Captain Relyea

Captain Relyea was the Confederate officer in command of the steamboat Planter in Charleston Harbor. Enslaved pilot Robert Smalls studied his manner closely enough to imitate him. When Relyea and his officers left the vessel to spend the night ashore, Robert seized the opportunity to rescue his family and fellow crew members. Wearing the captain's coat and hat, Robert guided the Planter past guards and five forts, using signals that even Fort Sumter accepted. Relyea's routine departure unintentionally created the opening for one of the harbor's boldest escapes. His authority and appearance became tools in Robert's disguise, allowing an enslaved man to command the ship in plain sight and carry its passengers toward the Union fleet and freedom.