On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman led a daring raid along the Combahee River in South Carolina, becoming the first woman to plan and execute a military operation in U.S. history. Working alongside Union Colonel James Montgomery, Tubman and a group of Black Union soldiers used intelligence gathered from enslaved people to navigate the river and launch a surprise attack on Confederate plantations.

Union gunboats, guided by Tubman, destroyed Confederate supply lines and torched plantations, dealing a major blow to the Southern war effort. Most importantly, the raid freed more than 750 enslaved people, many of whom joined the Union Army. Tubman’s leadership and strategic brilliance cemented her legacy not just as a conductor of the Underground Railroad but as a wartime hero.

In recognition for her military service, in 2024 Tubman was posthumously awarded the rank of one-star brigadier general in the Maryland National Guard.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American history with the stories remarkable features of our past that are too often forgotten. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of men and women who helped to shape the progress of our nation.

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