Barnabas Binney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1751 |
| Died | 21 June 1787 (aged 35–36) near Berkeley Springs, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | Discovering Deborah Sampson's true identity as "Robert Shirtliff" |
| Spouse | Mary Woodrow |
| Children | Horace Binney (among others) |
Barnabas Binney (1751 – 21 June 1787) was an American physician.
The son of a sea captain, Binney was born in Boston in 1751. He was educated at Brown University, graduating at the top of his class in 1774. At his commencement ceremony, he gave a valedictory address on the necessity of the freedom of religious worship. He moved from Providence to Philadelphia, where he studied medicine. One of his mentors in this field was Benjamin Rush. Binney married Mary Woodrow in 1777 and they had four children, one of whom, Horace Binney, served in the U.S. House of Representatives.[1]
Binney joined the US Army during the Revolutionary War as a hospital surgeon, treating wounded soldiers at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–1778. While working as an army surgeon in Philadelphia in 1783, a soldier known as Robert Shirtliff was brought to his hospital with a fever. Dr. Binney discovered that Shirtliff was in fact a woman named Deborah Sampson, who had disguised herself to enlist. Binney wrote a note to her superior officer, General John Paterson, explaining what he had found, and "Robert Shirtliff" was honorably discharged.[2]
Binney was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1784.[3]
- ^ Bridgman, Thomas (1856). The Pilgrims of Boston and Their Descendants: With an Introduction by Hon. Edward Everett, LL. D.; Also, Inscriptions from the Monuments in the Granary Burial Ground Tremont Street. Appleton.
- ^ NORWOOD, WM. FREDERICK (1957). "Deborah Sampson, Alias Robert Shirtliff, Fighting Female of the Continental Line". Bulletin of the History of Medicine. 31 (2): 147–161. ISSN 0007-5140. JSTOR 44443973. PMID 13426676.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-05-26.