There are many stories of women who dressed as men and assumed male identities in order to join in the fighting, both for the Union and the Confederate armies. It is impossible to know exactly how many of these female soldiers truly existed, as it is likely that the majority of them managed to keep their secret for the duration of their time in the war, but estimates out the numbers of women soldiers on both sides well into the hundreds (Blanton)
Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross and one of the first true American nurses, is one figure that stands out prominently in this regard, but there are others who were also instrumental in effecting better care for the wounded. Mary Anne Bickerdyke, a trained nurse and activist, is almost single-handedly responsible for ensuring sanitary and healthy conditions in several military hospitals throughout Illinois, earning high praise from doctors that initially regarded her with no small amount of suspicion and ridicule (Stein 43)
It took two days of bed rest to recover. Many myths surround this incident (Bradford 74), but Tubman's own words reveal that she was caught in the crossfire between an overseer and belligerent slave when working in a field, rather than the incident occurring in a store
For eleven years following Tubman's escape she worked tirelessly to bring her family members north to freedom in Canada (Larson 7-8). One of the myths circulated at the time was that Tubman was personally responsible for helping over 300 slaves escape north to freedom (Miller), over the course of 19 trips (Larson 7-8); however, Tubman's own words reveal that no more than 13 trips were made and no more than 60-70 slaves were helped north by her personally
There is no reason to assume that any of Tubman's contributions to the Underground Railroad are fabricated, since these stationmasters documented all encounters with escaped slaves and their conductors, not just the encounters with Tubman. 'General' Tubman Much less is known about Tubman's contributions to the war effort, although a signed general affidavit in her own words revealed that she worked as a nurse, cook, and scout commander of eight to nine men during the Civil War (Tubman)
About two weeks later Harriet decided to go it alone. Underground Railroad Conductor Lucretia Mott, a Philadelphia Quaker and women's suffragist, was reported to be the first person to help Tubman after her escape from slavery (Larson 10)
Civil War Women Harriet Tubman: Conductor, Nurse, Cook, Spy, and Scout Harriet Ross Tubman Davis (c. 1822 -- 1913) was best known for her role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad prior to and during the American Civil War (Sernett 22)