With groundbreaking, South Carolina hopes people across the country will help pay for a monument to Robert Smalls, the Black Civil War and civil rights hero

Basil Watson's rendering of the memorial (Robert Smalls Monument Commission)

The campaign to raise up to $2 million for a monument of Robert Smalls, an enslaved South Carolinian who became a Union hero after commandeering a Confederate vessel, officially gets under way Wednesday morning on the grounds of the State House.  

Officials in Columbia will hold a 9:30 a.m. ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off the Robert Smalls Monument Commission’s efforts. While the endeavor has state backing, it must be paid for through “grassroots” private dollars.

The state that was the first to secede from the United States -- and was ruled for generations by white supremacists -- will honor Smalls (below) with its first monument to a single African-American individual on the Capitol grounds.

Gov. Henry McMaster previously signed a bill setting up a commission that was tasked with coming up with a design and location for the monument. While that has been accomplished, some $1 million to $2 million must now be raised before the monument becomes reality.

At the start of the Civil War, Smalls, 23, was a pilot on the steamship CSS Planter. On the morning of May 13, 1862, Smalls led the takeover of the ship by its slave crew, sailed past Charleston harbor's formidable defenses and surrendered the vessel to the Union blockade fleet. His wife and children were among those on board who gained freedom.

Smalls met with President Abraham Lincoln and lobbied him to recruit black men to serve in the Union army. The former slave served as a pilot on the ship USS Crusader.

Smalls returned to his hometown Beaufort and bought his former master’s home. After the war, he served in South Carolina’s Legislature, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served several terms.

The congressman fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South, according to the American Battlefield Trust.

The groundbreaking and monument will be on the lawn in the foreground (SC Dept. of Administration)

He also fought against segregation within the military, advocated for compulsory education in South Carolina, opened a school for black children and published a newspaper, among other accomplishments.

Choosing from three finalists, the commission last year chose a statue that depicts Smalls in a three-piece suit, at the height of his power in Congress.

Artist Basil Watson of Lawrenceville, Ga., created the winning design.

The monument site is located in the northeast quadrant of the State House grounds, near the visitor entrance to the building. 

McMaster will be among the speakers at the groundbreaking. State Rep. Brandon Cox will also make remarks; at an April meeting of the Smalls commission, he said the fundraising is “going national, going real big.”

Another view of the Smalls monument area (South Carolina Dept. of Administration)

As the Post and Courier newspaper pointed out, the monument will be on a 22-acre property in Columbia dominated by Confederate memorials.

“Confederate Gen. Wade Hampton, who enslaved people, has a statue, as does Benjamin Tillman, the former governor and white supremacist whose brother George used violence and intimidation to rob Smalls of his seat in Congress before his colleagues eventually removed him from office.”

Watson’s design was straightforward, with a single likeness of Smalls, rising above panels on the base describing his service and patriotism.

One panel includes a famous line uttered by Smalls in 1895:

“My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."

Brooke Bailey, spokesperson for the State Department of Administration, told the Picket about $41,000 has been raised so far, with some of that earmarked for marketing and publicity.

To donate to the Smalls monument, go to this page and hit the “Donate” tab.

Click Robert Smalls Monument Commission map above to see where his statue will stand (near the star, on the State House grounds in Columbia.)

SC's Civil War governor slept (and likely burned papers) here. Group fixing up home in Union is raising money for next phase as craftsman pours TLC into windows

(Clockwise from top left): Two completed Dawkins House windows, dowel use in sash, front door transom needing work, wartime Gov. Andrew Magrath and 18th century nails (Courtesy Robert Schmitt and Preservation SC)

Words I never thought I write here when I started this blog: Glazing points, rabbets, sashes, cedar dowels, mortise and wooden pegs.

But here we are 16 years later and I am all ears as craftsman Robert Schmitt describes the work and passion he is putting into repairing windows on a home that once served as the office for South Carolina’s governor during the Civil War.

The restoration expert has removed rot and repaired 10 windows from the front of the Judge Thomas Dawkins house in Union. The town south of Spartanburg briefly served as the capital of the state after Columbia fell to Union forces in 1865 and Gov. Andrew Magrath fled traveled to Union.

Schmitt, in his mid-70s (right), is doing the work for the nonprofit group Preservation South Carolina, which has undertaken a massive task in saving and fixing up the house for future use as an alumni and corporate center for the University of South Carolina-Union.

"There is some exceptionally good glass in some of the sashes that I just finished, and the glazing points used were definitely original to the 1840s,” said Schmitt. 

Glazing points are used to hold a window in place before new putty or caulk is installed. “The old style glazing had a bad way of cracking and falling out.”

Schmitt has been working in the house’s yard in a “between” stage of the house restoration. The $300,000 state-funded Phase 1 shored up the building. Photos showed jacks below the house and supporting the porch. Impressive timbers and bricks support the house.

Preservation South Carolina (PSC) and the campus soon will launch a campaign to raise up to $1 million for the next phase. No state or federal funds are currently available, officials said. Schmitt has temporarily stopped his contributions until more funds come in.

Bill Comer, a Union native and head of the PSC’s Dawkins House rehab project, told the Picket a Charleston-based historical restoration contractor in November braced and stabilized the front porch's roof, which had begun to sag and pull away from the front wall of the house.

“Since the roof will need to be completely replaced once Phase 2 stabilization construction begins, we chose to not work on the roof during the Phase 1 stabilization phase. But it's pulling away from the house was beginning to damage the front wall, which make it essential to make repairs,” said Comer.

Schmitt has identified nails that were used in the original section of the house built in the 1700s, and some that were used to build the 1845 addition.

Some of the glass panes are original to the 1845 house, but Schmitt has taken about a dozen from his stock for replacements.

Unlike modern windows, these are single-pane products without built-in insulation.

While the 10 windows he has repaired are from the 1840s, Schmitt has his eyes on a couple dating from the mid-18^th century in the back (photo, left)

House fireplaces burned more than wood

The Dawkins House, a terminus residence situated on the campus at the end of Church Street, was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins. The 1850 Federal slave schedule indicates they owned about 30 enslaved persons before the war. 

USC-Union is establishing a genealogical and archives course that will focus on the history of the house and its occupants and visitors, including the identification of the enslaved who currently are known only by their age and gender. It is anticipated that the course will be open to students and residents who have an interest in ancestry research and history beginning in fall 2026.

House in May 2020 before porch roof repair and windows removed; house last month (PSC, Robert Schmitt)

The property is best known for several weeks in spring 1865.

Gov. Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until early April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House. He apparently worked in an informal library near the drawing room, which survives today. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

Workers apply frame inside a room to help in stabilization efforts (Photo from PSC)

According to histories and local legend, Magrath and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the fireplaces. (The home served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly its capital.)

Upon learning of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Magrath and his staff raced away from Union as Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's Federal troops moved in. He was eventually captured on May 25 and imprisoned at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga., until release that December. 

Magrath apparently hid a silver tea set at the Dawkins' home while he was based there. Mary Dawkins wrote the couple took the set to Mills House in Charleston after Magrath was released and they gave it to him.

Unrepaired windows, old entrances and cool brick chimney (Robert Schmitt)

Group will create fund-raising videos

Phase 2 of the ambitious project will be much more extensive and expensive than the first. The aim is for PSC to eventually hand over the house to the university for finishing and customization.

Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for PSC, previously said Phase 2 will include:

-- Installation of new piers on concrete footings in the crawlspace;

-- Strengthening of porch, first and second floor framings, the roof system and all walls;

Window hook to hold a lower sash; wear on a since repaired window frame (Robert Schmitt)

-- Installation of the required framing for a new interior staircase where the original historic, spiral staircase was located in the central hall. This will entail strengthening the floors and walls in this area, including any necessary new footings in the crawlspace.

“We are putting the bones back in it where the bones should be,” said Comer.

When Judge Dawkins built his residence in 1845, he expanded upon a pre-existing, two-story structure,” the organization said in a newsletter.

“Further examination has revealed that the materials used in the construction of the older portion of the house dates closer to 1760, rather than the previously estimated 1800s.”

As the campaign to raise money and fix up the house restarts this month, Rothell and Comer soon will be making some short videos of people talking about what the Dawkins house means to them and why people in Union County and elsewhere in South Carolina should support the efforts. 

One of the front windows near front door before repair; glazing points (Robert Schmitt)

They are working with the campus and business and community leaders to raise awareness. A fund-raising meeting on campus with corporate leaders is set for Jan. 28. A tour of the Dawkins House will follow.

“PSC will be meeting with corporate and community leaders, as well as individuals and legislators, during the next several months,” added Comer. “Since Dawkins once served as the capitol of SC and is the only such still-standing building besides the current State House in Columbia, it is important to make the legislative community aware of the need to preserve this building that has a rich history.”

After the house is restored and customized renovations have been completed, the second floor will be used for offices by USC Union, and the first floor will be used by alumni and local corporations for social gatherings and management meetings, “thereby bringing employers onto campus to facilitate a strong, collaborative network with USC Union’s students and administration,” added Comer.

Artifacts in the round: Archaeologists provide fascinating conservation update on shattered wagon wheel, Confederate munitions found in S.C. river cleanup

Wheel before treatment began and in shower stall more recently for cleaning, 6-pounder and 12-pounder shells (SCIAA); George Barnard photo of damage in Columbia after the Civil War (Library of Congress)

Maybe it’s just me (it probably is), but an unusual Civil War artifact undergoing conservation in Columbia, S.C., looks like a king crab or spider with a few of its legs missing.

There, I said it.

I have been fascinated by the remnants of a wagon wheel believed destroyed on Feb. 19, 1865, when Federal forces sacked the South Carolina capital and dumped captured Confederate ammunition and materiel into the Congaree River.

A metal detector first noticed the round object buried in the bed of the Congaree. Archaeologists surmised it was a just another rubber tire -- one of many found during an extensive river cleanup a few years back. More than 500 Civil War-related artifacts were recovered during the project, and this is among the most unexpected.

Jim Legg, public archaeologist for the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), this month provided an update to the Picket on the conservation of the artifact and other pieces, none of which were believed to be fired. (At right, a sample of grapeshot and canister, SCIAA photo)

Hundreds of items emerged in 2022 and 2023 as crews removed century-old coal tar along the Congaree shoreline. Since then, Legg’s office and TRC Companies, a subcontractor for Dominion Energy, have been working to conserve items with a wide range of dates.

The completed military part of the collection will go to South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia for eventual exhibit.

The wheel hub, which has evidence of charring, will take at least another year to preserve. Archaeologists did not find any other wheels, metal hubs or large pieces of wood near the artifact.

“I have always thought the wheel was from (an) explosion. One thing that threw it off was that black rubber disk in the middle of the hub (left, TRC companies photo),” Legg wrote in an email.

"I finally just took it out to see what it was, and found that it was the rubber wheel from a 20th century kid's wagon. Either it floated into that location, or maybe one of the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) guys picked it out of the junk pile and dropped it in there. It was a perfect fit.”

Even with that oddity, Legg is comfortable calling the fragment a casualty of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops.

The features are consistent with a 1860s wagon wheel and it was found where at least one heavy wagon was blown to pieces.

“There is no record of any guns or gun carriages being destroyed/dumped in the river,” he added.

Something blowed up real good at river

Federal troops threw Confederate war materiel into the river after they took what they wanted before marching to North Carolina. Much of the state capital went up in flames, from a variety of sources, after its surrender.

Sean Norris, program archaeologist for TRC Companies, previously said of the wheel:

William Waud depiction of the burning of Columbia in 1865 (Library of Congress)

“The official records mention the explosion and the destruction of a wagon and a team of mules in a couple correspondences. It seems possible that what was left of the wagon after it was destroyed was thrown in the river along with everything else that was being dumped. There would be no specific reason for the wagon parts to be discarded elsewhere.”

The wheel at first was treated in a basic solution at the Relic Room before Legg moved it to his laboratory. Most of the recovered iron items considered the most important have been conserved.

The wheel has presented some challenges

Legg keep the wheel fragment in a shower stall for about a month during rinsing and hand cleaning. The artifact then went into a small tank, where it is undergoing polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment for about another year.

“For size comparison this thing appears to be the same size as those seen on the NPS field artillery carriages -- fairly massive,” Legg wrote. In any case, they are the same basic design as a heavy wagon wheel hub.” (A gun carriage wheel at Chickamauga, Jim Legg photo)

I asked Legg whether the wheel has presented a conservation challenge.

“Yes, the fact that it is heavily encased in wrought iron hardware. Ideally, it would be cut apart, and the iron bands would be treated with electrolysis while the wood underwent the PEG process, then reassembled.” He said the cost for that would be enormous.

“I did a lot of manual cleaning of the iron before I started the PEG, but the bands are still fairly crusty. The iron will pretty much have to fend for itself, and I can only hope that it is not too unstable after the process is done. I can probably do some hand cleaning at that stage, perhaps with air abrader (a tool used to reduce corrosion), which will at least make it look better.”

A few items are distinctively modern

Norris said the project encountered Native American ceramics and projectile points and typical historic glass and ceramics that you would expect to find in river a flowing through a city.

The Relic Room exhibit on the Congaree finds will include a few non-Civil War items. Legg provided a photo (above) with a range: A brass hose nozzle, an iron sash weight, a Waterbury Clock Company winding key, an iron fork with wood handle (possibly Civil War), a silver plate fork from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, two .50-caliber BMG cartridges dated 1944, a pocket knife and a fire department button from the 1890s. 

Legg will produce a report on 1865 ordnance dump and a exhibit, possibly to open in 2027, at the Relic Room in Columbia.

“I have recently had some preliminary discussions with the museum about the exhibit, and the permanent curation of the collection there,” he said.

A group of 24-pounder and 12-pounder Confederate canister plates (SCIAA photo)

I asked Legg, who has helped produce three exhibits at the museum, how it might interpret the hundreds of historic artifacts found in the Congaree River cleanup.

“My thinking right now is to put the ordnance dump in the more general context of the Federal destruction of military resources in and around Columbia. I will also want to cover the pollution mitigation project itself, which was an amazing thing to see, even aside from the archaeology component.”

The Picket has reached out to the Relic Room for comment.

Recent view of the wagon wheel hub undergoing conservation in Columbia (SCIAA photo)

Craftsman has a window to the history of a home where South Carolina's governor fled to avoid Yankees. Robert Schmitt is working on its windows while the Dawkins House in Union awaits more funding for restoration, campus use

Robert Schmitt at work on windows and sashes (provided photo), McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture rendering of completed alumni house; how the weathered Dawkins dwelling looks today (Preservation South Carolina)

Robert Schmitt appreciates the craftsmanship and materials that went into mid-19^th century homes across the Piedmont region of South Carolina. For years, as a restoration expert, he’s rolled up his sleeves and touched the results of what workers created generations ago.

Schmitt, 74, sank a lot of money, passion and knowledge into restoring the stately Nathaniel Gist Jr. house outside of Union (Gist was first cousin of Confederate Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist).

Now Schmitt is helping repair windows at Union’s Dawkins House, a residence at the center of an interesting chapter in Civil War history. Union briefly served as the capital of the state after Columbia fell to Union forces in 1865.

The nonprofit Preservation South Carolina is working with partners to restore the dilapidated dwelling into an alumni and corporate events center for the University of South Carolina-Union.

Schmitt is removing old glazing and replacing any rot (Preservation South Carolina)

Schmitt is taking out old window glass, removing rot and replacing weathered glazing.

“These old windows were put together with mortise and pins and wooden pegs. That makes them reasonably easy to work on,” he said in a recent interview. “I like to preserve as much as the original as I can.”

Not surprisingly, the windows are much more substantial than modern ones.

“Part of that reason is the material they were made of. You can’t get that type of lumber anymore,” said Schmitt, adding the old yellow pine was heavy because of high rosin content.

Schmitt is working in the house’s yard in a “between” stage of the Judge Thomas Dawkins house restoration. The $300,000 state-funded Phase 1 shored up the building.

This fall, Preservation South Carolina (PSC) and the campus will launch a campaign to raise up to $1 million for the next phase. No state or federal funds are currently available, officials said. “Credible interest has already been expressed by potential corporate sponsors to participate in the funding,” said PSC.

Bill Comer, a Union native and head of the PSC’s Dawkins House rehab project, said Schmitt is taking good care of the windows, which have Roman numerals (right) that the original carpenters used to number each sash.

“He thinks about all the people who have looked through that pane,” Comer said of Schmitt.

'Putting the bones back in' deteriorated house

PSC just featured an update on the project in its September newsletter, sharing a rendering of what the property will look like after restoration is complete. Those stopping by the house -- purchased by PSC in 2023 -- will note there is a long way to go, with support beams in place and the roof sagging. Hurricane Helene in September 2024 caused further damage.

Phase 2 will be much more extensive and expensive, enabling PSC to hand over the house to the university for finishing and customization. Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for PSC, said Phase 2 will include:

-- Installation of new piers on concrete footings in the crawlspace;

-- Strengthening of porch, first and second floor framings, the roof system and all walls;

-- Installation of the required framing for a new interior staircase where the original historic, spiral staircase was located in the central hall. This will entail strengthening the floors and walls in this area, including any necessary new footings in the crawlspace.

“We are putting the bones back in it where the bones should be,” said Comer.

Interestingly, the Gist home (left) where Schmitt lives features a floating spiral staircase similar to what once was present in the Dawkins House. “I can’t help believe but the same craftsmen were involved,” Schmitt said.

PSC said It will measure the Gist staircase for creating construction drawings.

When Judge Dawkins built his residence in 1845, he expanded upon a pre-existing, two-story structure,” the organization said in its newsletter.

“Further examination has revealed that the materials used in the construction of the older portion of the house dates closer to 1760, rather than the previously estimated 1800s.”

Governor had to run to keep from hiding

The Dawkins House, on North Church Street, was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins. The 1850 Federal slave schedule indicates they owned about 30 enslaved persons before the war. 

The property is best known for several weeks in spring 1865.

Gov. Andrew Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

South Carolina already was the symbol of the South’s rebellion. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops entered the state from Georgia with an eye on a full prosecution of the war. While they are behind some fires that ravaged Columbia, others were caused by other parties.

Union was a community with a small business district and nearby plantations.

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until sometime in March or early April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House. He apparently worked in an informal library near the drawing room. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

According to histories and local legend, Magrath and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the fireplaces. (The building served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly is capital.) Magrath and his staff raced away from Union as Federal troops moved in. He was eventually captured on May 25 and imprisoned at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga., until release that December.

Comer said Magrath’s stint in Union is not well-known or covered in textbooks.

“Also, per a University of South Carolina Southern studies professor with whom I spoke recently, not many documents exist about that period … which I suspect is because most government documents were burned in the house’s eight fireplaces to avoid the identification of Confederate operatives who would be captured and tried for treason.”

Looking to Wofford for inspiration

Annie Smith, USC-Union marketing and development director, previously told the Picket an alumni association was being established to enhance recruiting efforts, develop a community between current, former and future students, and to provide outside funding and resources.

The small campus with about 1,400 students this year is celebrating its 60^th anniversary.

Given the age of the Dawkins House and wear, any college or community events will need to occur on the main floor. The upstairs won’t be able to handle large crowds, so it likely will be office space, according to PSC.

Looking for ideas and inspiration, a team of campus officials in July toured the alumni house (left) at Wofford College in nearby Spartanburg. The Kilgo-Clinkscales House previously was a dwelling for campus leaders at Wofford.

“The Wofford Alumni house was stunning and (has a) very similar layout to Dawkins,” said Smith. “The visit gave us a helpful look at how another institution transformed a historic residence into a vibrant and usable location. We came away with great ideas about how our space can serve multiple purposes -- welcoming alumni, community events, space for corporations to meet and more.”

Hurricane Helene did no favors to house that briefly served as South Carolina's Civil War capitol. The Dawkins House in Union is being stabilized for future use

More tarps had to be added to the house after Hurricane Helene (Preservation South Carolina)

A South Carolina preservation group is shoring up a deteriorated residence that briefly served as the Confederate state’s capitol during the waning weeks of the Civil War, with the aim of having it eventually serve as a university alumni center. 

The emergency stabilization of the long-vacant Dawkins House in Union is being hastened this month because of the effects of Hurricane Helene in late September.

“The hurricane did impact the building. The tarp covering the front right facade ripped and parts of the metal roof bent from the wind,” said Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for the nonprofit Preservation South Carolina.

“We saw significant water intrusion in that area of the building. Thanks to the city, a larger tarp was installed immediately. We are proceeding expeditiously with emergency stabilization measures,” she said.

The Dawkins House, on North Church Street, is best known for several weeks in the spring of 1865. It was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Thomas Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins.

One of the remaining fireplaces in the house (Preservation South Carolina)

Gov. Andrew Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until sometime in March or April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House as Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman sacked Columbia and moved on other cities, bent on destruction and submission of Rebel troops. Magrath apparently worked from an informal library near the drawing room. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

According to histories and local legend, Magrath (below) and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the home’s fireplaces. (The building served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly is capital.)

Nearly 160 years later, the two-story clapboard structure is in rough shape and in need of a rescue. In November 2023, Preservation SC acquired rights to the Dawkins House at a property tax sale.

Preservation SC is working with $300,000 allocated by the Legislature for the stabilization. Officials expect the overall project cost to reach up to $1.5 million, with the goal of opening the house as an alumni center for the University of South Carolina Union in 2027. The group has yet to secure additional funding, Rothell told the Picket.

“We want to retain as much historic features of the house as possible,” she said. Those we have to replace we will replace in-kind.”

Portions of the house date back to the 1790s, making it one of Union's oldest surviving homes, existing during the time of George Washington’s and John Adams’ presidencies. The original 1790s structure still exists and has exposed beams with carved end fittings. The house still has quality features including, beaded and dovetail wood, joints and beams.

Bennett Preservation Engineering of Charleston studied the feasibility of restoring the home.

Officials hope the venue will provide an economic boost for Union and Union County, which is home to about 27,000 people. About 21% of residents live in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. The median household income lags well below the state average.

Annie Smith, USC Union marketing and development director, said an alumni association is being established to enhance recruiting efforts, develop a community between current, former and future students, and to provide outside funding and resources.

The small campus with about 1,400 students this year is celebrating its 60^th anniversary.

“This milestone year will feature the launch of a new Alumni Association, a Legacy Society to recognize donors, the introduction of the 10-year Campus Master Plan, a week-long celebration in April and more events throughout the year,” the school announced this week on social media.

Given the age of the house and wear, any college or community events will need to occur on the main floor. The upstairs won’t be able to handle large crowds, so it likely will be office space, according to Preservation SC.

South Carolina's monument to Civil War hero Robert Smalls will rival old statues of white supremacists, and his story will be the one that inspires schoolchildren

Basil Watson's rendering of the memorial (Robert Smalls Monument Commission)

The loss of a tree outside the South Carolina State House – whether by chance, or divine intervention – opened a spot for a statue of Civil War hero Robert Smalls, who will stand equal to monuments of white supremacists on the Capitol grounds.

The Robert Smalls Monument Commission, made up mostly of legislators, last week unanimously approved a design and memorial location for the enslaved man who first gained fame for commandeering a Confederate ship in Charleston harbor in March 1862.

Choosing from three finalists, the commission chose a statue that depicts Smalls in a three-piece suit, at the height of his power in Congress.

“This depiction is important because Smalls should be viewed as possessing the same gravitas as historical figures such as Wade Hampton, Ben Tillman, James Byrnes, Strom Thurmond as depicted in monuments on the State House grounds,” said white state Rep. Brandon Cox.

The proposal needs action from a legislative committee and a full vote by the South Carolina General Assembly to become reality. The State Department of Administration and legislators are working to raise private money to build the Smalls monument in Columbia.

No price tag has been determined for the project. As of Tuesday, the commission has received $11,530 in donations, spokesperson Brooke Bailey told the Picket.

Artist Basil Watson of Lawrenceville, Ga., created the approved design.

“(Smalls, left) demonstrated from an early age a spirit of demanding equality, feeling that he was equal and capable,” said Watson, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette. “I think this was the spirit that he carried throughout his life.”

At the start of the Civil War, Smalls, 23, was a pilot on the steamship CSS Planter. On the morning of May 13, 1862, Smalls led the takeover of the ship by its slave crew, sailed past the harbor's formidable defenses and surrendered the vessel to the Union blockade fleet. His wife and children were among those on board who gained freedom.

Smalls met with President Abraham Lincoln and lobbied him to recruit black men to serve in the Union army. The former slave served as a pilot on the ship USS Crusader.

Brown Memorials of Florence, S.C., submitted this design (Robert Smalls Monument Commission)

Smalls returned to his hometown Beaufort and bought his former master’s home. After the war, he served in South Carolina’s Legislature, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served several terms.

The congressman fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South, according to the American Battlefield Trust.

He also fought against segregation within the military, advocated for compulsory education in South Carolina, opened a school for black children and published a newspaper, among other accomplishments.

As the Post and Courier newspaper pointed out, the monument will be on a 22-acre property in Columbia dominated by Confederate memorials. (Pate Studio design, right, Robert Smalls Monument Commission)

“Confederate Gen. Wade Hampton, who enslaved people, has a statue, as does Benjamin Tillman, the former governor and white supremacist whose brother George used violence and intimidation to rob Smalls of his seat in Congress before his colleagues eventually removed him from office.”

Watson’s design was straightforward, with a single likeness of Smalls, rising above panels on the base describing his service and patriotism.

One panel includes a famous line uttered by Small in 1895:

“My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.”

Suggested text for one of the statue's panels (Robert Small Monument Commission)

At last week’s commission meeting, a state senator at first favored the two other designs, which featured two to three statues depicting Smalls during different phases of his life, including his Civil War exploit.

Others disagreed.

Mike Shealy, who chairs the commission, and state Sen. Darrell Jackson, who is black, said Smalls should appear as other statues on the ground. A separate African-American monument on the grounds provides a wider story with more figures, they said.

The African-American monument on the Capitol grounds in Columbia (Library of Congress)

“The simplicity of the statue of one man on a pedestal who is equal to the other people that are memorialized on our State House grounds is the best depiction,” said Shealy.

The commission also released a map showing all the nearly two dozen monuments at the Capitol. Legislators said the location for the monument became after a tree branch fell. Officials later learned the tree was dying.

Black Rep. Jermaine Johnson said Smalls will stand near the visitor entrance to the State House and will provide a powerful reminder to schoolchildren about equal rights.

And, he said, visitors will be able to see the statues of Hampton and “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman (photo right, Wikipedia) from the location -- a reminder that Smalls overcame cruelties of the racist South.

Tillman, an agrarian populist, promulgated violence from groups who opposed Black rights and voting. A Clemson University biography says of him: "While bringing several progressive reforms to the state, he also was at the forefront of the movement to marginalize and disfranchise black Southerners further in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries." He helped eradicate some reforms championed by Smalls.

According to the Associated Press, despite cries from many to get rid of such memorials, state law requires legislative approval to remove statues of Confederates or white supremacists, or even add language detailing their racist deeds. 

That has been an impossible task in a state dominated by conservative Republicans, according to the AP.

So now a new chapter is being written.

The state that was the first to secede from the United States, and was ruled for generations by white supremacists, will place its first monument to a single African-American individual on its State House grounds.

Click Robert Smalls Monument Commission map below to see where his statue will stand (near the star, on the State House grounds in Columbia.