A Brilliant Spy

Harriet Tubman has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame for her work as an intelligence operations specialist during the Civil War. (also see this Washington Post article which may be behind a paywall)

Harriet is the only woman, Black or White, who inspired and carried out a devestating raid of military command in American history. This was at a time when there were few Black men in the army, let alone Black women.

Sarah Bradford’s biography of Harriet Tubman called, The Moses of Her People, describes her being recruited by a Union Major to spy behind Confederate territorial lines. Harriet Tubman was tough, stealthy and courageous and engaged in guerrilla warfare leading her troops to raid Confederacy supply depots, torch plantations and scout enemy areas to collect intelligence for the Union. 

Born in about 1821 in Maryland, Harriet Tubman later escaped and made her way to Philadelphia and freedom in 1849. Through the years and despite extreme risk for her personal safety, she also helped over 300 enslaved men and women, including her parents escape through the Underground Railway.