Deborah Sampson Deborah Sampson was born December 17, 1760 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1792, wishing to participate in the Revolutionary War, she disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Continental Armys Fourth Massachusetts Regiment under the name Robert Shurtleff. Being 5 feet 7 inches tall, she bound her breasts tightly to pass as a male. Other soldiers teased her about not having to shave, but they assumed that this boy was too young to grow facial hair. She performed her military duties as well as any other man. Sampson was wounded in a battle, but tended to her own wounds so that her gender would not be discovered. As a result, her leg never healed properly. However, when she was later hospitalized for a fever, her identity was uncovered and she was discharged from the army. Sampson returned home, married and had three children. She taught at a nearby school. Nine years after her discharge from the army, she was awarded a pension from the state of Massachusetts in the amount of thirty-four pounds in a lump-sum payment. After Paul Revere sent a letter to Congress on her behalf in 1804, Sampson began receiving a U.S. pension in the amount of four dollars a month. In 1802 Sampson traveled through New England giving lectures on her experiences in the military. During her lectures, she wore a military uniform. Deborah Sampson died in 1827 at the age of sixty-six in Sharon, Massachusetts. Happy Birthday today to our patients! Mar O of Dorchester Donald H of Holbrook Michael M of Weymouth
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:17:47 +0000