12. Deborah Sampson
Deborah Sampson of Massachusetts was so determined to fight in the Revolutionary War that she tried to enlist in the fledgling army twice. During her second attempt, she used the identity “Robert Shirtliffe,” and she successfully fought in the war for almost two years. At five-foot, and seven inches tall, she had an impressive height advantage over most women at the time.
Sampson joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, and she was assigned to Captain George Webb’s forces. She had the dangerous task of scouting neutral territory and assessing the British’s buildup of men and materials in Manhattan.
Deborah Sampson’s identity managed to escape detection, but not without a couple of close calls. She received a gash on her forehead from a sword. She extracted a pistol ball herself after she was shot in her left thigh.
A year and a half into her service, Sampson fell ill during an epidemic and was taken to a hospital. Her gender was discovered. She would receive an honorable discharge in October 1783. Her life after the war was mostly that of a typical farmer’s life. In 1802, she toured throughout the country to talk about her experiences as the first American woman to do so, at times dressing in full military regalia during her lectures.
