How did Harriet Tubman operate as a spy?

SpyCast

News, Education, History

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

She’s known for helping to free people through the Underground Railroad, but Harriet Tubman was also a spy during the Civil War. And with the intelligence she collected, the Maryland native became the first woman to lead men into battle on gunboats down the Combahee River in South Carolina. The Combahee River Raid destroyed several vital Confederate rice plantations and liberated more than 750 people from enslavement. Social historian Edda Fields-Black reveals new details about the raid and Tubman. And later in the episode, Ernestine Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece, discusses the importance of Harriet’s espionage work and the legacy of her dedication to democracy. If you liked this episode, check out these links: The Real Harriet Tubman African Americans in Espionage | International Spy Museum Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at [email protected], This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:05.7	Welcome to Spycast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum. I'm your host, Sasha Inber,
1:13.5	and each week I take you into the shadows of espionage, intelligence, and covert operations across
1:20.3	the globe. She's known for helping to free people through the Underground Railroad, but Harriet Tubman
1:28.2	was also a spy during the Civil War.
1:31.1	And with the intelligence she collected, the Maryland native became the first woman to lead
1:35.7	men into battle on gunboats down the Cumbie River in South Carolina.
1:41.5	It was a bold mission that destroyed several vital Confederate rice plantations and
1:46.8	liberated more than 750 people. Social historian Edda Fields Black reveals new details about
1:54.1	the raid and Tubman in her book, Cumbie, Harriet Tubman, the Cumbie River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.
2:03.4	Thank you so much for joining us, Edda. So what initially drew you to her life?
	...

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