It’s difficult to separate fact from fiction in Tubman’s life

The assertion (first cited in a 19th-century biography) that Tubman guided more than 300 enslaved persons to freedom over the course of 19 trips is one of the most convoluted misconceptions about her. Despite never using this figure, Tubman believed that by 1860, she had saved about 50 persons, most of whom were family members.

In the decade leading up to the Civil War, historians today think that she was probably personally responsible for guiding some 70 people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Additionally, it's doubtful that Tubman was ever the target of a major bounty during her time as an undercover agent, much less one for tens of thousands of dollars, as several media stated.

It's unlikely that Tubman's former owners or the owners of the enslaved persons she freed ever learned that the person smuggling their slaves off was the lady formerly known as Minty Ross. After Tubman's initial attempt at escape in September 1849, her owner, Eliza Brodess, placed an advertisement in a Maryland newspaper offering a "prize" for her capture. For the apprehension and return of Tubman and her two brothers, Brodess paid $300.