Deborah sampson biography book

Deborah Sampson

Continental Army soldier (1760–1827)

Deborah Sampson Gannett, also known as Deborah Samson or Deborah Sampson,^[1] (December 17, 1760 – April 29, 1827) was a Massachusetts wife who disguised herself as grand man and served in picture Continental Army during the Land Revolutionary War. Born in Plympton, Massachusetts,^[2] she served under rank name Robert Shirtliff – occasionally 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 catching a fever in Philadelphia.^[4] Care for her real identity was uncomplicated known to her commander, she was honorably discharged at Westmost Point.^[4] After her discharge, Sampson met and married Benjamin Gannett in 1785. In 1802, she became one of the pass with flying colours women to go on simple lecture tour to speak all but her wartime experiences.^[4] She on top form in Sharon, Massachusetts, in 1827.^[4] She was proclaimed the Justifiable Heroine of the Commonwealth forfeit Massachusetts on May 23, 1983, and in 1985 the Collective States Capitol Historical Society posthumously honored "Deborah Samson" with say publicly Commemorative Medal.^[5]

Early life

Deborah Sampson was born on December 17, 1760, in Plympton, Massachusetts, at depiction ancestral home of her grandparents, a house that still stands today.^[6]^: 25 Her father's name was Jonathan Sampson (or Samson) talented her mother's name was Deborah Bradford.^[6]^: 24 Her siblings were Jonathan (b. 1753), Elisha (b. 1755), Hannah (b. 1756), Ephraim (b. 1759), Nehemiah (b. 1764), stream Sylvia (b. 1766).^[6]^: 25 Sampson's local was the great-granddaughter of William Bradford, the second Governor touch on Plymouth Colony.^[7] Sampson's ancestry as well included Mayflower passengers on both sides of her family inclusive of William Bradford (mother) and Chemist Samson (father)^[6]^: 24

Sampson's family was rich that her father died create a shipwreck, but evidence indicates that he actually abandoned justness family and migrated to Lawyer County, Maine.^[6]^: 29 He had spiffy tidy up common-law wife named Martha, look after whom he had at lowest two children, and returned object to Plympton in 1794 to steward to a property transaction.^[6]^: 29 Gather 1770, a man named Jonathan Sampson was indicted for homicide in Maine, but it report uncertain whether this individual was Sampson's father because the sell something to someone never went to trial, and over no details about the offender are known.^[6]^: 29 Jonathan Sampson acceptably in Maine some time stern 1807.^[6]^: 29

After Sampson's father abandoned prestige family her mother was 1 to provide for her lineage, so she placed them valve the households of friends take relatives, a common practice choose by ballot 18th-century New England, and Sampson was placed in the habitation of a maternal relative.^[6]^: 30–31 Like that which her mother died shortly at a later date, she was sent to outlast with Reverend Peter Thatcher's woman Mary Prince Thatcher (1688–1771), who was then in her eighties.^[6]^: 30–31 Historians believe Sampson learned persevere with read while living with Woman Thatcher, who might have welcome Sampson to read Bible verses to her.^[6]^: 30–31

Upon Thatcher's death, Sampson was sent to live grow smaller the Jeremiah Thomas family come by Middleborough, where she worked hoot an indentured servant from 1770 to 1778.^[6]^: 31 Although treated achieve something, she was not sent concurrence school like the Thomas offspring because Thomas was not orderly believer in the education pointer women.^[6]^: 31 Sampson was able fro overcome Thomas's opposition by ceiling from Thomas's sons, who communal their school work with her.^[6]^: 31 This method was apparently successful; when her time as almanac indentured servant was over at the same height age 18, Sampson made spruce up living by teaching school by way of the summer sessions in 1779 and 1780.^[6]^: 41 She worked renovation a weaver in the winter; Sampson was highly skilled stream worked for the Sproat Taproom as well as the Perimeter, Morton, and Leonard families.^[6]^: 41 Midst her time teaching and weaving, she boarded with the families that employed her.^[6]^: 41

Sampson was too reported to have woodworking discipline mechanical aptitude.^[6]^: 41 Her skills facade basket weaving, and light woodwork such as producing milking excreta and winter sleds.^[6]^: 41 She was also experienced with fashioning graceless tools and implements including out of sorts vanes, spools for thread, weather quills for weaving.^[6]^: 41 She too produced pie crimpers, which she sold door to door.^[6]^: 41

Physical description

Sampson was approximately five feet seven inches (1.70 m) to five feet eight inches (1.73 m) big, above average when compared collect the average male of shepherd day, who was around 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m), and the criterion woman, who was about 5 feet (1.5 m).^[6]^: 43 Her biographer, Hermann Mann, who knew her by oneself for many years, implied wander she was not thin, calligraphy in 1797 that "her mid-point might displease a coquette."^[8] Purify also reported that her breasts were very small, and turn she bound them with spruce linen cloth to hide them during her years in uniform.^[6]^: 43 Mann wrote that "the characteristics of her face are regular; but not what a physiognomist would term the most beautiful."^[8]

A neighbor who as a boyhood knew Sampson in her next years remarked that she was "a person of plain features."^[8] A descendant named Pauline Hildreth Monk Wise (1914–1994)^[7] was estimated by relatives to have forcibly resembled Sampson, based on balance of Pauline's physical appearance run into a 1797 portrait of Sampson, contemporary descriptions of Sampson's quality and height, and Pauline's apex, which at 6 feet (1.8 m) was taller than most men.^[6]^: 45^[7] Sampson's appearance – tall, finalize, strong, and not delicately womanly – contributed to her attainment at pretending to be calligraphic man.^[6]^: 43

Army service

In early 1782, Sampson wore men's clothes and wedded conjugal an Army unit in Middleborough, Massachusetts, under the name Christian Thayer.^[9] She collected a gain and then failed to compact up with her company whereas scheduled. Inquiries by the resting on commander revealed that Sampson abstruse been recognized by a regional resident at the time she signed her enlistment papers. Disclose deception uncovered, she repaid glory portion of the bonus depart she had not spent, however she was not subjected cause problems further punishment by the Army.^[10] The Baptist church to which she belonged learned of cause actions and withdrew its interest, meaning that its members refused to associate with her unless she apologized and asked forgiveness.^[11]

In May 1782, Sampson enlisted begin again, this time in Uxbridge, Colony, under the name "Robert Shirtliff" (also spelled in some multiplicity as "Shirtliffe" or "Shurtleff"). She joined the Light Infantry Posse of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment,^[12] under the command of Foremost George Webb. This unit, consisting of 50 to 60 joe six-pack, was first quartered in Town, Massachusetts, and later mustered pleasing Worcester with the rest emancipation the regiment commanded by Colonel William Shepard. Light Infantry Companies were elite troops, specially because they were taller come first stronger than average.^[13] Their experienced was to provide rapid loin coverage for advancing regiments, pass for well as rearguard and open reconnaissance duties for units vanity the move.^[14] Because she married an elite unit, Sampson's falsify was more likely to flourish, since no one was not probable to look for a girl among soldiers who were particularly chosen for their above visit size and superior physical ability.^[6]^{: 98, 103}

In June or July 1782, Sampson participated in a skirmish realistically Tarrytown, New York with reservation 30 infantrymen from her system combating with local band reveal Tories.^[6]^: 124 Sampson was shot take back her thigh and sustained clever sword cut to her forehead.^[6]^: 128 She begged her fellow joe public not to take her imagine a doctor out of affect her sex would be disclosed, but a soldier put unit on his horse and took her to a hospital.^[6]^: 127 Well-ordered doctor treated her head hurt, but she left the safety before he could attend dole out her leg.^[6]^: 128 She removed position ball herself with a fop and sewing needle, but dismal of the shot was extremely deep to reach.^[6]^: 128 As designated in her later applications beg for a pension, her leg under no circumstances fully healed.^[6]^: 129 On April 1, 1783, she was reassigned with respect to new duties, and spent septet months serving as a wine steward to General John Paterson.^[6]^: 137

On June 24, the President of Period ordered George Washington to mail a contingent of soldiers secondary to Paterson to Philadelphia to ease quell a rebellion of Indweller soldiers who were protesting delays in receiving their pay boss discharges.^[6]^: 148 During the summer call up 1783, Sampson became ill discern Philadelphia and was cared obey by Doctor Barnabas Binney (1751–1787).^[6]^: 150 After Sampson fell unconscious concession to fever, Dr. Binney audacious her clothes to treat churn out and discovered the cloth she used to bind her breasts.^[6]^: 150 Without revealing his discovery stopper army authorities, he took unqualified to his house, where authority wife, daughters, and a matronly nurse cared for her.^[6]^: 150

In Sep 1783, following the signing designate the Treaty of Paris, Nov 3 was set as glory date for soldiers to come together out.^[6]^: 156 When Dr. Binney intentionally Sampson to deliver a video to General Paterson, she right assumed that it would recount her sex.^[6]^: 156 In other cases, women who pretended to have on men to serve in primacy army were reprimanded, but Metropolis gave her a discharge, unembellished note with some words be frightened of advice, and enough money tote up travel home.^[6]^: 156 She was honourably discharged at West Point, Virgin York, by General Henry Knox^[6]^: 156 on October 25, 1783, care a year and a onehalf of service.^[15]

An official record illustrate Deborah Sampson Gannet's service considerably "Robert Shirtliff" from May 20, 1782, to October 25, 1783, appears in the "Massachusetts Rank and file and Sailors of the Insurrectionist War" Volume 14 p. 164.^[16]

Marriage

Sampson connubial Benjamin Gannett (1757–1837), a Sharon, Massachusetts, farmer, in Stoughton, Colony, on April 7, 1785.^[17] Care for her discharge and marriage converge Gannett, Sampson lived the twig few years of her nonbelligerent life as a typical farmer’s wife. They were the parents of four children: Earl (b. 1786), Mary (b. 1788), Forbearance (b. 1790), and Susanna Baker Shepherd, whom they adopted name she was orphaned. They fleeting with Gannett's father on position Gannett family farm, but confidential limited success because it was smaller than average and honourableness land had been overworked.

Life after the military

In January 1792, Sampson petitioned the Massachusetts Present Legislature for pay that representation army had withheld because she was a woman. The governing body granted her petition and Instructor John Hancock signed it. Ethics legislature awarded her 34 pounds plus interest back to shepherd 1783 discharge. A biography harsh Herman Mann was published disintegrate 1797, The Female Review: Ethos of Deborah Sampson, the Someone Soldier in the War rule Revolution.^[18]

In 1802, Sampson began gift lectures about her wartime bravado. After extolling the virtues misplace traditional gender roles for squad, she left the stage, requited in her army uniform, accordingly proceeded to perform a demanding and physically taxing military guidance and ceremony routine. She crown both to earn money prosperous to justify her enlistment, on the other hand even with these speaking engagements, her husband and she were unable to pay all greatness family's expenses. She frequently abstruse to borrow money from stress family and from her get hold of Paul Revere. Revere also wrote letters to government officials anticipation her behalf, requesting that she be awarded a pension reach her military service and ride out wounds.

In 1804, Revere wrote to U.S. Representative William Eustis of Massachusetts on Sampson's sake. A military pension had not under any condition been requested for a lady, but Revere wrote: "I imitate been induced to enquire company situation, and character, since she quit the male habit, professor soldiers uniform; for the solon decent apparel of her wind up gender... humanity and justice obliges me to say, that each person with whom I own conversed about her, and produce revenue is not a few, remark of her as a bride with handsome talents, good guideline, a dutiful wife, and idea affectionate parent." On March 11, 1805, Congress approved the interrogate and placed Sampson on loftiness Massachusetts Invalid Pension Roll rag the rate of four gift a month.

On February 22, 1806, Sampson wrote once supplementary contrasti to Revere requesting a credit of ten dollars: "My criticize indisposition and that of nuts sons causes me again dare solicit your goodness in weighing scales favor though I, with Gratefulness, confess it rouses every burning feeling and I blush learning the thought of receiving cardinal and nine good turns restructuring it were – my conditions require that I should pull the hundredth." He sent ethics ten dollars. In 1809, she sent another petition to Hearing, asking that her pension in the same way an invalid soldier be exceptional to start from her fusillade in 1783. Had her inquire been approved, she would control been awarded back pay have $960 ($48 a year get something done 20 years — approximately $13,800 in 2016). Her petition was initially denied, but when launch came before Congress again tight 1816 an award of $76.80 a year (about $1,100 ordinary 2016) was approved. With that amount, she was able advance repay all her loans unacceptable make improvements to the cover farm.

Death

Sampson died of apprehensive fever on April 29, 1827.^[19] She was buried at Totter Ridge Cemetery in Sharon, Massachusetts.^[20]

Spousal support

Four years after Sampson's dying, her husband Benjamin Gannett petitioned Congress for a pension trade in the spouse of a old-timer. In 1837, the committee superintendent his petition decreed that say publicly history of the Revolution "furnished no other example of mortal heroism, fidelity and courage." Gannett was awarded a pension, on the contrary died before he could accept it.^[21]

Legacy

Memorials

The town of Sharon memorializes Sampson with a statue pressure front of the public review, the Deborah Sampson Park, dominant the "Deborah Sampson Gannett House", which is privately owned build up not open to the begin. The farmland around the bring in is protected to ensure pollex all thumbs butte development occurs on the conventional homestead.

In 1906, the municipal of Plympton, Massachusetts, with dignity Deborah Sampson Chapter of probity Daughters of the American Insurrection, placed a boulder on illustriousness town green, with a brunette plaque inscribed to Sampson's memory.^[22]

During World War II, the Self-direction Ship S.S. Deborah Gannett (2620) was named in her joy. It was laid down Pace 10, 1944, launched April 10, 1944, and scrapped in 1962.^[23]

As of 2000, the town fag of Plympton incorporates Sampson brand the Official Heroine of grandeur Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Portrayals compile art and media

Portrait of Deborah: A Drama in Three Acts (1959) is a play bypass Charles Emery that made untruthfulness debut at the Camden Hills Theatre, Camden, Maine, on Feb 19, 1959.^[24]
I'm Deborah Sampson: Marvellous Soldier of the Revolution (1977) by Patricia Clapp is organized fictional account of Sampson's mistimed life and experience in description Revolutionary War.
Sampson is depicted makeover Robert Shurtless, one of primacy comedic soldiers in The Revolt Mess in The American Revolution (1999) by Kirk Wood Bromley.^[25]
Whoopi Goldberg portrayed Sampson in "Deborah Sampson: Soldier of the Revolution" (2003), episode 34 of Liberty's Kids.
Alex Myers, a descendant decompose Sampson's, published Revolutionary (2014), spick fictionalized account of her life.^[26]
Historian and journalist Alison Leigh Cowan presented "Deborah Sampson: Continental Flock soldier," a biographical talk bequeath Saint Paul's Church National Established Site on July 7, 2016.^[27]
Meryl Streep included Sampson in shepherd speech at the 2016 Popular National Convention, along with attention to detail women who had made history.^[28]
Sampson's story, as narrated by Pathologist Brewster, was re-enacted in illustriousness fifth season premiere of Drunk History, with Evan Rachel Home and dry portraying Sampson.^[29]
Cloaked in Courage: Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier is natty book by Beth Anderson celebrated published by Calkins Creek, 2022. ISBN 9781635926101
A Girl Called Samson: Graceful Novel is a historical-fiction unusual by Amy Harmon and in print by Lake Union, 2023. ISBN 1542039746
The Memoir of a Female Soldier: Deborah Sampson's American Revolution comment a historical novel by Jan Lewis Nelson published by Massaemett Media, 2023. ISBN 9798218140120

References

^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^bPrice, 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 champion Cokie: The Extraordinary Story provision 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 Itemize. (October 16, 2006). "Deborah Magistrate, Official Heroine of the Ensconce of Massachusetts". Canton Massachusetts Verifiable Society.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱ^j^k^l^mⁿ^o^p^q^r^s^t^u^v^w^x^y^z^aa^ab^ac^ad^ae^af^ag^ah^ai^aj^ak^al^am^an^aoYoung, Alfred F. (2005). Masquerade. New York: Vintage. ISBN .
^ ^a^b^cMyrick, Carolyn E. (2005). Roots and Branches, The Extended Kinfolk of Gertrude and Rodney Monk. Carolyn Myrick.
^ ^a^b^cMann, Hermann (1916). The Female Review: Life ad infinitum Deborah Sampson: The Female Warrior in the War of Revolution. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books. p. 97. ISBN .
^Room, Adrian (September 20, 2012). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Pretended Names and Their Origins, Ordinal ed. McFarland. ISBN .
^Wayne, Tiffany Infant. (2015). Women's Rights in description United States: A Comprehensive Argument of Issues, Events, and People. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC. p. 163. ISBN .
^Mann, Herman (1916). The Female Review: Or, Life think likely Deborah Sampson, the Female Combatant in the War of nobility Revolution. New York, NY: William Abbatt. p. 21. ISBN .
^"Deborah Sampson. Medium She Served as a Boxer in the Revolution—Her Sex Strange to the Army"(PDF). The Spanking York Times. October 8, 1898. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
^Anderson, Glen (2006). Soldiers and Sailors be of advantage to the American Revolution. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library. p. 15. ISBN .
^Soldiers and Sailors in the Indweller Revolution.
^Bronski, Michael (2011). A Peculiar History of the United States. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. p. 51. ISBN .
^Massachusetts Office of the Newspaperman of State (February 17, 1896). "Massachusetts soldiers and sailors bazaar the revolutionary war. A collected works from the archives". Boston, Inventor and Potter Printing Co., Nation Printers. p. 164 – via Info strada Archive.
^Young, Alfred F. (2005). Masquerade: The Life and Times catch sight of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier. Crop Books. ISBN .
^Hiltner, Judith (1999). ""She Bled in Secret": Deborah Sampson, Herman Mann and "The Feminine Review"". Early American Literature. 34 (2): 190–220. ISSN 0012-8163. JSTOR 25057161.
^"Vital papers of Sharon, Massachusetts, to significance year 1850". Boston, Stanhope Resilience, F. H. Gilson Company. 1907. Retrieved March 6, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
^Freeman, Lucy; Sediment, Alma H. (1992). America's Cheeriness Woman Warrior: The Courage execute Deborah Sampson. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House. pp. 128, 206. ISBN .
^"Deborah Sampson: American Revolutionary War Hero". . Retrieved October 16, 2022.
^"Self Guided Walking Tour Of Prestige Plympton Village Historic District"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on Pace 7, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
^"Launching and Christening of S.S. Deborah Gannett, Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards, City, Maryland, 04/10/1944". United States Fleet. April 10, 1944. Retrieved Sep 20, 2016.
^Emery, Charles (1959). Portrait of Deborah: A Drama cry Three Acts. Samuel French, Inc.
^"NYC Verse Playwright Bromley to Level American Revolution, July 4–24". Playbill. July 4, 1999. Retrieved Stride 18, 2019.
^Myers, Alex (2014). Revolutionary. Simon & Schuster. ISBN .
^Cowan, Allison L. (July 7, 2016). "Deborah Sampson: Continental Army soldier". National Park Service. Mount Vernon, Memo. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
^Al-Sibai, Noor. "Transcript of Meryl Streep's DNC Speech Calls For The "Grit And Grace" That Hillary Pol Embodies". Retrieved March 11, 2017.
^Malone, Michael (November 28, 2017). "Fifth Season of 'Drunk History' Piece by piece on Comedy Central Jan. 23". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved Jan 23, 2018.