A statue outside the Sharon Public Library depicting Sampson. Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Friday is Deborah Sampson Day in Massachusetts, honoring the first woman to enlist and fight in the Revolutionary War.
“She was here during the formation of our new country and she decided that she was going to be a Patriot,” said Steve Connolly with the Sharon Historical Society.
Sampson was born in Plympton, Mass. in 1760 and later moved to Middleborough. She worked as a teacher and weaver before trying to enlist, according to Massachusetts Women Veterans Network.
“Her first attempt failed, disguised as a man named Timothy Thayer. Her second attempt succeeded,” Connolly said.
Sampson went by Robert Shurtliff and was mustered in Worcester on May 23, 1782, before being deployed to the Hudson Valley. She spent about a year and a half in the Continental Army and was wounded twice, according to the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Her disguise was uncovered while she was treated for a near-fatal illness in Philadelphia, and she was honorably discharged. She spent the rest of her life in Sharon, where she met and married farmer Benjamin Gannett. Her post-war home still stands on East Street.
While her actions flouted the military convention of the time, Connolly said she earned respect from high-ranking and notable military officials.
“People like George Washington and Henry Knox and John Paterson, they rationalized that what Deborah had done was all noble,” Connolly said.
Jonathan Lane with Revolution 250 said while there were other women during the war, like Abigail Adams, who “inspired ideals,” and a few who fought briefly, Sampson is unique as having actually enlisted and fought as a soldier. The determination to see combat against the British set Sampson apart.
Later in life, Sampson had money troubles, and became the first woman in United States history to embark on a lecture tour, partially as a way to earn money. Fellow local Paul Revere was so moved by her story that he wrote to Congress in 1804 to vouch for her, and she was eventually awarded a full pension.
The state of Massachusetts declared May 23 as Deborah Sampson Day and made her the official state heroine in 1982, according to the state’s historical society.
The town of Sharon honors Sampson with a statue outside the Sharon Public Library. The statue is such a bedrock piece of the town's symbolism that it was moved by a crane from the old library to the new one earlier this month.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.