Harriet Tubman is documented to have freed about 70 enslaved people during approximately 13 trips to Maryland as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. This number includes family and friends whom she personally guided to freedom
. Some earlier accounts and biographies, such as that by Sarah Bradford, exaggerated the number to around 300, but Tubman herself consistently stated a lower figure, and close associates have confirmed the approximate count of 70 people rescued
. In addition to these rescue missions, Tubman played a significant role in the Civil War, notably guiding a raid on the Combahee River in 1863 that freed about 750 enslaved people from plantations in South Carolina
. However, this was a military operation rather than part of her Underground Railroad activities. In summary, Harriet Tubman personally freed about 70 enslaved people through her Underground Railroad missions, and later helped free hundreds more during the Combahee River raid as part of the Union war effort
