 The Civil War started just out front his door at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The Confederacy recognized Robert's skill and pressed him into service as the Wheelman aboard the CSS Planter, a side-wheel steamer that had been converted into an armed dispatch boat. The Planter delivered dispatches, troops, and supplies, as well as laid mines, then called torpedoes, to protect the harbor. Robert was a trusted member of the crew and his piloting skills were valuable, given his knowledge and experience with the coast.