According to Smithsonian Magazine, Tubman partnered with Colonel James Montgomery to plan a raid. Montgomery was an abolitionist and together they decided to rescue enslaved people and destroy plantations along South Carolina’s Combahee River (via History). In addition, they wanted to recruit newly freed men into the Union Army. In June of 1863, Tubman guided her ships on the river to allow fleeing slaves to reach safety while avoiding torpedoes. Meanwhile, troops destroyed confederate property and land. The National Museum of African American History & Culture states that The Combahee Ferry Raid allowed for the rescue of over 700 slaves. This also made Tubman the first woman in American history to lead a military assault. Her role in the mission brought her much fame and acclaim (via American Battlefield Trust). Despite this, Tubman was not financially compensated as a soldier because she was a woman.

After the war, she married a Civil War veteran and later helped open a home for the elderly (per Biography). She resided in Auburn, New York until her death from pneumonia in 1913 at the age of 93. Per the National Women’s History Museum, she was buried with full military honors. In 2016, it was announced that Tubman would be the new face of the $20 bill, though the new bill might not be released into circulation until 2030 (via Insider).