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Date of birth
Deborah was born in Plymton, Massachusetts to Jonathan and Deborah Sampson. She was the oldest of six. -
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Deborah Sampson
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Deborah Becomes an Indentured Servant
After Deborah's father abandoned his wife and kids, Deborah's mother couldn't care for her kids anymore. She put them in various households. By the age of 10 Deborah became an indentured servant. -
Deborah becomes a teacher
When she became 18, Deborah, had finished her indentured servitude. She had already self-taught herself, and she became a teacher. She taught at Middleborough public school, but the idea of joining the army soon came to mind. -
Siege of Yorktown
In the third week of August, the troops were forced to march through Virginia to siege Yorktown. Deborah got blisters from digging trenches to protect herself from canon fire. Yorktown was eventually captured. -
Entering the War
Deborah enlisted into the army posed as the man Robert Shurtleff. She went to West Point, New York under Captain George Webb’s Company of Light Infantry. Luckily, Deborah was tall (5ft 7 inches) and stocky for a women, but the other soldiers used to make fun of "Robert" for never having to shave. -
Deborah' first mission
After enlisting "Robert" was given his first mission. It was a scouting mission to marching through what today is known as Westchester County to assess the British buildup of men and materiel in Manhattan. General Washington had been contemplating attacking this area. On the way back Deborah had gotten into her first battle. Her group was attacked by British sympathizers and troops. -
First Major Battle
Deborah and the other men in the troops were sent to the Neutral Ground (Westchester County). When they were heading North the troops became one on one with a group of Tories.During the fight Deborah received a gash from a sword, and a shot in her upper left thigh. To conceal her true identity, Deborah, had to extract the bullet from her thigh herself. -
A Different Job
Due to his injuries,"Robert" was removed from the ranks and served as a waiter for General John Paterson, the leader of the First Massachusetts Brigade. The troops had been sent to Philadelphia to calm some raids happening there. By the time she had gotten there the raids were over and she wasn't needed anymore. She sadly contracted an epidemic while on the streets. -
Honorable Discharge
Deborah had been under the radar for a while to her true gender. She had to heal her own wounds, and had even almost drowned once. She had been hospitalized for a fever in Philadelphia where a physician discovered her true identity and told the army. -
Honorable Discharge
After her true identity had been revealed Deborah had to leave the army. Since "Robert" had been an excellent soldier who volunteered for dangerous jobs, and was very brave she got honorably discharged. The event took place at West Point by General Henry Knox. -
Family Life
Deborah returned to Massachusetts and later married Benjamin Gannet. She went back to teaching and told stories about her time in the war. Her and Benjamin eventually had three kids, Earl, Polly, and Patia. -
Date of Death
Deborah died at the age of 66. She was an inspiration to many females. One her famous quotes is "Why can I not fight for my country too?". -
Is She Considered a Soldier?
After Deborah's death, Benjamin, petitioned to have pay for the spouse of a soldier. Even though Benjamin wasn't married to Deborah when she served, and she was a women he still got the pay. The committee stated this“furnished no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity and courage”.
