Deborah Sampson
Deborah Sampson was a woman who dressed as a man, so that she could join the American soldiers in the Revolutionary War.[1][2] The Revolutionary War was a war between Great Britain and the thirteen original colonies. Deborah Sampson came from a poor family. She worked as an indentured servant from the age of eight to the age of eighteen. She worked for no pay for a family, but that family let her study with and spend time with their sons.
| Deborah Sampson | |
|---|---|
 Frontispiece of The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier in the War of Revolution. | |
| Born | December 17, 1760 Plympton, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 29, 1827 (aged 66) Sharon, Massachusetts |
| Buried at | Rock Ridge Cemetery, Sharon, Massachusetts |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch |  Continental Army |
| Years of service | 1782–1783 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Light Infantry Company, 4th Massachusetts Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War |
| Relations | 3 children (Earl, Mary, Patience) |
| Other work | Teacher Weaver Soldier Lecturer Farmer |
Sampson wanted to serve in the war against the British, but the American Army would only take men. She dressed as a man, and she got into the Continental Army. She went by the name of Robert Shurtleff. She later got married. She worked as a teacher. She also spoke in public about her experiences in the war.
During her time in war she went to extremes to keep her identity a secret. She once got slashed in the head by an enemy, yet bandaged it up herself. She also got shot in the leg twice. But, in order to not let people find out who she was, she pulled the bullets out of her own leg. In war, she collapsed from fever. She went to the hospital because of it and this is where her peers and boss found out about her being a woman.
Even if she lied to get into the army, her bravery was recognized and she was honored by her General and Congress as well.
In books
change- Alma Bond and Lucy Freeman, America's First Woman Warrior: The Courage of Deborah Sampson
- Susan Casey, “Women Heroes of the Revolution"
- Samuel Willard Crompton, “Deborah Sampson"
- Ann McGovern and Katherine Thompson, The Secret Soldier: The Story Of Deborah Sampson
References
change- ↑ Howat, Kenna (2017-07-14). "Mythbusting the Founding Mothers". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ↑ Weatherford, Doris (1994). American Women's History. Prentice Hall.