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| Statue of Deborah Samson Gannett at Sharon Public Library in Massachusetts; photo by Mike on Flickr (use permitted with attribution). |
Designated in 1982, Massachusetts' state heroine is Deborah Samson Gannett. In 1782, Samson disguised herself as a man, enlisted and fought with the Continental Army under the name Robert Shurtleff.
"For over two years, Sampson’s true sex had escaped detection despite close calls. When she received a gash in her forehead from a sword and was shot in her left thigh, she extracted the pistol ball herself. She was ultimately discovered—a year and a half into her service—in Philadelphia, when she became ill during an epidemic, was taken to a hospital, and lost consciousness." National Women's History Museum
She was among the first women to receive a pension for her military service. May 23 is Deborah Samson Day.
14 comments:
This is a new story to me, but interesting. I wonder if she was the only woman to do that. Stay dry. hugs-Erika
She was a very courageous woman! Happy weekend, Valerie
I stumbled across the story of Deborah Samson decades ago, but never in a history class.
Indeed
I've heard of several women who did this in the Civil War. Brave women indeed!
But I bet you never learned about them in history class
Quite a woman! You would be a great history-teacher!
Cool!
😊
We need to learn Herstory, too.
Great history about her, and amazing!
Deborah has an amazing story
What a fascinating read. I was more than a little impressed.
Deborah Samson Gannett sure was something
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