Harriet Tubman becomes an official conductor of…
1850 CE
Tubman and her brothers, Ben and Henry, had escaped from slavery on September 17, 1849. Once they had left, Tubman's brothers had second thoughts. The two men went back, forcing Tubman to return with them.
Soon afterward, Tubman escaped again, this time without her brothers.
While her exact route is unknown, Tubman made use of the network known as the Underground Railroad. This informal but well-organized system was composed of free and enslaved blacks, white abolitionists, and other activists.
Most prominent among the latter in Maryland at this time are members of the Religious Society of Friends, often called Quakers.
The Preston area near Poplar Neck in Caroline County contains a substantial Quaker community, and was probably an important first stop during Tubman's escape.
From there, she probably took a common route for fleeing slaves—northeast along the Choptank River, through Delaware and then north into Pennsylvania.
A journey of nearly ninety miles (one hundred and forty-five kilometers), her traveling by foot would have taken between five days and three weeks.
Tubman had to travel by night, guided by the North Star, and trying to avoid slave catchers eager to collect rewards for fugitive slaves.
The "conductors" in the Underground Railroad used deceptions for protection.
At an early stop, the lady of the house instructed Tubman to sweep the yard so as to seem to be working for the family.
When night fell, the family hid her in a cart and took her to the next friendly house.
Given her familiarity with the woods and marshes of the region, Tubman during the day likely hid in these locales.
Particulars of her first journey remain shrouded in secrecy.
Tubman will only later describe her routes because other fugitive slaves had used them.
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