A monument to Robert Smalls, sculpted by Atlanta-based artist Basil Watson. (Provided/Robert Smalls Monument Commission)
COLUMBIA — Civil War hero Robert Smalls could one day stand just outside the Statehouse visitors’ entrance, clad in the three-piece tuxedo he would have worn while serving in Congress, a legislative panel decided Wednesday.
Smalls, who escaped slavery on a Confederate steamship and later served in the Statehouse and Congress, will be the first individual Black person recognized on the Statehouse grounds. Another monument represents the story of Black South Carolinians, but it doesn’t identify any specific people.
The plan still needs approval from a full committee, as well as the House and Senate. If the unanimous votes Wednesday, as well as unanimous approval of the legislation to honor him with a monument, are any indication, the proposal will have little trouble reaching the finish line.
SC commission has 5 months to choose design, location for Robert Smalls monument