On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, an enslaved man who worked as a pilot on the Confederate steamer CSS Planter, commandeered the ship in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and sailed it to the Union blockade, securing freedom for himself, his crew, and their families. Smalls's daring escape not only delivered a valuable military asset to the Union but also provided critical intelligence about Confederate defenses. His heroism made him a national celebrity and a powerful symbol of Black agency during the Civil War. Smalls later served as a Union naval officer and, after the war, as a U.S. congressman from South Carolina.

Robert Smalls's escape has been celebrated in poetry, songs, and historical narratives as one of the most dramatic acts of self-liberation in American history. His story appears in works by African American poets and in children's literature, where it serves as an inspirational example of courage and intelligence. Smalls's later political career also influenced Black literary figures who wrote about Reconstruction and Black political participation.