Deborah sampson biography facts records
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Deborah Sampson
Continental Army soldier (1760–1827)
Deborah Sampson Gannett, also known as Deborah Samson or Deborah Sampson,[1] (December 17, 1760 – April 29, 1827) was a Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man and served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in Plympton, Massachusetts,[2] she served under the name Robert Shirtliff – sometimes spelled Shurtleff[2] or Shirtleff.[3] She was in uniform for 17 months before her sex was revealed in 1783 when she required medical treatment after contracting a fever in Philadelphia.[4] After her real identity was made known to her commander, she was honorably discharged at West Point.[4] After her discharge, Sampson met and married Benjamin Gannett in 1785. In 1802, she became one of the first women to go on a lecture tour to speak about her wartime experiences.[4] She died in Sharon, Massachusetts, in 1827.[4&# • By: Heather Michon “An extraordinary instance of virtue in a female soldier, has occurred lately in the American Army, in the Massachusetts line, viz., lively comely young nymph, 19 years old, dressed in men’s apparel has been discovered,” went the story first published in the New York Gazette. “And what redounds to her honor, she has served in the character of a soldier for nearly three years undiscovered; during which time she displayed herself with activity, alertness, chastity and valour, having been in several skirmishes with the enemy and receiving two wounds,” fragments of which remained in her body. Published in newspapers from New York City to Boston in January 1784, the story actually got many of the details wrong: the woman had served 17 months, not three years; she was 23, not 19; and few would have described her as “comely” or nymph-like. Instead, Deborah Sampson was a tall, somewhat plain-looking •The Story of Deborah Sampson, Woman Soldier of the Revolution
Deborah Sampson Facts
After Deborah's father abandoned the family her mother could not afford to care for all seven children. Deborah and the next four oldest siblings were sent to live with neighbors or relatives. Deborah was sent to live with her cousin Ruth Fuller in Middle borough where she learned to sew, read and write. Three years after Deborah arrived at Ruth Fuller's house to live, Ruth became ill and died. Deborah was then sent to live with Mistress Thatcher, an old widow, who required constant care. Within a year the Mistress Thatcher was sent to live with a relative and Deborah was sent to live with Benjamin Thomas. At Benjamin's house Deborah took care of his sons and was not permitted to go to school. When she was 18 years old Deborah left Benjamin's house and became a weaver and then a teacher. In the spring of 1781 Deborah enlisted in the Continental Army as Robert Shurtliff. She was 21 but she gave the age of 17. Debo