Yearning to Breathe Free: Robert Smalls of South Carolina and His Families

A sociological approach to appreciating the heroism and legacy of the Gullah statesman

On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls (1839-1915) commandeered a Confederate warship, the Planter, from Charleston harbor and piloted the vessel to cheering seamen of the Union blockade, thus securing his place in the annals of Civil War heroics. Slave, pilot, businessman, statesman, U.S. congressman--Smalls played many roles en route to becoming an American icon, but none of his accomplishments was a solo effort. Sociologist Andrew Billingsley offers the first biography of Smalls to assess the influence of his families--black and white, past and present--on his life and enduring legend. In so doing, Billingsley creates a compelling mosaic of evolving black-white social relations in the American South as exemplified by this famous figure and his descendants.

Born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina, Robert Smalls was raised with his master's family and grew up amid an odd balance of privilege and bondage which instilled in him an understanding of and desire for freedom, culminating in his daring bid for freedom in 1862. Smalls served with distinction in the Union forces at the helm of the Planter and, after the war, he returned to Beaufort to buy the home of his former masters--a house that remained at the center of the Smalls family for a century. A founder of the South Carolina Republican Party, Smalls was elected to the state house of representatives, the state senate, and five times to the United States Congress. Throughout the trials and triumphs of his military and public service, he was surrounded by growing family of supporters. Billingsley illustrates how this support system, coupled with Smalls's dogged resilience, empowered him for success.

Writing of subsequent generations of the Smalls family, Billingsley delineates the evolving patterns of opportunity, challenge, and change that have been the hallmarks of the African American experience thanks to the selfless investments in freedom and family made by Robert Smalls of South Carolina.

ISBN-13: 9781643364612

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: University of South Carolina Press

Publication Date: 07-13-2023

Pages: 304

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

Andrew Billingsley is a professor of sociology and African American studies and senior scholar in residence at the Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina. His previous books are Mighty like a River: The Black Church and Social Reform and Climbing Jacob's Ladder: The Enduring Legacy of African-American Families. Billingsley is the recipient of the DuBois-Johnson-Frazier Award from the American Sociological Association and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Black Sociologists.

What People are Saying About This

Lawrence S. Rowland

"From his sensational escape with the Planter in 1862, through his combat service in the Civil War, to his bold and implacable political leadership in the face of threatening opposition in Reconstruction South Carolina, Robert Smalls was an American hero in the truest sense of the word. Billingsley's new biography goes beyond describing the dramatic events of Smalls' public life; it explains the remarkable character behind them. It is, therefore, an important contribution to the history of South Carolina and the history of the United States."--(Lawrence S. Rowland, professor emeritus of history, University of South Carolina Beaufort)

Ronald Walters

Billingsley enriches our understanding of the life of Robert Smalls, not only through a review of his expansive career, but by examining and connecting to it vital foundational aspects such as his family, friends and successors, a feat for which Billingsley has already gained national distinction.

Darlene Clark Hine

"Andrew Billingsley admirably combines an impressive command of the sociology of black families with a keen understanding of southern religious practices and Reconstruction politics in this original and richly documented biography of the audacious Civil War hero and visionary South Carolina statesman, Robert Smalls. Yearning to Breathe Free places Smalls's heroic achievements, abiding commitment to his families, and his championship of universal public education against the backdrop of the changing fortunes of the larger black community."--(Darlene Clark Hine, Board of Trustees Professor of African American Studies, Northwestern University, and author of Black Victory: The Rise and Fall of the White Primary in Texas)

Walter R. Allen

Born a slave, Robert Smalls died a free man whose heroic actions and example inspired the freedom struggles of generations of oppressed blacks. His life story is at once inspirational and instructive. Smalls's capture of a confederate warship and the liberation of slaves combined General Grant's tactical brilliance with Harriet Tubman's legendary courage. Billingsley's thoughtful, pathbreaking book shows how Smalls's accomplishments were rooted in traditional black beliefs and practices which endure today. This is a must-read for students of the black experience and the promise of American democracy.

Kurt L. Schmoke

"Billingsley not only recounts the story of the man known as the 'first hero of the Civil War' but also provides a new framework for considering the role of family and community in the development of young men. His insights on these issues invite the consideration of contemporary policymakers as they address the social challenges of our day."--(Kurt L. Schmoke, dean of the Howard University School of Law)

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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations     ix
Foreword   James E. Clyburn     xi
Preface     xvii
Acknowledgments     xix
Robert Smalls's Family Tree     xxiii
Prologue     1
Social Background
Slavery, Religion, and Family in the Robert Smalls Legacy     7
In the House of Pharaoh: Growing Up in Bondage and Privilege, 1839-1851     22
On the Waterfront: Growing to Manhood in Charleston, 1851-1862     34
Fighting for Freedom
The Seizure of the Planter: A Family Affair, May 13, 1862     51
Early Duty for the Union Forces, 1862     66
Robert Smalls and the USS Keokuk, April 7 1863     75
Robert Smalls and the Planter at War, 1862-1866     82
Study War No More
In Beaufort after the War: Home, Family, and Community Leadership     97
Mr. Republican: Smalls's Political Leadership during Reconstruction, 1868-1877     114
They Tried to Cut Him Down: The Trial of Robert Smalls, November 9, 1877     132
After Reconstruction
Consummate Politician, 1877-1889     157
Robert Smalls and the Constitutional Convention of 1895     165
Families Are Forever
The Bampfields of Beaufort: Samuel and Elizabeth Bampfield and Their Children     185
Hannah's Children     206
Annie Wigg's Family     212
A Summing Up: What Is He to Us?     220
Notes     227
Bibliography     237
Index     243 Show More