100 Objects #3: The Pension Files

The Combahee River Raid stands as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in United States history, liberating over 700 enslaved people in a single night. Guided by Harriet Tubman, this Union military operation utilized intelligence gathered from freedom seekers to destroy Confederate infrastructure and rice plantations. Historian Dr. Edda Fields-Black reveals how previously untapped U.S. Army pension files serve as a vital historical record, documenting the lives, identities, and family histories of those liberated. These bureaucratic documents provide a rare, firsthand perspective from formerly enslaved individuals, such as Minus Hamilton, who witnessed the destruction of their bondage. By analyzing these records, Fields-Black reconstructs the experiences of both notable figures and the nameless, effectively restoring the agency and personal narratives of those who fought for their own freedom and subsequently served in the Union Army.