During the Civil WarDuring the Civil War, Tubman worked for the Union Army as a nurse, a cook, and a spy. Her experience leading slaves along the Underground Railroad was especially helpful because she knew the land very well. She recruited a group of former slaves to hunt for rebel camps and report on the movement of the Confederate troops. In 1863, she met with with Colonel James Montgomery and about 150 soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina. She had inside information from her scouts, and the Union gunboats were able to surprise the Confederate rebels.
At first when the Union Army came through and burned plantations, slaves hid in the woods. But when they realized that the gunboats could take them behind Union lines to freedom, they came running from all directions, bringing as many of their belongings as they could carry. Tubman played other roles in the war effort, in addition to working as a nurse. |
Many of the solders were sick. Tubman was sure she could help cure the sickness if she could find some of the ingredients and herbs that grew in Maryland. One night she searched the woods until she found water lilies and the herbs and made a bitter tasting brew that she gave to the men in need, a few days later, the felt better.