Battle of Charleston Harbor occurred on April 7, 1863, almost a year after Robert Smalls escaped slavery after commandeering a Confederate ship at the same site.

A bust of Robert Smalls, who will soon be the first African American individual with a statue at the South Carolina Statehouse, is displayed Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, Thursday ...