Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War [Hardcover]

Thomas B. Allen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

It's 1863. Harriet Tubman is facing one of the biggest—and most dangerous— challenges of her life. She has survived her master's lash, escaped from slavery, and risked her life countless times to lead runaway slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Now she has a new role—that of Union spy! The outcome of a secret night raid deep into Confederate territory depends on the accuracy of the intelligence she and other black spies have gathered. Success will mean freedom for hundreds of slaves. Failure will mean death by hanging.

You are about to enter the undercover world of African-American spies—enslaved and free—risking everything in the name of freedom. How were the Underground Railroad and slave songs used to pass secret messages? What were "contrabands" and "Black Dispatches?" What did Harriet have in common with the Secret Six and a maidservant in the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis? You'll discover these answers and more as the action unfolds.

Thomas B. Allen, author of the award-winning George Washington, Spymaster, has sifted through military and intelligence archives, diaries, and little-known memoirs from ex-slaves to bring to light new facts about the role Harriet and other black spies played in helping the Union win the war.

This detailed account combined with powerful archival images supplemented with woodcuts by Carla Bauer, maps, a time line, footnotes, and extensive quote sources make this incredibly detailed account an excellent resource for report writing as well as an exciting true-life adventure.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5–8—This small book contains a lot of fascinating information on the network of slaves and free blacks who advanced the Union cause during the Civil War. The narrative is framed by the story of Harriet Tubman, the ex-slave and conductor of the Underground Railroad, whose work to help others escape is well known; less is known about her role as a spy. Tubman assisted Northern troops by tapping into a group of ex-slaves working in the South and passing information on to the Union forces. According to Allen, she led a raid along the Combahee River and may have led other expeditions as well. Readers also meet other people who participated in the espionage, including Elizabeth Van Lew, who devised a numerical code to transmit information that she picked up at society gatherings. Using this code, which is described in an appendix, the author includes several messages in the book. The type font and black-and-white reproductions and maps greatly enhance the presentation; in addition to illustrations from traditional sources, such as the Library of Congress, there are quality originals. A great addition to any collection.—Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Allen brings readers much more than the usual biography of the brave rescuer on the Underground Railroad. This small, packed volume tells of Harriet Tubman's astonishing roles as spy, secret agent, and military leader, and it combines her personal story with a history of the abolitionist movement and the Civil War, focusing on how ex-slaves and free blacks served the Union cause. Whether African Americans were "invisible" servants listening to and reporting their masters' battle plans or ex-slaves leading guerrilla raids on the areas they knew well, the spy action is the heart of the account, which includes the secret codes spies used to pass on messages as they worked "in the darkness of secrecy and prejudice." The dense history is illustrated with numerous archival images, maps, and woodcuts, and the documentation is meticulous. A time line, a bibliography, and notes and quote sources are appended. An excellent resource for students' research; pair it with Catherine Clinton's adult book Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom (2004). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; Scholastic Book Club Ed edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792278895
• ISBN-13: 978-0792278894
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > History > United States > 1800s
  • #81 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > United States > Civil War > Military Leaders

More About the Author

I have been writing since my teen years, when I covered high school sports for my hometown newspaper, The Herald, in Bridgeport, Conn.
I continued working at the paper while I was in college. In the mid-1950s I began working for The New York Daily News, writing feature stories. In 1963, I left The News, going to Chilton Books in Philadelphia, and then to the National Geographic Book Division. I began freelancing in 1981, but I continued contributing to Geographic publications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My 11 year old daughter's review, July 31, 2009

By 

H. Warrington (Great Falls, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War (Paperback)

A really good book but if you don't like historical books you may not like it. It tells you a lot about the Civil War. It's also very interesting, I didn't want to put it down. The only problem is that in the one chapter they're in the middle of a sentence on one page (129 in my paperback edition), and on the next it starts the chapter over again but never gets to that one sentence again so you don't know what it is that they were going to say.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harriet Tubman Secret Agent, April 14, 2010

By 

Joy B. Fairbanks - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War (Hardcover)

Excellent reference and excellent reading for teaching units of upper elementary and middle school. Simply written and quite enjoyable reading even for adults.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil War, Contraband and Harriet Tubman, November 29, 2010

By 

Sheree in DC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War (Hardcover)

This little book of 170 pp. packs a great deal of information in its pages. Though I have read a number of biographies on Harriet Tubman, this book goes into greater detail about her relations with abolitionist, Frederick Douglass and John Brown of Harper's Ferry. The book also illuminates the covert work of 'contraband' (slave spies) amongst them, agents Mary Touvestre and Mary Bowser, who spied as a maid in the home of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis. In 1995 the bravery and talents of Mrs. Bower were acknowledged when she was inducted into the U.S. Army Intelligence Hall of Fame. The reader is treated to a number of not so-well-known exploits of Harriet Tubman, like the raid she led against the Heyward family, considered the richest rice farmers in the South. There are so many facts packed in this little reader, you will be amazed at all the historical and personal connections made. It certainly offers a look at Harriet Tubman that not only verifies her legend, but expands upon it.

The 6th graders at my school are reading this book, and I dare say they are enjoying it. I would include it on any summer reading list.