Deborah Sampson

Image by Artfan70 via Flickr

Hello, y'all! (No, I'm not a Southerner.) Charity here again with another interview. This feisty female was one of the most courageous women, in my opinion, to have lived. She was also one of the first examples of a woman serving in the U.S. Military. Who was this woman, you might wonder?

Well, on that note, please welcome...

Deborah Sampson!

It's so good to have you here, Deborah!

Thank you, Charity. I am honored that you considered me a "feisty female".

Thanks. Anyway, let's get started with this interview. What was your early life like?

I was born on December 17, 1760, to Johnathan Sampson and Deborah Sampson, one of seven children. I grew up in poverty. My father abandoned my family when I was only five years of age. I was sent to live with relatives until the age of ten. Since they could no longer care for me, I became an indentured servant.

Oh, that's horrible! How long did your contract last?

Until I was eighteen. Then I worked as a teacher during the summer sessions of 1779 and 1780. During the winter, I was a weaver.

When did you decide to enlist in the Continental Army?

I enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment under the name Robert Shurtleff--the first two names of my dead brother--on May 23, 1782. I was twenty-one at the time. I was disguised as a man.

Wow! That must've taken a lot of courage. How soon did you face combat?

My first skirmish was in June of 1782. Two other sergeants and I led thirty infantrymen on an expedition that ended in a confrontation with Tories, who were loyal to Britain.

Okay, that's really cool. Were you ever wounded?

Yes. It is impossible to be involved in war and not receive an injury. I received a head wound from a saber slash and a wound in my left thigh from a musket.

Did you get medical attention?

For the head wound, yes. However, I dug the musket ball from my thigh myself using a penknife and a sewing needle. I was desperate not to be discovered.

*gawks* Oh my goodness, I could never have done that. How long did it take before your true sex was discovered?

A year and a half.

How did this happen?

I fell ill with a fever in Philadelphia. I was too weak to avoid medical care, so I was taken to the hospital. Dr. Barnabas Binney, the attending physician, found out my secret while treating me. However, he kept it and took me to his own home, where he nursed me back to health. Eventually, though, he wrote to General Patterson explaining that I was a woman.

Then what happened?

I was honorably discharged on October 25, 1783. By then, the war had ended.

What was your life after the war like?

In 1784, I married Benjamin Gannett, a Massachusetts farmer. We had three children and adopted a fourth. I took up lecturing, sometimes appearing in full military regalia.

I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much, Deborah, for your time.

That's it, everybody! If you liked this interview, please subscribe down below and tell all your friends and family about us. Feel free to drop a comment too. #feistyfemalesinhistory

Bibliography

“Biography: Deborah Sampson.” Edited by Debra Michals, National Women's History Museum, Jan. 2023, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson.

“Deborah Sampson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Dec. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Deborah-Sampson.

Nalle, Julia, and Rob Nalle. “Chapter 22: The American Revolutionary War.” The Biblioplan Companion Year 3, vol. 2, BiblioPlan, Palmrya, Virginia, 2014, pp. 524–549.

Serfilppi, Jessie. “Deborah Sampson.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/deborah-sampson/.