Harriet Tubman, a revered abolitionist who led a group of Union soldiers during the Civil War, was posthumously honored as a general roughly 160 years after her service.
On Monday (Nov. 11), Tubman was posthumously named a one-star brigadier general in Maryland’s National Guard during a special Veterans Day ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, per the Associated Press.
“Today, we celebrate a soldier and a person who earned the title of veteran,” Governor Wes Moore said in a statement. “Today we celebrate one of the greatest authors of the American story.”
In 1849, Tubman escaped slavery and settled in Philadelphia. She then established the Underground Railroad, helping lead other enslaved Black people to freedom. Tubman went on to serve as a scout, spy, and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. The abolitionist once guided 150 Black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina.
Moore applauded Tubman for her dedication to helping others achieve freedom.
“She knew that in order to do the work, that meant that she had to go into the lion’s den,” Moore said. “She knew that leadership means you have to be willing to do what you are asking others to do.”
During Monday’s ceremony, a reading of Tubman’s official order occurred before a symbolic pinning by her great-great-great-grandniece, Tina Wyatt.
“Aunt Harriet was one of those veterans informally, she gave up any rights that she had obtained for herself to be able to fight for others,” Wyatt said. “She is a selfless person.”
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