How Deborah Sampson posed as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War (and treated her own gunshot wound)

Boston Globe

28-03-2025

Sampson's bravery made history and led her to become the
'I think that's just because only more recently has her story really come out to the public,' Meg Bowersox, the manager of gallery interpretation at the
Her story is notable as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding. The accomplishments of Sampson (whose name is sometimes spelled Samson) and her remarkable rise from indentured servant to Revolutionary War icon was covered in newspapers in the years immediately following the American Revolution. But the media attention dropped off during the Civil War, according to Bowersox.
'After that, there was this kind of movement toward the Founding Fathers,' Bowersox said, and as the focus shifted toward those men, their stories ended up getting featured prominently in history textbooks, television, and movies.
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An engraving of American Revolutionary War hero Deborah Sampson.
Library of Congress
Sampson spent her life overcoming obstacles, starting at a very young age. Born in Plympton in 1760, her family was so poor that
At the age of 10, Sampson became
Dressing as a man and joining the army was no easy feat, and it took her more than one try to pull it off.
One of her attempts to enlist was documented in a
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But that didn't stop Sampson from trying again. In 1782 (although some reports say 1781) Sampson successfully enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment using the name Robert Shurtleff as her alias, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website.
She was assigned to a light infantry company and initially worked as a scout, gathering information about British troops and their weapons, the website stated.
During the 17 months she served in the Continental Army, she was wounded in combat at least once, according to Bowersox.
According to several historical accounts, Sampson was shot in the leg and
'Some say that she left the bullet in. Some say she took it out herself,' Bowersox said. 'We really just don't know.'
Sampson apparently managed to keep her secret until the summer of 1783, after she lost consciousness while serving in Philadelphia and a doctor discovered that she was female, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's
After leaving the army on an honorable discharge, she returned to Massachusetts and
On Feb. 20, 1804, Paul Revere
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'I have been induced to inquire her situation and character, since she quitted the male habit, and soldier's uniform, for the more decent apparel of her own sex; and since she has been married and become a mother,' Revere wrote. 'Humanity and justice obliges me to say, that every person with whom I have conversed about her, and it is not a few, speak of her as a woman of handsome talents, good morals, a dutiful wife, and an affectionate parent.'
Revere wrote that Sampson's health was declining and her family was in need of financial assistance because 'they have a few acres of poor land which they cultivate, but they are really poor.'
Sampson was ultimately granted a military pension, and spent her final years at
This house at 300 East St. in Sharon is where Deborah Sampson lived until she died in 1827.
Leon H. Abdalian
She was buried in Rock Ridge Cemetery in Sharon, where a memorial was erected in her honor.
Sampson's legacy lives on in other places, too, if you know where to look.
A statue of Sampson stands in front of the
Sampson was declared the official state heroine of Massachusetts in the 1980s and May 23 has been designated as 'Deborah Samson Day.'
State officials also established the
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In Plympton, where Sampson was born, a bronze plaque bears her name. It can be found on a large granite boulder that was dedicated by the Daughters of the American Revolution to pay tribute to Sampson's perseverance and service to her country, and to ensure that she would not be forgotten.
'One thing that we really love about her story is just how someone believed passionately about wanting to serve this country, and no matter what laws or or barriers were put in place, continued to find a way to serve for what they thought was right, which was independence and freedom,' Bowersox said. 'And I think that's just really cool.'
In the town of Plympton there's a large granite boulder with a bronze plaque bearing Deborah Sampson's name.
The Boston Globe/Globe Freelance
Emily Sweeney can be reached at