Born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1839, Robert Smalls won freedom for himself and his family in 1862 when he commandeered a Confederate ship and piloted it out of Charleston harbor. He later went on to serve five terms in the U.S. Congress. This narrative describes his remarkable life story, paying particular attention to the influence of both his biological family and his master's family, with whom he was raised. Billingsley (sociology and African American studies, U. of South Carolina) concludes by tracing the history of subsequent generations of Smalls's family. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)