This is the thrilling story of Robert Smalls and the Confederate ship that he used to liberate himself, his family, and over a dozen others from enslavement. On the night of May 13th, 1862, as the Civil War raged on in the United States, 16 enslaved people decided they would reach freedom or die trying. Filled to the brim with suspense, this true story details how Robert Smalls commandeered a confederate ship through the Charleston harbor toward liberation at the Union blockade. Experience both determination and triumph with this picture book written by Robert Small's great great grandson, Michael Boulware Moore, with illustrations by the award winning artist Bryan Collier.