Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls was an American politician, publisher, businessman and maritime pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew and their families during the American Civil War by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, on May 13, 1862, and sailing it from the 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 accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.

5 April 1839

Born on the same birth day (5 April): Abdulhadi al-Khawaja • Alexandre Prémat • Arie Selinger • Bernard Longley • Christian Gourcuff • Dennis Mortimer • Dmytro Ryzhuk • Habib Elghanian • Hugo Claus • John Wilson (composer) • Jolanda Keizer • Joseph Lister • Mitch Pileggi • Nedim Gürsel • Tom Coronel • Élodie Bouchez

Born in the same month (April 1839): Antonio Starabba, Marchese di Rudinì • Carol I of Romania • Nikolay Przhevalsky