Deborah Sampson | |
|---|---|
 Frontispiece of The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier in the War of Revolution. | |
| Born | December 17, 1760 Plympton, Massachusetts |
| Died | April 29, 1827 (aged 66) Sharon, Massachusetts |
| Buried | Rock Ridge Cemetery, Sharon, Massachusetts |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | Continental Army |
| Years of service | 1782–1783 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Light Infantry Company, 4th Massachusetts Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War |
| Spouse(s) | Benjamin Gannett (m. 1785) |
| Children | 4 |
| Other work | Teacher Weaver Soldier Lecturer Farmer |
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] She was proclaimed the Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on May 23, 1983, and in 1985 the United States Capitol Historical Society posthumously honored "Deborah Samson" with the Commemorative Medal.[5]
- ^ Lombard, Anne S (2004). "The Woman Who Played the Man: Deborah Sampson, Soldier in the American Revolution". Reviews in American History. 32 (4): 493–498. doi:10.1353/rah.2004.0069. ISSN 1080-6628. S2CID 144205900.
- ^ a b Price, Peggy (January 1, 2013). "National Women's History Museum: Biographies". Reference Reviews. 27 (5): 51–52. doi:10.1108/RR-02-2013-0045. ISSN 0950-4125.
- ^ Lucht, Tracy (October 2, 2021). "Susan, Linda, Nina and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR". American Journalism. 38 (4): 498–499. doi:10.1080/08821127.2021.1982578. ISSN 0882-1127. S2CID 244731681.
- ^ a b c d "Deborah Sampson". George Washington's Mount Vernon. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Leonard, Patrick J. (October 16, 2006). "Deborah Samson, Official Heroine of the State of Massachusetts". Canton Massachusetts Historical Society.