Harriet Tubman is set to posthumously be made a one-star general by the Maryland National Guard and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Monday, which is also Veteran’s Day.
The abolitionist, who was known for guiding enslaved people to freedom after escaping from slavery herself, also served in the Union Army.
Tubman was born into slavery in 1822 in Dorchester, Maryland and later in life escaped to Philadelphia. She then became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and it is estimated she helped around 70 people escape to freedom, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
Once the Civil War began, she served in the Union Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. Historians also consider Tubman to be the first woman in U.S. history to lead a combat regiment. She helped lead a raid at Combahee Ferry using intelligence she had gathered as a spy regarding Confederate mines placed in the Combahee river. The mission was successful and led to the rescues of 700 enslaved people.
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But despite her military accomplishments, she was never given an official rank. That’s what Monday’s ceremony seeks to remedy.
Some of Tubman’s descendents will be in attendance at the commissioning ceremony, per a release from the Maryland National Guard, along with Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general for Maryland, who is hosting the ceremony, along with other local Maryland and military leaders. The National Guards’ 104th Fighter Squadron will do a flyover at the beginning of the ceremony and the Maryland Army National Guard’s 229th Army Band is set to perform ceremonial music.
The ceremony will be held at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland.
