The "Planter": A Strike for Freedom

 

The "Planter" sits in the harbor in Charleston in 1860.

LOC

On the night of May 12, approximately sixteen freedom seekers made a daring escape from enslavement by commandeering the Confederate steamer the “Planter.” Piloting the ship from Charleston to Beaufort the crew mimicked the Confederate signals and safely reached emancipation the morning of May 13. On this page learn the story of each of the freedom seekers on the “Planter.”

 

Failure and detection would have been certain death. Fearful was the venture, but it was made.

—House Report No. 120, 55th Congress, 2nd Session

Image credit: LOC

 

Planter Route

 

In the early morning hours of May 13, 1862, sixteen freedom seekers took this perilous route on the Planter from the North Atlantic Wharf to the US Blockade.

NPS

 

 

 

The Legacy of Robert Smalls

 

Duration:

26 minutes, 33 seconds

For this special episode of "Ranger Chats on Reconstruction," Park Rangers Victoria Smalls and Rich Condon meet with Michael Moore, the great great grandson of Robert Smalls, one of the region's most significant figures of Reconstruction. Mr. Moore shares his ancestors story and legacy as they visit sites throughout Beaufort County, South Carolina.

 

NPS Sites Related to the "Planter"

 

Fort Sumter

Visit Fort Sumter in Charleston to see the area where the "Planter" crew started their journey to freedom.

Reconstruction Era NHP

Explore Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort to learn how the crew of the "Planter" lived after emancipation.