Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, businessman, and maritime pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. He freed himself, his friends, and their families during the American Civil War. He did this by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, CSS "Planter", in Charleston harbor, on May 13, 1862. He then sailed it from Confederate-controlled waters of the harbor to the U.S. blockade that surrounded it. He then piloted the ship to the Union-controlled enclave in Beaufort–Port Royal–Hilton Head area, where it became a Union warship. His example and persuasion helped convince President Abraham Lincoln to allow African-American soldiers into the Union Army.