Robert Smalls was born a slave in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina.

From that humble beginning, he went on to become a war hero, a ship captain, a presidential advisor, and a member of the US House of Representatives.

However, he is best known for one of the most daring exploits of the entire Civil War.

Learn more about Robert Smalls on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Hi, I'm Stephen Kottowich, and I'd like to invite you to join me each month for

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As I noted in the introduction, Robert Smalls was born in 1839. His mother was Lydia Polite, a house slave, and his father was an unknown white man who was probably his owner Henry McLee.

He was brought up with privileges that other slaves weren't allowed.

He was allowed access to the house and he didn't have to work in the fields.

His mother wanted him to work in the field so he

could understand the true nature of slavery. When he did, he developed a rebelliousness

that never left him. Eventually he was allowed to be a laborer in Charleston.

While this might have offered him a bit more freedom than life on the plantation,

almost all of his income was taken by his owner.

Through his teens and 20s he took many jobs in the waterfront in Charleston, working as a longshoreman and eventually working on ships themselves.

During this time he developed an expert understanding of ships and of the Charleston Harbor.

He also got married and became a father. of the in all likelihood they would never see each other again.

Smalls inquired as to the price for buying the freedom of his wife, Hana, and his daughter and infant son.

His owner gave him a price of $800.

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