Harriet Tubman led secret military mission

during Civil War

By History.com, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.11.19
Word Count 784
Level 800L

Image 1. Harriet Tubman. Photograph by Benjamin F. Powelson circa 1868 and 1869. Photo from: Wikimedia Commons/Swann Galleries.

As a conductor in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman was well known for leading
enslaved people in the South to freedom up North. That's only part of the story, though.
She fought to end slavery well beyond her role in the Underground Railroad. Tubman was also a
soldier and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War.

The Civil War was fought between the Union and the Confederacy. The Union was made up of the
northern states. The Confederacy was made up of southern states. The Confederate states seceded,
or left, the United States in 1861. They became the Confederate States of America. This led to the
start of the Civil War.

Tubman became the first woman to lead an armed military mission in the United States. It was
called the Combahee Ferry Raid.

On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. It declared the end of slavery
in the Confederate states. At that time, Tubman was in South Carolina as a volunteer for the Union

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Army. She had already established herself in Boston as a champion for freeing enslaved people.
Because of this, Massachusetts Governor John Andrew asked her to go on a mission to Hilton
Head, South Carolina. The area had fallen to the Union Army early in the war.

Formed A Spy Ring

For months, Tubman worked as a laundress and a

nurse. Then she was given orders to form a spy ring.
She had proven herself very skilled at gathering
secret information when she led the Underground
Railroad. In her new role, Tubman took control of a
secret military mission in South Carolina's low
country.

Brandi Brimmer is a slavery historian and history

professor at Spelman College in Georgia. Brimmer
said Tubman's goal was to defeat and destroy the
system of slavery.

Tubman partnered with Colonel James Montgomery.

He commanded the Second South Carolina
Volunteers, a black regiment, and wanted to free
slaves. Together, the two planned a mission along the
Combahee River. The goal was to rescue enslaved
people. They would bring freed men into the Union
Army and destroy some of the wealthiest rice
plantations in the region.

Montgomery had around 300 men. Tubman rounded

up eight scouts. They helped her map the area and
send word to the enslaved people near the river when the mission would take place.

Could Not Write Down Any Intelligence She Gathered

The night of June 1, 1863, Tubman, Montgomery and their crew boarded their ships. They headed
toward the Combahee River.

As explained in Catherine Clinton's book, "Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom," Tubman was
not able to read or write. She couldn't write down any intelligence she gathered. Instead, she
worked from her memory. She guided the ships toward points where fugitive slaves were
waiting. She also led the ships away from known torpedoes.

Around 2:30 a.m. on June 2, Tubman's and Montgomery's two ships split up for different
missions. Tubman led 150 men toward the fleeing slaves. Tubman later said that once the signal
was given, she saw fleeing slaves running everywhere. There were women carrying babies, crying
children, chickens and pots of rice. Rebels tried chasing down the fugitive slaves, firing their guns
on them. One girl was reportedly killed.

The escaped slaves ran to the shore. Black troops in rowboats transported them to the ships.

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More than 700 people escaped slavery. Troops also landed near Field's Point, South Carolina.
They burned down plantations, fields, mills, warehouses and mansions, causing a humiliating
defeat for the Confederacy.

Denied Payment Because She Was A Woman

The mission was successful and Tubman was seen as a

hero. She was not paid for her efforts on the
Combahee Ferry Raid, though. She had demanded
several times that the government pay her for her
duties as a soldier. "She was denied because she was a
woman," says historian Kate Clifford Larson.

Brimmer said that after the Emancipation

Proclamation, the government began working toward
fair treatment for black men in the military. Still,
there was no vision for women's role in the military,
particularly black women, she said.

Tubman received pay from the military later on, but only as the widow of a black Union soldier she
married after the war. She was never paid for her brave service as a soldier.

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Quiz

1 Read the section “Could Not Write Down Any Intelligence She Gathered.”

Which sentence from the section shows WHY Harriet Tubman worked from her memory?

(A) She couldn't write down any intelligence she gathered.

(B) Instead, she worked from her memory.

(C) She guided the ships toward points where fugitive slaves were waiting.

(D) Tubman later said that once the signal was given, she saw fleeing slaves running everywhere.

2 Read the paragraph from the section “Formed a Spy Ring.”

Tubman partnered with Colonel James Montgomery. He commanded the Second South Carolina
Volunteers, a black regiment, and wanted to free slaves. Together, the two planned a mission
along the Combahee River. The goal was to rescue enslaved people. They would bring freed
men into the Union Army and destroy some of the wealthiest rice plantations in the region.

Which of the following is the MOST accurate explanation of what this paragraph means?

(A) Montgomery and Tubman planned their missions to bring fugitive slaves into the Union.

(B) Montgomery planned the raid because he needed more men in the South Carolina Volunteers.

(C) The Combahee River was an ideal location to rescue escaping slaves.

(D) Tubman and Montgomery were motivated to free slaves, but also to punish slaveholders.

3 What is the relationship between Tubman’s work in the Underground Railroad and the Combahee Ferry Raid?

(A) She met many people while working in the Underground Railroad who assisted her in providing safe
houses for the fugitive slaves.

(B) She developed skills working in the Underground Railroad that were necessary for the raid on the
Combahee River.

(C) She brought many people to freedom using the Underground Railroad, but was only able to help a small
number of slaves at Combahee River.

(D) Many of the enslaved people she brought to safety using the Underground Railroad joined the raid on
the Combahee River.

4 What effect did Harriet Tubman have on the Combahee Ferry Raid?

(A) She directed the ships to the fugitive slaves and led them away from danger.

(B) Her signal to the fugitive slaves caused a panic on the shore.

(C) She determined which plantations and warehouses would be burned.

(D) Her efforts brought success to the mission for which she was well paid.

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