America Untold:
Forgotten heroes, Forgotten Stories
Scarlet Ingstad
Christian, Independent Author, Historian
Christian, Independent Author, Historian
Welcome back to Revolutionary Voices, a series aimed at highlighting the lesser-known figures of the American Revolution era. This month, I introduce you to Deborah Sampson, the woman soldier. *Be sure to check under the "Sources" section for a sneak-peek at the special edition article that's coming out for Women's History Month! A Difficult Start Deborah Sampson was born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts near Plymouth. Her father abandoned the family when she was five, and her mother was unable to care for all seven of her children on her own. To mitigate this issue, Deborah was sent away to live with relatives until she was ten years old. When those relatives died, she was sent to the Thomas family in Middleborough to become an indentured servant. Deborah was forced to remain an indentured servant until the age of eighteen. Once free, she began to support herself by teaching and using the skill sets she learned during her years as a servant, to include weaving, carpentry, and mechanics. Deborah also sold goods to her neighbors in an effort to make ends meet. Becoming a Soldier After spending her entire life in extreme poverty, Deborah decided to join the Continental Army in 1782 at the age of twenty-one. Because women were not permitted to fight during this era, Deborah opted to dress as a man and sneak her way into the army. Her first attempt failed, but she succeeded the second time in May of 1782. She enlisted under the name "Robert Shirtliff" and joined the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the command of Captain George Webb. Their primary purpose was to provide rapid flank coverage, rearguard, and forward reconnaissance duties. Deborah fought in many skirmishes, but it was during her first real battle near Tarrytown, New York where she was injured. Deborah was shot through the thigh twice and received a gash to her forehead. She begged her fellow soldiers to not give her any medical attention for fear of her gender being discovered, but one soldier did not listen. Deborah was taken to receive treatment and she allowed the doctor to tend to her head injury, but refused to allow him to treat her thigh wounds. Instead, she removed one of the musket balls herself using a penknife and a sewing needle. The other musket ball would was far too deep for her to reach and would remain a part of her forever. Her leg would never fully heal from this injury, but she would go on to continue fighting in the war for seven more months. Identity Revealed In the summer of 1783, Deborah became very ill while she was in Philadelphia and was seen by a doctor named Barnabas Binney. When he removed Deborah's clothing to treat her, he discovered the cloth she used to bind her chest. Instead of reporting her to the authorities right away, he hid her in his house where his wife, daughters, and a nurse cared for her until she recovered. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris, signaling the end of the American Revolution, officials chose November 3, 1781 as the day the soldiers were to muster out. It was then that Dr. Binney chose to reveal Deborah's identity to authorities. He drafted a note and told Deborah to deliver it to General Patterson as she reported to muster out. Deborah feared that she would be reprimanded for her actions. Instead, Patterson provided Deborah with her discharge notice and some money to use for her journey home. Deborah Sampson was honorably discharged at West Point, New York by General Henry Knox on October 25, 1783. A Lasting Legacy After the war, Deborah married a farmer named Benjamin Gannett in 1784. The couple had three children and adopted a fourth. Later, in 1792, Deborah successfully petitioned the Massachusetts State Legislature to acquire retro-pay for her service. In 1797, she then petitioned Congress through a disability claim due to her injury, but this petition failed. In 1802, Deborah began a new endeavor: traveling around Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York to speak about her experiences during the Revolution. Deborah Sampson was the first woman in American history to conduct a speaking tour, and she often spoke while dressed in full military attire. Following the tour, Deborah petitioned Congress again in 1805, but this time with the help of her friend Paul Revere. She was then successfully placed on the pension list for disabled veterans. Deborah died in 1827 at the age of sixty-six, and her husband, Benjamin, petitioned Congress for pay as the spouse of a deceased American soldier. Ten years later, the committee finally determined that throughout the Revolution there was no other "example of female heroism, fidelity, and courage" like that of Deborah Sampson. They awarded Benjamin the money and, although he passed away before he received it, he was listed as the first man awarded money for being married to a woman who served as a soldier. The town of Sharon memorialized Deborah Sampson with a statue in front of their public library, named a park the "Deborah Sampson Park," and preserved the Deborah Sampson Gannett house. The land surrounding the building is now protected so that no additional development will occur around her former home. The Daughters of the American Revolution honored Deborah in 1906 by placing a boulder on the town green, adding a bronze plaque with details regarding her service to America. Later, in World War II, the S.S. Deborah Gannett was named in her honor. Deborah Sampson defied the expectations and societal restrictions placed on her gender in choosing to fight for something greater than herself. After having a significantly difficult childhood, she decided to try and fight her way out of poverty by disguising herself as a man and joining the army. Although Deborah would never be able to escape the grasp of poverty, she left behind a lasting legacy for women in America. There were many other women who came before Deborah who also dressed as men in order to blend in with patriarchal society and even fight in wars (Joanne of Flanders, Joan of Arc, and the women-pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, to name a few). But Deborah's legacy resides in how she was able to demonstrate how women in early America were capable of a lot more than what society assumed and dictated. Deborah Sampson is an American heroine and a Revolutionary Voice worth remembering. Sources and Recommended Reading
Next Month's Heroines: March is Women's History Month, and "Revolutionary Voices" is celebrating by giving you all a special extended-length blog post, featuring some of the first women to spy for America!! If you are a TURN: Washington's Spies fan, you're going to want to read this one. Stay tuned!
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Scarlet Ingstad
I am an independent author and historian seeking to uplift the stories of the lesser-known heroes and heroines of the American Revolution, alongside modern-day heroes and heroines who have served in the U.S. military and continue their service through their historical work. Archives
March 2022
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