This historical fiction novel delves into the lesser told accomplishments of Harriet Tubman as a leader of a troup of African American Scouts and her part in providing the Union Army with intelligence information. Throughout the story I was amazed that a woman let alone African American was able to earn a position of respect and leadership. Going by the code name of Moses, she planned and lead a mission to free thousands of plantation slaves. The story was most exciting during the dangerous rescue mission. The author also adds a love interest which brings a more human side to the heroine. Overall, well researched and written and I learned a lot.

While many of us are familiar with Harriet Tubman aka Moses and her many trips South to free slaves, The Tubman Command tells the little known and fascinating chapter of this heroic woman and her work during the Civil War. Harriet was a scout and spy who commanded a group of black soldiers for the Union Army. Under the direction of Union General David Hunter, Harriet helped plan and carry out the 1863 Combahee Ferry raid; a raid that attacked Southern plantations, burning rice fields and freeing more than 700 slaves. Harriet’s team was tasked with going behind enemy lines to determine the location of underwater mines and alert the slaves as to the timing of their rescue.

This is a well-researched, stirring, and thought-provoking look into Tubman’s life during the war. Details of the plight of slaves and free blacks are vividly brought to life in the expert hands of Hoffman. The authentic dialect and vivid descriptions lend the novel a rich and historical atmosphere and Tubman is portrayed as the courageous, determined and resolute woman that she was. This is an immersive and engrossing novel, excellent for fans of historical fiction, those interested in Civil War history, and anyone who wants to read about the true female heroes of our country.

I loved this story listening to the story of Harriet Tubman and all she did. The story told by her through her days as a slave and her running away, the years after, and what she did during the civil war. I was really entertained and I also learned a lot as well about so much even if this story is taking creative liberty there is still so much to learn about that time and how it still affects us.

I was really excited to be able to read this book in advance. I love historical fiction because that I learn so much and am not a fan of reading history non fiction books. I have always been curious about Tubman. This book was so good at telling about her amazing life. I have this book on order at the library and am sure that it will be popular.

I just finished The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs and wow! 4 stars! What an important book, and important piece of history being told. Growing up going through many American History classes, I was aware of Harriet Tubman, but I had very little education about her. That’s a shame. What a courageous, magnificent woman. I know this is a fiction, but based off of history, and I feel like it was well-researched and extremely honest. This was difficult to read because of what the content is, but it’s important to be educated on these topics, so that history will not repeat itself and that humanity can strive to do better every generation.
Trigger warning: This book has slavery in it, and doesn’t hold back much. So racism abounds, abuse, violence, you get the picture. There is also a war going on during this book, so you can expect to get war violence, language, injuries, etc.

The book The Tubman Command offers a fictionalized account of the experiences of Harriett Tubman during the Civil War. Specifically, it tells the story of her involvement in some of the initial battles in South Carolina as a scout, where she sought to both gain information and free slaves. I found the story to be engaging and instructive on the lives of women such as Tubman during this time. It was also interesting to learn more about Tubman herself. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys good historical fiction. I could also see incorporating this book into a high school classroom as part of a book study or similar project to help students learn more about the Civil War and the role of women during that time period.

Very detailed and with accurate historical information of the life and work of Harriet Tubman who worked tirelessly to free slaves.

In this story, we get to know much more about Harriet than is generally known. Due to the generally secret nature of the operation, the fact that she was a slave and because she was female, her role has generally not been highlighted but rather downplayed which is totally unfair because she played the greatest role in freeing 750 slaves which is huge for the time.

Meticulous detail to history was part of the story and will endear history fans for this fact alone.

My knowledge of American history is scant, almost non existent so this was very good reading for me.

Any student of Civil War-era history has some basic knowledge of Harriet Tubman, but perhaps not much beyond her role on the Underground Railroad. If nothing else, this book will deepen the reader's understanding of her ongoing role in liberating slaves throughout the War itself. Cobbs focuses on Tubman's actions as a scout for the Union Army at their camp in Beaufort, South Carolina. Tubman, or "Moses", as she was known by the "contraband" freed slaves, both recruited other scouts and helped to organize the slaves on the nearby plantation so that they would be ready to move when the Army came to free them.

A good novel of historical fiction makes the past come alive in a way that non-fiction can't. Unfortunately, I can't really say that Tubman leaps off the page in this book. Rather, it reads more like a work of narrative non-fiction from a close third-person point of view. However, readers interested in either the Civil War or Harriet Tubman will learn a lot from Cobbs's research and the information goes down very easily.

This book wasn’t for me. Historical fiction is always hit or miss for me. I chose this one because I of my interest in learning more about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. This book just didn’t capture my attention. However, I know It will be a great read for others that are more into historical fiction.

Here's hoping this well researched and written historical novel gets a wide readership. Cobbs has brought Harriet Tubman to life. Most of us know her work on the Underground Railroad but I'd venture that fewer are aware that she commanded a team of scouts- an incredibly valuable resource, during the Civil War. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is atmospheric and inspiring. It will also make you wonder how many other unheralded stories there are out there.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review The Tubman Command.

When I read historical fiction, particular the sort that stays very close to real events and people, my hope is that the book will teach me and engage me at the same time, by staying true to the facts but making the players come to life. This book did that for me, hands down. I've been fascinated by Harriet Tubman since I read about her as a child in grammar school, and this is the first time I've felt like I was reading not a hagiography, but the story of a complex, real person. At times I felt like I was peeping through a window into her day-t0-day life, and I loved that. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves to read fiction that makes history come alive.

I read a previous book by Elizabeth Cobbs [The Hamilton Affair] and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned quite a bit about both Alexander Hamilton and his amazing wife Elizabeth Schuyler [enough that it has made me seek out nonfiction books on the man and his life], so when I saw that she had a new book out on Harriet Tubman [whom I know little about], I was excited to read it. I was not disappointed at all.

The research that must go into writing a book of historical fiction must be insane - to both write a story that contains the truth AND to write a story of fiction surrounding that truth - to tell a story that both teaches and entertains - I feel that must be a tough road and Ms. Cobbs handles it deftly and confidently.

The story that is told here - of Harriet Tubman and her involvement of the freeing of over 700 slaves from plantations along the Combahee River - is both thrilling and thought-provoking. It shows just how much grit that the soldiers had - both colored and white - and what they were willing to risk to save the lives of those enslaved and to put a dent into the lives of the rebellious South. I am sure that this raid helped change the course of the war, though as far as I can tell, little has been written about this and it was for me, the first time I had ever heard of this daring escapade.

It is also a story of Harriet's every day life [leading up to the raid] as a baker, as a nurse and as a spy. All things I didn't know about her before this book. And the author's note at the end is filled with even more content about Harriet Tubman that continued to fill me with wonder at the bravery and audacity of this small black woman. SO many lives were saved by that very audacity and I believe that we need to have more books written about her and the other women that risked their lives to help the cause against slavery and brought people to freedom.

This was an excellent read and one I am grateful to have had the chance to read. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing/Arcade for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I have always been fascinated by the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was brave and dedicated to her cause. Although the information was interesting, it was presented in a dull way. I felt like I was back in history class with the teacher from Ferris Bueller.

I just finished The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs. Having grown up in a neighboring town to Auburn, New York, I visited Tubman’s farm and Secretary Seward’s home and have always been interested in Harriet, In school, I learned about Harriet, “Moses,” and what she did with the Underground Railroad. Mentioned was the fact that she was a spy for the North during the Civil War, but I had no idea how much she did! Cobbs explores this time period. As the reader, I felt like I was walking in Tubman’s shoes through the excellent research and writing of Elizabeth Cobbs. Harriet Tubman exemplifies courage. This tiny woman who suffered a brain injury as a child risked her life time and time again. Lover of history will want to read this book. I received an ARC from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

I got 10% into this book and just was not grabbed and pulled in like I want to be. I could not make myself continue to push on.

What a lovely tribute to an American icon! Harriet Tubman is known of course for her courageous work on the Underground Railroad, but this novel details her life during the Civil War when she worked as “Moses,” a spy and scout for the Union. Sacrificing herself and her freedom time and again, she works indomitably toward freeing as many enslaved people as she possibly can. Respected by some, disparaged by others, she never gives up hope that freedom for all will rule out. Abandoned by her husband and alienated from her child, she feels unloved yet has an opportunity to regain love with a fellow scout during her tenure as Union agent. The descriptions of her exploits in enemy territory are frightening and intense; namely, the armed assault on Carolina plantations that freed over 700 slaves. The detailed prose allows the reader to sense the terror she must have felt along with the triumph. Elizabeth Cobbs, using supporting historical documents, has fleshed out this brave woman and role model for all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

This is truly outstanding historical fiction. The Tubman Command concentrates on a little known period in Harriet Tubman's life during the Civil War, when she was both Moses, rescuer of slaves, and spy for the North, and desperately hunted by the South. In it, Tubman plans a meticulously timed plantation raid to provide black soldiers for the Northern army at the right moment of battle. The complexity of anyone, much less a woman, pulling this off under incredibly difficult circumstances is amazing, all the puzzle pieces in her head clicking together are so impressive. The psychology she has learned to use with both white and slave both, male and female, are equally fascinating, and the inner turmoil of Harriet herself is what raises the novel far above the usual. This is a REAL woman with brains and emotions and desires and heartache, who has learned to stomp it all down and concentrate on surviving in the present before thinking about the future. Her relationships with friends and foes, men and women are wonderful and diverse and vivid, and add greatly to the narrative. I've been looking a long time for a really great fiction title about Harriet Tubman. This is it.

Taking place in South Carolina, 1863 The Tubman Command centers around Harriet Tubman, commander, military strategist and survivor who guided several men to freedom. I will admit that I know very little about Harriet Tubman and her efforts to rescue enslaved people, family and friends.

In this novel Cobbs concentrates on Tubman’s lesser known missions as a spy for the Union army than focus on her life. Cobbs stuck with the dialect of the Africans living in South Carolina, which gave this story more authenticity. Cobbs really did her research to bring this fictional version of “Moses” aka Harriet Tubman to life.

The one thing I could have done without was the romance. Not that it took away from the book, but I just didn’t feel it was necessary. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others. Thank you, Netgalley & Skyhorse Publishing,for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 out of 5

I didn't love this and I didn't dislike it either. I was expecting a story about the things we already knew about Harriet Tubman (her Underground Railroad work); but, I guess that might have been a bit boring since we've heard about it for years and years. This book was about her time after that, working with the Union Army to help free more slaves. I enjoyed learning about her and the things she did in addition to what we already knew, but I do wish the story had moved a little faster. It did its job though--got me invested enough that I had to finish. I will purchase for my high school library as I think this is an important story.

“The Tubman Command” by Elizabeth Cobbs is a fascinating look at Harriet Tubman in a different role than the Underground Railroad. This historical fiction novel centers around Harriet Tubman’s time as a spy and scout for the Union army during the Civil War. Well told and very interesting. I particularly liked the epigrams at the beginning of each chapter which were taken from actual historical documents. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to gain insight into her research to understand what is fact and what she included as a fictionalized account of some events. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars