One of Maryland’s greatest heroes is getting another medal. The freedom fighter Harriet Tubman was commissioned to the rank of brigadier general by Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland National Guard during a commissioning and recognition ceremony Monday morning.
The celebration was held at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park & Visitor Center in Dorchester County. Descendants of Harriet Tubman military, community, and political leaders from across Maryland were present.
“Harriet Tubman lived the values and virtues that I was taught when I served in the United States Army, and many of the people here today learned too: Live mission first, people always. Lead with honor, integrity, duty, and courage. Leave no one behind,” said Gov. Moore.
“And with each act of courage, Harriet Tubman helped bring us together as a nation and a people. She fought for a kind of unity that can only be earned through danger, risk, and sacrifice. And it is a unity we still benefit from to this day.
Tubman gave everything she had to the stars and stripes, donning a myriad of hats during the Civil War, as she was the first black woman to serve in the U.S. military.
The woman who was dubbed the moniker “Moses” served as a spy, scout, nurse, and cook for the Union Army.
As a spy, she was accredited for providing vital intelligence about the Confederate army, i.e., troop movement, ammo depots, and supply lines. This would result directly in the Union army assuming control of key locations and resources.
Tubman is also responsible for leading an assault that freed over 750 enslaved people, in addition to the people she freed during her rescue missions on the Underground Railroad.
