A new statue honoring Civil War hero and former congressman Robert Smalls will become the first monument of an individual African American on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds.
Artist Basil Watson is creating the 12-foot bronze sculpture in his studio near Atlanta. The 67-year-old Jamaican-born artist is honored to be part of this historic project.
"It's an honor to get to put this piece on the state capitol in South Carolina," Watson told CBS News.
Smalls is celebrated for his daring escape from slavery in Charleston when he commandeered a Confederate ship and delivered it to Union forces. He later became a top Union naval officer during the Civil War and went on to serve as a South Carolina lawmaker.
Currently, all statues surrounding the South Carolina State Capitol depict white men, many with ties to the Civil War or Jim Crow era South. A bipartisan effort from state lawmakers made the Smalls statue possible.
Historian John McCardell believes the monument helps complete an unfinished story.
"Here is someone intelligence was recognized, uh, almost, uh, literally, from birth he was bold and courageous, on that night in May of 1862, uh, when he brought his family and others on board, and almost miraculously, delivered that ship to the union blockade offshore," McCardell said.
During the Civil War, nearly 180,000 Black men fought for their freedom in Union blue. Most escaped the South to enlist.
Watson's design for the statue depicts Smalls' journey from illiteracy to pioneering statesman, using a stack of books as a platform to symbolize his elevation.
"I will fade into the background, but I want them to remember is Robert Smalls – what he did, and to understand where African Americans are coming from," Watson said.
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