Harriet Tubman personally led about 70 people to freedom via the Underground Railroad, over roughly 13 trips, and later helped free around 750–800 more in a single Civil War military raid, for a total impact of well over 800 people freed from slavery.

How Many People Did Harriet Tubman Free?

The Short Answer

  • As an Underground Railroad “conductor,” Tubman directly guided about 70 enslaved people —mostly family and friends—from Maryland to freedom between roughly 1850 and 1860.
  • During the Combahee River Raid on June 2, 1863, which she helped plan and guide for the Union Army, about 750–800 enslaved people escaped from plantations in South Carolina.
  • Taken together, historians often say she directly contributed to the freedom of more than 800 people , even though she did not personally escort each one on foot.

Why You See Different Numbers (70 vs 300 vs 800)

History books, museums, and online posts often give conflicting totals, which can be confusing.

Where “about 70” comes from

Modern historians rely on:

  • Tubman’s own statements in the 1850s, when she said she had rescued 50–60 people in 8 or 9 trips , before a final mission where she freed 7 more.
  • Detailed reconstructions of named individuals and specific journeys , which add up to roughly 70 people over about 13 trips from Maryland.

These figures are used today by institutions like the National Park Service and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway as the most evidence-based count for her Underground Railroad work.

Where “300 people in 19 trips” comes from

  • That larger number traces back to an 1868 biography by Sarah Bradford , who wrote that Tubman had freed about 300 people in 19 trips.
  • Bradford herself admitted Tubman couldn’t recall exact numbers; Bradford appears to have estimated or exaggerated.
  • Later research—and even Tubman’s close contemporaries—contradict those 300/19 claims, which is why historians today usually reject them as myth rather than fact.

Still, that older “300” figure stuck in popular memory, so you’ll sometimes see it repeated in documentaries, short bios, or casual articles.

How the count jumps to “hundreds”

Modern museum panels and articles sometimes say Tubman helped free “hundreds” , and that’s not purely myth—it usually reflects two different roles :

  1. Underground Railroad rescues: about 70 people she personally escorted.
  1. Civil War military action: the Combahee River Raid , where Union gunboats she guided allowed some 750–800 enslaved people to flee to freedom.

Some museum labels roll these together to say she helped free “hundreds,” which is technically true, but can blur the distinction between small, secret rescue trips and a large army raid.

Underground Railroad vs. Civil War Raid

Underground Railroad missions (c. 1850–1860)

  • Tubman escaped slavery herself, then repeatedly returned to slaveholding Maryland to guide others north.
  • She mostly rescued family, friends, and trusted contacts , which makes it possible for historians to list many of them by name.
  • These journeys were extremely dangerous: she risked capture, violence, and re‑enslavement every time.

A commonly quoted line from Tubman about that decade of work is:

“I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”

Combahee River Raid (June 2, 1863)

During the Civil War, Tubman also served the Union cause:

  • She worked as a scout, spy, and guide for the Union Army in South Carolina.
  • For the Combahee River Raid , she helped gather intelligence about Confederate mines (“torpedoes”) in the river and guided Union gunboats around them.
  • The raid destroyed Confederate supplies and allowed hundreds of enslaved people—close to 800—to escape from nearby plantations.

In this operation she did not march every person out by hand the way she had on the Underground Railroad, but her leadership and knowledge were crucial to turning the raid into a mass emancipation event.

Putting It All Together (for today’s discussions)

If you’re writing or talking about how many people Harriet Tubman freed , most historians today would frame it like this:

  • About 70 people : personally guided to freedom on Underground Railroad trips from Maryland.
  • Around 750–800 more people : freed during the Combahee River Raid she helped lead in 1863.
  • Older “300 people in 19 trips” stories : now viewed as myth or exaggeration , not supported by Tubman’s own words or detailed records.

So if you want a succinct, historically grounded answer that also fits how the topic appears in recent articles and forum debates:
Harriet Tubman personally led about 70 people to freedom through the Underground Railroad and helped liberate hundreds more—around 800—in a Civil War raid , making her impact on freedom truly in the hundreds.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.