Senators Announce Proposal to Erect Monument Honoring African American Civil War Hero

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)-Two lawmakers are looking forward to pushing legislation they hope will honor a Civil War hero who paved they say paved the way for many in our state and nation.

Richland Democratic Senator Darrell Jackson Sr. and Lancaster Republican Senator Greg Gregory want the days of a figure who was virtually invisible to many in South Carolina to be no more.

“I have never been a big fan in tearing down monuments. I’ve been a bigger fan of telling the whole stories of what those monuments represent,” said Jackson.

Jackson and Gregory are proposing that a statue of Robert Smalls be erected on statehouse grounds.

“Robert Smalls was both a warrior and a peacemaker. He was both a combative and a kind man and he was an amazing man who accomplished incredible feats,” said Gregory.

Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort where he served as a boat pilot for the Confederacy, leading a group of other slaves to freedom by turning the boat in to the Union.

Upon returning home, Smalls became the first African-American lawmaker at the statehouse, serving as both a representative, senator and U.S. Congressman.

“Smalls deserves to be celebrated not just as a civil war hero but as an American hero. It would be an honor to Robert Smalls and the American people I believe to have a statue of him in his home state,” said Cate Lineberry, author of “Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape.”

There is one monument dedicated to African-American history at the statehouse. Leaders said, if Small’s monument were to be erected, it would be the first stand alone statue for an African-American here on statehouse grounds.

“One of the things that I have always felt was missing from the grounds of South Carolina is the total picture of the history of this great state. There were no monuments or statues of reconstruction era politicians,” Jackson said.

Descendants of Smalls said this consideration is a privilege. “Robert smalls has meant so much to me personally. So to see and feel this sort of rush of energy and excitement talking about him, his background and his accomplishments is just a wonderful honor,” said Small’s great-great grandson Michael B. Moore.

Lawmakers said the proposal has garnered bipartisan support among state senators. The statue would receive private funding.