Military veteran biography

Served in the Union Army from c. 1862 to 1865

While she’s better known for her role as the leader of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman was also the first woman in American history to lead a military expedition as a spy for the Union during the Civil War.

After having successfully made more than a dozen trips from the South to North between 1850 and 1860, Tubman’s highly coveted skillset for clandestine operations was clear. Sometime around 1862, she started gathering intelligence and even built a spy ring.

One of the most challenging missions was helping Colonel James Montgomery free enslaved people from South Carolina plantations along the Combahee River.

Despite the precariousness of the situation with the Confederates lurking nearby, the group freed 750 enslaved people. The American hero died decades later in 1913.

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