101 & Counting
Amazing Facts About Foundational Black Americans
June 2, 1863 — Combahee River, South Carolina
Tap the poster to enlarge · Canonical BHED artwork
Did you know Harriet Tubman planned and guided a U.S. military raid that freed more than 700 enslaved people in a single morning—the first woman to lead a major military operation in United States history?
Harriet Tubman is best known as the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Less known is her Civil War service as a Union spy, scout, and the architect of a major military raid.
In early 1862–1863, Tubman gathered intelligence from formerly enslaved people in Beaufort, South Carolina—mapping Confederate mines, troop placements, and river access along the Combahee River.
On the night of June 1–2, 1863, that intelligence guided a Union raid led by Colonel James Montgomery and roughly 150 Black soldiers of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry. Tubman was present on the lead boat.
The raiding force landed, burned Confederate supply depots and rice plantations, and as word spread, more than 700 enslaved people fled to the riverbanks and were taken aboard. It was the first time a woman led a major military operation in United States history.
Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, around 1822. She escaped to freedom in 1849 and became the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, leading dozens of enslaved people to freedom. During the Civil War she served the Union as a scout, spy, and nurse in South Carolina, and planned and guided the June 2, 1863 Combahee River Raid that liberated more than 700 enslaved people. After the war she settled in Auburn, New York, and continued to advocate for Black freedom and women's suffrage. She died in 1913.
Wait — There's More
More Amazing Facts are on the way.