What did Tubman do during the Civil War?

During the Civil War (1861-1865), Tubman worked for the Union Army as a spy, scout, nurse, and cook — primarily in South Carolina. Her most significant military role: she organized and led the first U.S. military raid commanded by an African American woman.

What was the Combahee River Raid?

On June 2, 1863, Tubman led Colonel James Montgomery and 150 Black Union soldiers up the Combahee River in South Carolina, using intelligence she had gathered about Confederate torpedoes (mines) in the river. The raid freed over 700 enslaved people in a single night and destroyed millions of dollars in Confederate supplies. It remains one of the most tactically successful raids of the Civil War.

How did Tubman gather intelligence?

Through a network of formerly enslaved people who had knowledge of local terrain, Confederate positions, supply routes, and mine placements. Tubman spoke their language (literally — she understood their dialects and trusted their information) in ways that white Union officers couldn't access. Her decade on the Underground Railroad had given her expertise in human networks and clandestine information gathering.

Did the Union pay her?

She was not given a salary for most of her service — she supported herself by making and selling food. She received no military pension until 1899, nearly 35 years after the war ended, and only after sustained advocacy by Frederick Douglass and others. The pension she eventually received was as the widow of a Civil War veteran, not for her own service.

Why is this chapter of Tubman's story less well-known?

Partly because her Underground Railroad narrative is more emotionally accessible. Partly because military historians of the 19th century were not recording the contributions of Black women. Tubman herself rarely spoke of it — she spoke of her people, not her role.