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Article: ROBERT SMALLS, CIVIL WAR HERO, RECONSTRUCTION CONGRESSMAN.(LOCAL)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- February 16, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: ROBERT JACKSON ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS STAFF WRITER
Robert Smalls of South Carolina served longer in Congress than any other black Reconstruction congressman.
Smalls was born a slave in Beaufort, S.C. in 1839.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Smalls was forced to become a crew member on a Confederate transport steamer.
He commandeered the ship and sailed it to Union squadrons. After President Lincoln learned of his exploit, Smalls was named a pilot in the Union Navy, the only black to hold the rank of captain during the Civil War.
Smalls was elected to the South Carolina House, then the South Carolina Senate.
He ...