Skip to main content

Primary sourcePainting1863

Raid on the Combahee River

1863

A wood engraving published in Harper's Weekly in 1863 depicting the Union raid on the Combahee River, the Civil War operation Tubman helped lead.

Depicts the Combahee River raid, the Civil War operation Tubman is best known for helping lead.

Ask Harriet Tubman about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Engraved illustration of a Civil War river raid. A steamboat with an American flag and smoke fires near a levee; a second steamboat sails on the left. Dark smoke rises from burning buildings on the right, and people on a shore and in water are fleeing toward boats.
Raid on the Combahee River, Harper's Weekly, July 4, 1863.

About this source

What it is

This wood engraving was published in Harper's Weekly on July 4, 1863. It illustrates the Union raid on the Combahee River, an operation during the Civil War that freed enslaved people along the river. The image shows a Union gunboat steaming toward the shore under cannon fire, with smoke rising from a fire on the riverbank and people fleeing along the water's edge.

Why it matters

The Combahee River raid was one of Harriet Tubman's most significant actions during the Civil War, in which she helped guide Union forces. This illustration, made for a widely read Northern magazine, shows how the event was presented to the American public at the time, though it does not name Tubman directly.

Look closer

  • What is happening in this image, and who do you think the artist wanted viewers to focus on?
  • Why might Harper's Weekly have chosen to illustrate this event for its readers?
  • What does the image leave out about the people who planned and carried out this raid?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Harriet Tubman sources

Meet the AI Harriet Tubman →
Scan of an 1849 newspaper runaway-slave reward notice headed 'Three Hundred Dollars Reward', offering rewards for three runaways named Harry, Ben and Minty, signed by Eliza Ann Brodess near Bucktown, Dorchester County, Md.Newspaper article

Primary source

Three Hundred Dollars Reward Notice

Eliza Ann Brodess · 3 October 1849

Black-and-white studio portrait of a standing woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar, buttons down the bodice, and a tasseled key at her waist. Her hand rests on a draped chair; a hat and coat lie on a fringed stool, and a draped table stands at left against a plain backdrop with a column.Photograph

Primary source

Harriet Tubman

Harvey B. Lindsley · c. 1871-1876

Scan of a dark brown cloth book cover with a worn, faded light-colored title block at the top left, too faded to read clearly. The rest of the cover is plain, with a visible spine edge along the left side.Book

Secondary source

Harriet, the Moses of Her People

Sarah Bradford · 1886

Sepia carte-de-visite portrait of a seated Black woman in a dark long-sleeved dress with a white collar and a light checked skirt, leaning her arm on a spindle chair. Handwritten signature reads Harriet Tubman. Red and cream border.Photograph

Primary source

Carte-de-visite Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Benjamin Powelson · c. 1868-1869

Scanned handwritten General Affidavit form, filled in by hand, with a title printed at top. The text describes a claim for services as nurse and cook in hospitals and as commander of scouts during the Civil War. Signatures of affiants appear at the bottom, including Harriet Tubman's name and her mark.Document

Primary source

General Affidavit of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman · 1898

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Harriet Tubman now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions