Gov. McMaster signs bill honoring “forgotten son of South Carolina”

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill Thursday honoring Robert Smalls, a man born into slavery who later became a key South Carolina statesman.

The bill’s signing created the Robert Smalls Commission, which will design and place a monument honoring Robert on State House grounds.

“A monument to honor Robert Smalls would represent the remarkable contributions, achievements, and accomplishments of this forgotten son of South Carolina and would serve as an overdue tribute to the many slaves who sacrificed alongside him,” bill crafters wrote.

Robert was born a slave in 1839 on a plantation in Beaufort. When he was 23 years old, he escaped by taking over a Confederate ship that he worked on delivering himself and the other Black passengers to freedom.

He then joined the Union and eventually became the first Black Army vessel captain.

Following the Civil War, Robert served in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the South Carolina Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served five terms, the bill states.

During his life, Robert also opened a school for Black children, published the Beaufort Southern Standard newspaper, and was the U.S. Customs collector at the port of Beaufort.

Smalls died in 1915 in the same house where he was born and enslaved. He purchased the home later in adulthood.

“Our state and people are unique from anywhere else in the world because of extraordinary individuals like Robert Smalls, whose legacies have shaped our state into what it is today,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “This monument will help preserve an important piece of our rich history and ensure the legacy and accomplishments of Roberts Smalls will not be soon forgotten.”

In 2007, the U.S. Army named a ship Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls. This was the first Army ship ever named after an African American.

“I hope that the monument that we construct will not only serve as a tribute to Robert Smalls’ extraordinary achievements but also a reminder as to his resilience and strength of the human spirit and what one can achieve if he or she is willing to fight for what they believe in,” said Senator Gerald Malloy.

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