Born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, Massachusetts. Sampson was one of seven children. The Sampsons struggled financially and, after her father failed to return from a sea voyage, her impoverished mother was forced to place her children with different families better able to provide for them. Five years later, at age 10, young Deborah was bound out as an indentured servant, and at age 18, with her indenture completed, Sampson, who was self-educated, worked as a teacher during summer sessions in 1779 and 1780 and as a weaver in winter.
In 1782, as the Revolutionary War raged on, the patriotic Sampson disguised herself as a man named Robert Shurtleff and joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. At West Point, New York, she was assigned to Captain George Webb’s Company of Light Infantry. She was small and this company allowed her to travel with fewer supplies and take part in small, risky missions.
In June of 1782, Sampson and two sergeants led approximately 30 infantrymen on an expedition that ended with a confrontation—often one-on-one—with Tories. She led a raid on a Tory home that resulted in the capture of 15 men. At the siege of Yorktown she dug trenches, helped storm a British redoubt, and endured canon fire.
For over two years, Sampson’s true gender had escaped detection despite close calls. When she received a gash in her forehead from a sword and was shot in her left thigh, she extracted the pistol ball herself. A year and a half into her service—in Philadelphia, Deboarh became ill during the smallpox epidemic and was taken to a hospital when she fell unconscious. Upon discovery, her attending physician, Dr. Barnabas, wrote a letter to General Patterson revealing her gender and demolishing her elaborate ruse.
After recovering from her illness, she received an honorable discharge on October 23, 1783 and returned to Massachusetts, and on April 7, 1785 she married Benjamin Gannet from Sharon, and they had three children, Earl, Mary, and Patience.
Along with her surprising honorable discharge, Deborah received a military pension from the State of Massachusetts for her heroism and efforts. At the time, few people wanted to admit that she was an integral part of the war efforts, but the majority agreed her actions warranted her the same benefits as her male counterparts. The committee concluded the history of the Revolution, “furnished no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity and courage.”
Deborah Sampson may not have been a household name in the late 1700s, but her story lived on to inspire and pave the way for women before her. In fact, more than 400 women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War just around 80 years later. Talk about a trendsetter!
To learn more about Deborah Sampson, check out this video! https://youtu.be/X5oISvIqNlA
