The musket ball hit her in the thigh. Pain shot up to her
hip and burned down to her knee. Blood dripped into her eyes
from the sword wound to her forehead.
Deborah Sampson, AKA “Private Robert Shurtleff,” was
wounded in combat. The battle was at Terrytown, New York in 1782.
She begged her fellow soldiers not to take her to a doctor, for
fear her sex would be discovered. She ended up removing the
musket ball herself with a pen knife and a sewing needle.
Deborah Sampson was born the 17th of December 1760, in
Plympton, Massachusetts.
She was bound out as an indentured servant at ten years
of age. Finally at the age of eighteen, her indentured servitude
ended. Sampson, who was self-educated, worked as a teacher.
In 1782, Sampson, who was very patriotic, decided to pose as a
man, to serve in the American Revolutionary War. At five feet
seven, she was a tall, strong girl.
She had been described as a person with plain features. Tall,
broad shoulders and not delicately feminine. She was small busted
and used linen cloth to bind her breasts to hide them when in uniform.
‘’Robert Shurtleff was part of the light infantry company, 4th
Massachusetts regiment. They were elite troops, specifically
selected because they were taller and stronger than the average man.
She was given dangerous jobs, even leading a raid on a Torrie
home that resulted in the capture of more than a dozen men. At
the siege of Yorktown, she dug trenches and dodged cannon fire.
She served bravely, and undetected for over a year, until she
became ill with fever, and lost consciousness.
Dr. Barnabus Binny discovered her identity as a female. He
took her to his home and his wife and daughters cared for her.
Her identity was revealed to General Paterson in a letter written
by the good doctor.
She was honorably discharged at West Point on the twenty fifth of
October 1783.
In 1785, she met and married Benjamin Gannett, a farmer.
They had four children together.
In 1792, she petitioned Massachusetts state legislature for back
pay. Governor John Hancock signed the petition, it included
interest and full military pension.
In 1802 she became the first woman to go on a lecture tour. She
spoke of her war time experiences. Deborah was proclaimed the
Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
on the twenty third of May 1983.
She died on April 29, 1827, at the age of 66.
What a remarkable and brave woman. I wish I had learned of her sooner.
Sheila Kirk became interested in writing and storytelling in first grade. She enjoyed writing assignments and started writing short stories in high school to amuse her friends. She enjoys writing horror and dark comedy.