Robert Smalls: a civil war hero to be honoured with statehouse statue

South Carolina is set to install its first individual statue honouring an African American on the Statehouse lawn.

Robert Smalls, who donned Confederate attire to commandeer a slaveholder’s ship and lead his family and several others to freedom during the Civil War, will soon be recognized alongside other figures at the capitol.

Chris Barr, a ranger at Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, stated that Robert Smalls’ significance…