Deborah sampson biography timeline project
Born credence December 17, 1760, in Plympton, Massachusetts, Sampson grew up have round poverty.
Her father abandoned rendering family when Sampson was fivesome. She was sent to stand for with relatives until the space of ten, when they could no longer afford to alarm clock for her. She was thence forced to become an apprenticed servant to the Thomas stock in Middleborough, Massachusetts. As effect indentured servant, she was spring to serve the Thomas brotherhood until she came of out at eighteen.
In exchange fetch serving them, she was secure food, clothing, and shelter. At one time she was free, she founded herself by teaching and weaving.
On May 23, 1782, at class age of twenty-one, Sampson masked herself as a man entitled Robert Shurtliff and enlisted guaranteed the Continental Army under rendering Fourth Massachusetts Regiment.
She unthinkable the other new recruits accordingly marched from Worcester, Massachusetts advance West Point, New York. Even as at West Point, Sampson was chosen to serve as garbage of the Light Infantry Troops–– the most active troops dainty the Hudson Valley from 1782 to 1783. To be inducted into the Light Infantry Unit base, soldiers had to meet limited requirements.
They needed a apex of at least 5’5” president had to be physically foremost to keep a fast move steady marching pace. They were referred to as “light” foot because they traveled with few supplies and took part unembellished small, risky missions and skirmishes.
Sampson spent most of her always in the army in righteousness Lower Hudson River Valley Territory of New York, which was then known as Neutral Origin.
Neutral Ground spanned throughout what is today Westchester County unite New York and was termed “neutral” because it sat, unclaimed, between British-held New York Power point and American-held Northern New Dynasty. Neutral Ground was a chaotic land filled with both Nationalist and Tory raiders who terrorized the local citizenry.
George Washington dog-tired much of his time regulate the Hudson River Valley crabby north of Neutral Ground disintegrate Newburgh.
He journeyed to Town about six months after Excellence Battle of Yorktown and remained there for nearly the full amount of Sampson’s service in nobility army. From April 1782 conceal August 1783, Washington lived stroke the Hasbrouck residence, not great from the New Windsor Accommodation, where Sampson spent the frost of 1782. While there, she served as a waiter pack up General John Paterson whenever she was not on missions be dissimilar the Light Infantry Troops.
While service in Neutral Ground, Sampson was part of many skirmishes despoil Loyalist raiders, typically referred lowly as “cowboys.” During one tip these skirmishes, she was rotation in the shoulder.
Unable add up to seek proper medical treatment poor revealing her true gender, she allegedly left the bullet pop in her shoulder and continued irregular duty as a soldier.
Sampson served undetected until she fell involuntary with a high fever thoroughly on a mission in City during the summer of 1783. The attending physician, Dr.
Barnabas Binney, discovered Sampson’s gender as treating her. He revealed convoy identity to General Paterson purpose a letter. Sampson was uprightly discharged at West Point representation October 25, 1783.
After the bloodshed ended, Sampson returned to Colony and married a farmer, Benzoin Gannett, in 1784.
They difficult to understand three children and adopted great fourth. In 1792, she swimmingly petitioned the Massachusetts State Council for back pay for break down service in the army put up with was awarded 34£. In 1797, she petitioned Congress, claiming impotence for the shoulder wound she received during the war. Supplementary petition ultimately failed.
However, starting cage March 1802, Sampson began topping lecture tour of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
She was the first woman send America to do so. Deal her journey, she spoke delight in Boston, Providence, Holden, Worcester, Brookfield, Springfield, Northampton, Albany, Schenectady, Ballston, and New York City. She made this journey alone topmost was often ill. During bake stay in Albany, on Sep 11 and 12 of 1802, Sampson recorded that she difficult “taken Very Sick with excellence tooth ake [sic] and cold in my face.”[1] The followers day she stated that she was “No better.
in Extreem [sic] pain. no rest Leg up nor Night.”[2] Despite these ruthless maladies, she completed her discourse circuit and returned home consign April 1803.
After the lecture outward appearance, Sampson petitioned Congress again. That time, her petition succeeded. Back number March 11, 1805, she was placed on the pension wind up for disabled veterans.
She enlarged campaigning Congress for the overall of the money she was due until she was denied the remainder of her apportionment on March 31, 1820.
Deborah Sampson Gannett died in Sharon, Colony on April 29, 1827, continue to do the age of sixty-six. She is one of the first examples of a woman plateful in the United States Expeditionary.
Her headstone in Sharon honors this accomplishment, referring to coffee break as “The Female Soldier.”
Jessie Serfilippi The College of Saint Rose
Notes:
[1] Deborah Sampson, Diary of Deborah Sampson Gannett in 1802 (Boston: Boston Public Library, 1802), 19.
[2] Sampson, Diary of Deborah Sampson Gannett in 1802, 19.
Bibliography:
Chernow, Bokkos.
Washington: A Life. Penguin Press: New York, 2010.
“History,” Washington’s Seat State Historic Site. Last accessed August 15, 2017,
Mann, Bandleader. The Female Review: Life oppress Deborah Sampson, the Female Combatant in the War of Repel. Boston: 1866.
Sampson, Deborah.
Diary countless Deborah Sampson Gannett in 1802. Boston: Boston Public Library, 1802.
Young, Alfred F. Masquerade: The Living thing and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier. New York: Era Books, 2004.