The Combahee River Raid: Harriet Tubman & Lowcountry Liberation

by Jeff Grigg

In 1863, the Union was unable to adequately fill its black regiments. In an attempt to remedy that, Colonel James Montgomery led a raid up the Combahee River on June 2 to gather recruits and punish the plantations. Aiding him was an expert at freeing slaves--famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The remarkable effort successfully rescued about 750 enslaved men, women and children. Only one soldier was killed in the action, which marked a strategy shift in the war that took the fight to civilians. Join author Jeff W. Grigg as he details the fascinating true story that became a legend.

Genres: History, Civil War

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2014

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting work, de-mythologizing a very interesting piece of history and of the life of Harriet Tubman. It is his premise that she is credited with the wrong contribution to the raid, and not credited with her real work. He made one odd error in his explanation, though, by denying there was any evidence of underwater explosives in the river, and then quoting a letter mentioning them. Since he didn't refute the letter, it's not clear whether he forgot about the reference, or just what was going on.
His explanation of the relationships between the historical figures took up perhaps too much of the book, but this permitted him to explain some of the puzzling aspects of the raid. This is a short book, and well worth reading if you're interested in Harriet Tubman and her life, but also the ways in which African American troops were used as raiders during the Civil War.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at a largely unknown, at least to me, battle in the Civil War. It also explores the roll of Harriet Tubman in the Civil War.