Historian Edda Fields-Black has won the prestigious 2025 Pulitzer Prize for her groundbreaking book “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.” The award recognizes her decade of meticulous research documenting what she calls “the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history.”
Fields-Black shared the Pulitzer Prize in history with Kathleen DuVal, author of “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.” The Pulitzer committee praised both works as “distinguished and appropriately documented books on the history of the United States.”
The Miami native historian told the Miami Herald she has received an overwhelming number of congratulatory messages. “It’s a form of validation, almost, that these stories are important and that they must be told with the backing of the Pulitzer Prize, even under these very difficult circumstances,” Fields-Black said.
Uncovering Tubman’s Military Leadership Through Primary Sources
Fields-Black spent ten years researching and writing “COMBEE,” focusing on firsthand accounts to document Harriet Tubman’s vital role in the 1863 Combahee River Raid. Her work stands out because it relies heavily on Civil War pension files to identify the men who participated in the raid.
The historian discovered the story after learning about Linus Hamilton, an 88-year-old man who described his experience during the raid. “It is such an extraordinary story and historical document,” Fields-Black explained. “It’s extremely rare to hear their voice, and it’s almost unheard of to hear them tell in their own words how they felt at any point in their lives.”
Through careful research, Fields-Black connected Hamilton’s account to the raid led by Tubman. “In reading the literature about the raid, I began to connect it to Linus Hamilton. It had not been connected before, and I began to think maybe there’s a story here that hasn’t been told,” she said.
Breaking New Ground in Black Historical Research
Fields-Black’s achievement is particularly significant as she becomes one of only two women to win the Pulitzer Prize in history, alongside trailblazing author Annette Gordon-Reed. Her work identifies dozens of people Tubman helped liberate and maps the rice plantations where the raids took place.
Jenkin Fields, Edda’s mother and founder of the Miami Black Archives, expressed immense pride in her daughter’s accomplishment. “Her achievements are a testament to her strength and perseverance. Her hard work and dedication paid off, and I couldn’t be more proud,” the elder Fields told the Miami Herald.
The mother-daughter duo has committed their careers to preserving Black history. Jenkin Fields added, “Once-difficult-to-access records are now digitized, giving African American families opportunities to recover more of our lost past.”
Preserving Critical Black History Amid Educational Challenges
Fields-Black’s Pulitzer Prize win comes at a time when Black history faces increasing scrutiny in educational curricula across the country. This makes her scholarly work even more significant in preserving crucial historical narratives.
The historian emphasized two key takeaways from her book: first, that Harriet Tubman played an integral role in the Civil War by leading the Combahee River Raids, and second, that Civil War pension files serve as valuable resources for connecting Black Americans to their ancestral stories.
