Deborah Sampson
was born in Plypton, Massachusetts.
She was born on December 17, 1760. She died in 1827. She read a copy of
Tom Paine's Common Sense, and decided to make herself some men's clothing
and disguise herself as a man and fight in the Revolutionary War as a
soldier. She went to Medway, Massachusetts and enlisted in the army as
Robert Shirtliff.
It is not certain how long Deborah served in the army but she was wounded twice. The first time she got a sword slash on her head during a skirmish with Loyalist soldiers near Tarrytown, New York. A few months later she was shot in the shoulder with a musket ball. It was not discovered that she was a woman when she got medical help.
Her true identity was not revealed until she got sick with yellow fever in Philadelphia. When she rejoined her troop her doctor gave her commanding officer a letter telling them the truth. The officers were shocked but Deborah had earned their respect. Instead of the punishment she expected, she received an honorable discharge from the army.