Biography of Deborah Sampson

Born into poverty in Plympton, Massachusetts, Deborah Sampson (1760-1827) learned how to provide for herself at an early age. Working as an itinerant weaver, Sampson traveled from town to town eking out barely enough to survive. Wanting to earn more money, Sampson dressed in men’s clothing and enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment in 1782. Living under the pseudonym Robert Shurtliff, she was shot in the thigh during a summer skirmish. Sampson removed the shot herself to protect her identity. She continued serving until the summer of 1783 when she was stricken with a serious fever while serving in Philadelphia. While unconscious her true gender was discovered and reported later that year. She was given an honorable discharge from the army.  

After her discharge she returned to Massachusetts and married. She petitioned the Massachusetts state legislature for backpay owed to her for her service. Wanting to garner support, Sampson worked with editor Herman Mann on The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, a biography that dramatically overemphasized and often completely fabricated Sampson’s life and wartime story. 

Artifact Details

• The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson
  Written by Herman Mann and John Adams Vinton
  Boston, Massachusetts
  1866
  Ink on Paper
  Museum of the American Revolution, Gift of Debra Sampson Silbar in memory of Patti-Gene Baldridge Sampson, 2019.13.01