An escaped woman slave worked as a spy for the Union

Although they were not allowed to combat in the war by law, many women posed as males to take part. 400–800 women are thought to have participated in the Civil War. However, women who chose not to participate in the fighting performed several other crucial tasks that helped the fighting men. Many women worked as spies or nurses. The most well-known female is Harriet Tubman.

The escaped slave Harriet Tubman, who helped other slaves find freedom before the war, arrived in the Union camp at Port Royal, South Carolina, in the spring of 1862 to aid the cause of the Union. This is one of the most interesting facts about the American Civil War. She started educating freed slaves on trades that would help them get paid by the Union Army. But soon she was conducting river reconnaissance expeditions and obtaining information about the surrounding area from the freed slaves.

With 300 black Union soldiers, Tubman and Union Colonel James Montgomery steamed into the interior on June 1, 1863. As Union gunboats blew their whistles, the troops stormed through surrounding plantations, burning houses, and barns. Tubman was reminded of "the children of Israel, coming out of Egypt" as slave men, women, and children poured in from the countryside. During the trip, more than 720 slaves were transported to freedom. Tubman freed ten times as many slaves in the first raid she led during the Civil War as she had in the previous ten years on the Underground Railroad.