South Carolinian Robert Smalls, a former slave who had worked in Charleston’s shipyards, became a hero to the North in May 1862 when he commandeered the Confederate transport CSS Planter in Charleston Harbor and steered the ship to safety and freedom for himself and his crew of slaves and their families, behind nearby Union naval…
Today’s annual meeting of the Erie Baptist Association of New York echoes many other Northern Baptist associations this fall in terms of expressing support for emancipation of slaves and the war against Southern slavery. One Erie Baptist resolution succintly summarizes the association’s beliefs in terms of war and slavery: Resolved, That we have special occasion…
Robert Smalls, former slave, African American Baptist layman, and United States hero for his daring capture of a Confederate steamer last year, now serves in the U.S. Navy. He is currently assigned to Port Royal, South Carolina, where he is a pilot with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Today Smalls pilots the USS Keokuk, under…