Harriet Tubman

“She Led Soldiers to Freedom”

Most Americans know Harriet Tubman as the courageous conductor of the Underground Railroad. But fewer know that she also wore the uniform of the United States — and led troops into combat.

Born into slavery in Maryland, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849.

She could have remained safely in the North. Instead, she returned again and again — guiding others to freedom at great personal risk.

When the Civil War began, Tubman offered her services to the Union Army. At first, she worked as a nurse and cook. But her knowledge of the South, her intelligence, and her courage soon made her invaluable as a scout and spy.

In June of 1863, she became the first woman in American history to lead an armed military expedition. The mission was the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina. Working with Union Colonel James Montgomery, Tubman helped guide Union gunboats through Confederate minefields and river obstructions. The raid destroyed Confederate supplies and plantations — and liberated more than 700 enslaved men, women, and children.

It was a military operation. It was also a humanitarian mission.

Harriet Tubman did not carry rank. She did not command formally commissioned troops. But she led. She gathered intelligence. She advised officers. She took calculated risks. And she changed lives.

For years after the war, Tubman struggled to receive compensation for her military service. Recognition came slowly. But history has corrected the record.

At the Armed Forces Heritage Museum, we speak of service as answering the call of the nation. Harriet Tubman answered that call — not once, but repeatedly. She understood that freedom required action. She understood that courage is not confined to battlefield titles.

Her service reminds us that leadership is defined not by rank, but by responsibility. And that the defense of liberty has always depended on those willing to step forward.

Harriet Tubman led soldiers. She led families to freedom. And she led by example.