Freedom on the Sea: The True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to Freedom

During the Civil War, Robert Smalls, an enslaved seaman, took control of a Confederate ship. He used the vessel to free himself, his family, members of the crew, and their families, as well as more than a dozen other people held in slavery. The account centers on his escape from enslavement by sea. His family and the crew’s families were also liberated.