100 Objects #3: The Pension Files

Historian Dr. Edda Fields-Black shares the story of Minus Hamilton, an 88-year-old enslaved man liberated during the Combahee River Raid in 1863. Guided by Harriet Tubman, this Union military operation became the largest and most successful slave rebellion in US history. Hamilton's rare firsthand account of his liberation provides a unique perspective on this historic event.

Host Roman Mars and historian Edda Fields-Black explore the historical significance of Civil War pension files, which document the lives of formerly enslaved men who fought for the Union. They highlight the extraordinary courage of Harriet Tubman, detailing her escape from bondage, her rescue missions, and her eventual role as a Union spy in South Carolina. The segment also covers the Union occupation of Port Royal and the subsequent liberation of thousands of enslaved people.

In South Carolina, the Union Army initiated a radical experiment by arming and training formerly enslaved Black soldiers in Port Royal. Harriet Tubman arrived in Beaufort to serve as a spy, gathering critical intelligence from refugees about Confederate fortifications and river mines. Her efforts helped navigate the treacherous, disease-ridden rice plantation landscape of the coastal wetlands.

During the Civil War's 'sickly season,' when Confederate troops and plantation owners fled the malaria-ridden Combahee River area, the Union Army planned a daring raid. Led by Harriet Tubman and Colonel James Montgomery, a force of Black soldiers set out from Beaufort to liberate enslaved people and burn plantations.

During a Civil War raid, Union soldiers targeted Southern rice plantations to destroy the Confederacy's food supply and free enslaved workers. Enslaved individuals like Minus Hamilton and his wife Hagar fled to the safety of Union gunboats, ignoring their overseer's threats.

Edda Fields-Black and Roman Mars describe the chaotic and triumphant moments of the Combahee River Raid as enslaved people, including the elderly Minus Hamilton, fled to Union boats. Harriet Tubman personally rescued the most vulnerable from their cabins, navigating thorn bushes and later requesting bloomers from supporters in Boston.

Edda Fields-Black and Roman Mars describe the chaotic final moments of the Combahee Ferry Raid, where Harriet Tubman sang to calm desperate Freedom Seekers. The survivors eventually arrived in Beaufort, South Carolina, celebrating their newfound freedom and reuniting with loved ones.

Edda Fields-Black explains how Civil War pension files allow researchers to reconstruct the lives and marriages of formerly enslaved people who participated in the Combahee River Raid. She also shares how these records helped her break through the 1870 brick wall to find her ancestor, Hector Fields.

Dr. Edda Fields-Black explains how she uncovered her family's history and her ancestor Hector Fields' involvement in the Combahee Raid through Civil War pension files. By examining these documents, she was able to restore the original names of many soldiers and freedom seekers.