Early in the war, Harriet Tubman pulled double-duty while she navigated that Underground Railroad. Tubman worked to free slaves in Port Royal, S.C., and she gathered intelligence for the Union as she did it.
Tubman wore disguises and gathered intelligence on the enemy’s troop strength and whereabouts. Furthermore, Tubman is credited with leading Col. James Montgomery’s troops behind enemy lines, where they freed slaves and destroyed Southern property.
To learn more about African American spies, visit the CIA’s page on Black Dispatches.
