harriet tubmanA respected abolitionist and the first woman to lead an American military operation during the war, she was posthumously awarded the rank of brigadier general on Monday. Open Veterans Day, A crowd gathered at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park in Dorchester County, Maryland, for a ceremony to honor Tubman’s legacy and officially commission Tubman as a one-star general in the Maryland National Guard. NPR reports.

Governor Wes Moore described the ceremony as a monumental day for the state of Maryland and the country, saying: “Today, we celebrate one soldier and one individual who has earned the title of veteran. “Today we celebrate one of the greatest writers in American history.”

During the Civil War, Tubman became the first woman to lead an armed military raid. 750 enslaved people. Tubman was also instrumental in providing the Union with vital intelligence on Confederate supply lines and troop positions. In recognition of her bravery, she later received a Civil War pension for her service as a nurse and cook, caring for both soldiers and newly freed African Americans.

At the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead and Tubman’s grandchildren recognized her historic military contributions and officially awarded her the title of one-star general. Tubman’s great-great-great-great niece, Tina Wyatt, attended a symbolic pinning ceremony to honor her ancestor’s enduring legacy.

“Aunt Harriet was unofficially one of those veterans; He gave up all the rights he had acquired for himself so that he could fight on behalf of others. He is a selfless person,” said Wyatt.

Governor Moore also recently renamed the Banneker Douglass Museum in Maryland to the Banneker Douglass Tubman Museum to commemorate Tubman’s legacy on Maryland’s Emancipation Day. “Our history is our strength,” Moore said during the renaming, emphasizing the power that comes with honoring past struggles and victories.

Tubman’s legacy continues to grow across the country. Philadelphia commissioned a 14-foot bronze statue in his honor to be displayed next year. A 25-foot monument in her honor was unveiled in Newark, N.J., in 2023, and an elementary school in Chicago was renamed Tubman in 2022. Although plans to feature her image on the $20 bill have stalled, there’s no denying Tubman’s influence as a military and civil rights icon continues.