Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and became a political activist and abolitionist, died #OTD in 1913. Born with the name Araminta “Minty” Ross on a plantation in Dorchester County, MD, the exact date of her birth is not known. #WomensHistoryMonth Image
She escaped slavery in 1849 and settled in Philadelphia. After hearing that some members of her family were to be sold, she returned to Maryland to help them escape. This was the first of 13 trips she made to the South, freeing 70 escaped slaves, earning her the nickname “Moses”. ImageImageImage
During the #CivilWar, Tubman worked for the @USArmy as a spy and armed scout, participating in raids in South Carolina that freed hundreds of additional slaves.
Tubman settled in Auburn, NY after the the war, with her second husband Nelson Davis and their adopted daughter. She was active in the women’s suffrage movement, and was keynote speaker at the first meeting of the National Association of Afro-American Women (@NACWC1896). ImageImageImage
Upon her death she was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn. Her home there is now a National Historical Park (@NPCA), and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (@TubmanUGRRNPS) opened in Maryland in 2013. ImageImageImage
In May, 2015, Tubman was announced as the person who had been selected to replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. Originally planned to take place in 2020, it was announced in 2019 that the change would not occur until 2028, but that change is now being accelerated. Image

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More from @CivilWarOTD

Mar 13
The confederate congress, at the request of Robert E. Lee, narrowly passed a bill #OTD in 1865 allowing Black men to serve in their army. The bill did not grant the men freedom if they volunteered, and required the consent of their “master” in order to enlist. #CivilWar ImageImageImage
To that point, Black men had only done manual labor for the southern army, or acted as servants to their white owners who served as officers. They had been specifically prohibited from even being enlisted into the army, let alone serving in combat roles. Image
The bill had no impact. Passed less than a month before Lee surrendered, the few Black men who were enlisted never saw combat. In the years since, there has been an effort to revise this history and insist that thousands of Black troops served the confederacy. ImageImageImage
Read 7 tweets
Mar 12
Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden, who commanded the USS Monitor during her historic duel against the confederate ironclad Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads during the #CivilWar, was born #OTD in 1818. He was wounded in the face and briefly blinded during the battle. ImageImage
After the war, Worden held several commands and served as Superintendent of the @NavalAcademy. He retired as a Rear Admiral in 1886, and passed away in 1897 at the age of 79. ImageImage
The Tiffany & Co. sword that Worden was given by his home state of New York to celebrate his command of the Monitor was donated to the Naval Academy by his family after his death. It was stolen in 1931, and remained lost for over six decades until recovered by the FBI in 1998. ImageImage
Read 7 tweets
Mar 12
Timothy Webster, an agent for the @Pinkerton National Detective Agency and spy for the U.S., was born #OTD in 1822. Shortly after the #CivilWar began, Webster and a female agent, Hattie Lawton, were sent by into southern Maryland and @RichmondNPS to spy on the confederacy. ImageImageImage
Posing as husband and wife, Webster and Lawton gained the trust of confederate officers, learning valuable information that they sent north to Allan Pinkerton. Webster fell ill in early 1862 and could not send reports, prompting Pinkerton send two other agents to look for him. ImageImage
Those men, Pryce Lewis and John Scully, were recognized and captured, and gave information that led to the arrests of Webster and Lawson. Lewis and Scully were released, and Lawson was imprisoned before being exchanged, but Webster was sentenced to death by hanging. ImageImage
Read 9 tweets
Mar 11
Senator Charles Sumner, whose caning at the hands of Rep. Preston Brooks on the floor of the US Senate in 1856 escalated tensions between the Northern and Southern states prior to the #CivilWar, died #OTD in 1874 at the age of 63. He is buried in @MountAuburnCem in Cambridge, MA.
Read 4 tweets
Mar 11
Edmund Kirby was born #OTD in 1840, in Brownville, NY. The town was named for his maternal grandfather, Major General Jacob Brown, who was the first man to hold the title of Commanding General of the @USArmy. Kirby's father was also an Army officer. ImageImage
Following family tradition, Kirby attended @WestPoint_USMA & graduated in the Class of 1861. With the #CivilWar already raging, he was quickly commissioned as an artillery officer & promoted. He saw action at the Battles of First @ManassasNPS, Ball's Bluff, and @Antietamnps1862. ImageImageImageImage
During the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, 1863, Kirby took over command of the 5th Maine Battery, part of John Reynolds' I Corps, when all of the battery's officers had been killed or wounded. Kirby was struck in the thigh, but insisted the guns be removed before he was. ImageImageImage
Read 9 tweets
Mar 11
General William Rosecrans died #OTD in 1898 at the age of 78. A graduate of @WestPoint_USMA, he secured several critical victories for the @USArmy in the Western Theater of the #CivilWar, including the Battles of Iuka, Corinth, and @StonesRiverNPS. ImageImageImageImage
Unfortunately, he was most known for being in command during the disastrous rout of the Army of the Cumberland during the Battle of @ChickamaugaNPS. His confusing order had created a gap in his lines, through which a confederate corps attacked. ImageImageImage
As his troops retreated, Rosecrans also elected to abandon the field, ordering General George Thomas to take command of any remaining troops and withdraw, while Rosecrans himself rode to Chattanooga. Thomas conducted a stoic defense and withdrew the army in good order. ImageImageImage
Read 7 tweets

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