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How Harriet Tubman Found A Cure For The Most Dangerous Disease Of The American Civil War

The famous abolitionist was also highly skilled in medicinal plants and found a cure for a horrible illness that killed tens of thousands during the Civil War

Andrew Martin
4 min readMay 5, 2023

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Harriet Tubman is one of the most important and influential figures in American history. Not only did the former slave help many escape to freedom through the underground railroad, she served as a scout and nurse in the military, and did charity work to help Black Americans settle into freedom. Something else she accomplished that not as many people know about is the cure she discovered for dysentery, the most dangerous disease during the American Civil War, which may have killed as many as 100,000 soldiers during the conflict.

Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland sometime between 1820 and 1822. In 1849, she escaped to freedom in the North with two of her brothers and subsequently embarked on a path that made her known as the “Moses of her people,” returning again and again to the South, leading slaves to freedom along the dangerous and secretive Underground Railroad. In total, she helped dozens of those in bondage.

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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