Soldiers' Stories |Women Soldiers: Harriet Tubman

"Harriet Tubman was already risking her life to rescue slaves on the Underground Railroad. Why not add warring armies into the mix? During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman and other abolitionists worked with the Union Army to help slaves travel to the North once they came behind Union lines. Tubman also volunteered to help the Union Army gather intelligence behind Confederate enemy lines. Dressed as a field hand, she led scouting and spying missions to identify and map the locations of Confederate mines, supply areas, and troops." Continue reading...

On April 18, the Treasury Department announced that Harriet Tubman will be honored with the placement of her picture on the new $20 bill. A slave, cook, maid, field hand, and nurse, Tubman was also a leader of the Underground Railroad for nearly a decade and – over the course of her life – helped hundreds of slaves make their way to freedom, earning the title “the Moses of her people.” Beyond these endeavors, DIA would like to recognize Harriet Tubman’s excellence in defense of the nation through her efforts as a spy, recruiter, handler, scout, operational planner, and combat leader during the American Civil War. Tubman, who died in 1913, at the age of 92, received full military honors and was acknowledged by the Smithsonian Institution in 1982 as “the only American woman to plan and lead a military raid.” Continue reading...

"Harriet Tubman was a fugitive slave who is best known for helping hundreds of slaves escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad. During and after the Civil War, she continued to work actively for African American and women's rights. Hailed as "the Moses of her people" because of her courageous rescues of hundreds of slaves on the Underground Railroad, Tubman was a living symbol of the resistance of African Americans to slavery in the United States." continue reading...

"Born a slave on the eastern shore of Maryland, Harriet Tubman fled north to freedom. There she joined the secret network of free blacks and white sympathizers who helped runaways – the “Underground Railroad.” She became a “conductor” who risked her life to lead her people to freedom. Tubman returned time after time to her native Maryland, bringing out her relatives and as many as 300 other slaves. The shadowy figure of the conductor “Moses” became so feared that a huge reward was put on “his” head, for slaveowners did not at first believe a woman capable of such daring. Cool, resourceful, skilled in the use of disguise and diversions, she is said to have carried a pistol, telling the faint-hearted they must go on or die." Continue reading...

"Harriet Tubman was born a slave known as Araminta Ross in the early 1820s on a plantation on the Eastern Shore in Dorchester County, Maryland. In 1849, she escaped to freedom in Pennsylvania and, thereafter, led a number of trips to free upwards of 80 fellow slaves. She is undoubtedly most famous for her Underground Railroad activities. However, from 1862-1863, she also acted as a spy and scout for the Union Army, operating against Confederate forces and their civilian supporters in South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia." Continue reading...

Every schoolchild knows of Harriet Tubman's heroic escape and resistance to slavery. But few readers are aware that Tubman went on to be a scout, a spy, and a nurse for the Union Army, because there has never before been a serious biography for an adult audience of this important woman. This is that long overdue historical work, written by an acclaimed historian of the antebellum era and the Civil War.

In the bestselling tradition of The Notorious RBG comes a lively, informative, and illustrated tribute to one of the most exceptional women in American history--Harriet Tubman--a heroine whose fearlessness and activism still resonates today. Harriet Tubman is best known as one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. As a leading abolitionist, her bravery and selflessness has inspired generations in the continuing struggle for civil rights. Now, National Book Award nominee Erica Armstrong Dunbar presents a fresh take on this American icon blending traditional biography, illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Tubman as never before.

Harriet Tubman: A Life in American History is an indispensable resource for high school and college students about the life and times of anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman, who exemplifies how slaves took the initiative to free themselves and others. Harriet Tubman served a pivotal role in leading slaves to freedom in the decade before the Civil War. This biography offers a demythologized chronicle of her life and work with information about her life as a slave, role as conductor on the Underground Railroad, work as a military scout during the Civil War, and postwar activism for blacks and women.

Harriet Tubman served a pivotal role in leading slaves to freedom in the decade before the Civil War. This biography offers a demythologized chronicle of her life and work with information about her life as a slave, role as conductor on the Underground Railroad, work as a military scout during the Civil War, and postwar activism for blacks and women. The book provides valuable context that situates Harriet Tubman against the backdrop of the slavery debate in antebellum America, and the hardships endured by ex-slaves in postbellum America. As such, the timeframe covers nearly a full century, from the first quarter of the 19th to the first quarter of the 20th.

The clever, devious, daring women who helped turn the tides of the Civil War During America's most divisive war, both the Union and Confederacy took advantage of brave and courageous women willing to adventurously support their causes. These female spies of the Civil War participated in the world's second-oldest profession--spying--a profession perilous in the extreme. The tales of female spies are filled withsuspense, bravery, treachery, and trickery. They took enormous risks and achieved remarkable results--often in ways men could not do. These are the bold, untold stories of women shaping our very nation.