false 3998759 1 On a moonlit night in the spring of 1862, six slaves stole one of the Confederacy's most crucial gunships from its wharf in the South Carolina port of Charleston, and delivered it to the Federal Navy. This audacious and intricately coordinated escape, masterminded by a 24-year-old sailor named Robert Smalls, astonished the world and exploded the Confederate claim that Southern slaves did not crave freedom or have the ability to take decisive action. Robert Smalls's heroic career had only begun. A brilliant sailor and strategist, he was quickly promoted to the rank of captain in the Federal Navy where he served courageously in many critical battles. Not only was Smalls a great soldier, he was also a powerful activist, whose appeal to Abraham Lincoln convinced the president to enlist 5,000 former slaves, shattering the color barrier that had kept black men out of the service. Smalls drew great crowds as an eloquent public speaker, and his outstanding character inspired the broad public support that encouraged Lincoln to ratify the Emancipation Proclamation. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. tells the story of another great American hero, a man who did not flinch in the face of extraordinary dangers--a man whose dedication to the cause of freedom made him one the most important participants in the American Civil War. 4044918 30 9 2008 Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief total:6|5:2|4:2|3:2|2:0|1:0| 6 24 8 2 5 0 false false Sun Oct 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 07:52:54 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 07:54:15 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 23:45:25 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 23:47:39 -0800 2008 Fun reading and good pictures as well]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Mar 26 10:18:24 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 10:18:39 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Feb 11 07:01:58 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 18:47:30 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 11 07:01:58 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Dec 30 17:22:33 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 17:22:33 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Oct 21 11:28:28 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 21 11:28:28 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sun Oct 19 05:25:22 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 05:25:22 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Wed Oct 01 12:55:45 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 01 12:55:45 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3998759