Be free or die the amazing story of Robert Smalls' escape from slavery to Union hero

"It was a mild May morning in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1862, the second year of the Civil War, when a twenty-three-year-old slave named Robert Smalls did the unthinkable and boldly seized a Confederate steamer. With his wife and two young children hidden on board, Smalls and a small crew...

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Main Author: Lineberry, Cate (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York, NY : St. Martin's Press, [2017]
Edition: First edition.
Subjects:
Summary: "It was a mild May morning in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1862, the second year of the Civil War, when a twenty-three-year-old slave named Robert Smalls did the unthinkable and boldly seized a Confederate steamer. With his wife and two young children hidden on board, Smalls and a small crew ran a gauntlet of heavily armed fortifications in Charleston Harbor and delivered the valuable vessel and the massive guns it carried to nearby Union forces. To be unsuccessful was a death sentence for all. Smalls' courageous and ingenious act freed him and his family from slavery and immediately made him a Union hero while simultaneously challenging much of the country's view of what African Americans were willing to do to gain their freedom. After his escape, Smalls served in numerous naval campaigns off Charleston as a civilian boat pilot and eventually became the first black captain of an Army ship... Be Free or Die is a compelling narrative that illuminates Robert Smalls' amazing journey from slave to Union hero and ultimately United States Congressman."--Dust jacket.
Item Description: "June 2017"--Title page verso.
Physical Description: xiii, 272 pages,16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 22 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-263) and index.
ISBN: 9781250101860
1250101867
Author Notes: CATE LINEBERRY is a journalist and the author of The Secret Rescue, a #1 Wall Street Journal e-book bestseller and a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony Awards.Lineberry was previously a staff writer and editor for National Geographic Magazine and the web editor for Smithsonian Magazine . Her work has also appeared in the New York Times . Lineberry lives in Raleigh, NC.