How Did Harriet Tubman Influence The Military

Tycell Lee
7th Grade English
Mrs. Lumpkin
Civil War Spies

[6] Tensions built. Brother versus brother. A civil war was brewing. One of the deadliest wars in American history, the Civil War turned the North against the South. [1] Men enlisted in the military, leaving their wives and children behind. Women were forced to handle their normal household chores, and the men’s jobs. [4] Forced to grow up, children as young as ten had to take on the jobs of older kids and had little time for play. [5] As the war progressed, nervous women thought, “Is he ok?” “How can I help?” For some women, the answer was to disguise themselves as men and enlist in the military. Still others helped the war effort by becoming spies. Women like Harriet Tubman,
[6] She was a Union spy. She was the first woman in the U.S. to lead a military expedition. Colonel James Montgomery assigned her first expedition: A night raid to free slaves from rice plantations along the Combahee River. [2] In June of 1863, Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves out of the south while also planning an attack on a Confederate supply depot. She led the gunboat up the river toward the Confederate supply depot while avoiding mines placed all along the shore. When they reached the supply depot, Harriet and the other slaves destroyed the place and freed more than 700 slaves. [5] When the war was over, Harriet Tubman went to collect the $1,800 for her services during the war, but due to the fault of the government Harriet Tubman did not receive her
She spied for the Confederacy by carrying important letters and papers across the enemy lines. She was a slave-­‐holding confederate. Belle was good at getting information from men due to her good looks and feminine charm. [5] When she was 17-years-old, she was arrested for shooting a Union soldier that broke into their home. She was later released and cleared of all charges. She was asked several times to stop her spy work and finally the Union army made her move to a quiet home in Front Royal, Virginia. She was as determined as ever to not let this slow her down and she helped the Confederate army as a courier for Stonewall Jackson. Her services helped Stonewall have many victories in his Shenandoah Valley Campaign. [2] In 1862, Belle was captured by the Union and sent to prison. She was later released and deported to Richmond. She was captured again and sentenced to three months in prison. [3] Shortly afterward, she was captured while trying to smuggle confederate papers to England. Belle quit her spy work after this arrest and went on to marry Samuel W. Hardinge. He later died and left Mrs. Boyd a widow. For the remainder of her life she wrote a book and remarried twice. [6] Belle died in Wisconsin in