Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson

You must be wondering, Who is Deborah Sampson? Well she is an interesting person. She was born on December 17, 1760. As a young girl, she had to work as an indentured servant. This was because her father was supposedly lost at sea. Her mother could not take care of all six children alone. Deborah was an ambitious girl who, even though go to could not school, learned through the books of the boys in the house. She desired to work in the army as a patriot in the Revolutionary War. My hero is probably very different from the other freedom fighters of the revolutionary war. Many heroes during the Revolution were men, whereas this hero is a woman. That is one of the many reasons I admire Deborah Sampson.

Sampson always wanted to work in the army, even though she knew that a woman would not be allowed. Therefore, she decided to act like a man. She became so good at fooling people, that she was able to fool her mother. Deborah Sampson joined the army as a man named Robert Shurtliff. "He" was a very strong and loyal soldier. Shurtliff was respected by many of the other soldiers. In a battle in New York, she was wounded in her head and her thigh. She let the doctor treat her head, but not the thigh because of fear of discovery. Pretty soon the doctor did find out that Robert Shurtliff was a woman, because Deborah came down with a fever. He kept her secret and even took Sampson home and treated her. Sampson was so good that all the people respected her.

An officer still did find out that Deborah Sampson was a woman. On October 23, 1783, Deborah Sampson was honorably discharged from the military. After that, she got married to a man named Benjamin Gannet and had 3 children. They were a poor family. To earn money, Sampson would travel around and dress up as a soldier and talk about her life as a soldier. Around the 1800's, Deborah S. was awarded a pension of $4.00 a month. On April 19,1827, Deborah Sampson died at the age of 67 with 3 children. Her husband was awarded the pension as a survivor pension.

Deborah Sampson was a courageous and brave woman who was ready to give up her life for her country. That was very different from the women in her time. Many woman in her time were confined to the household work. This honorable deed makes me admire Deborah Sampson the most. Deborah Sampson Gannet was the most heroic person I have ever heard of.

Deborah Sampson: December 17, 1760- April 19, 1827

Bibliography:
1.http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/3/33/Deborah_Sampson.jpg 2.http://www.americanrevolution.com/DeborahSamson.htm 3.http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdsamp.htm