Deborah Sampson, born in 1760, was one of the more famous participants in the American Revolution due to the fact that she served the Continental Army disguised as a man.
After serving in the military for a year and a half disguised as Thomas Thayer, Sampson was discovered by a physician treating her for a malignant fever. Because she distinguished herself in service, the physician did not say anything to her commanding officer for several months, doing so only after the end of the war. Despite her ruse, she was treated with respect by her commanders, who discharged her honorably after the war ended because of the level of dedication of her service.
After her discharge in 1783, Deborah settled into a quiet life as a married mother of four. She didn't stay that way, however, as the family was very poor. In 1792, she petitioned for her back pay from the Army — commiserate with experience comparable to that of the men she served with — prompting a member of The General Court of Massachusetts to state that Deborah "exhibited an extraordinary instance of female heroism by discharging the duties of a faithful gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the virtue and chastity of her body, unsuspected and unblemished". They gave her the equivelent of $70 USD.
In 1802, she went to work as a lecturer. In 1804, she enlisted the help of friend and colleague Paul Revere, who assisted her in a fight to get the pension she had earned from the military.
Knowing this amount would not sustain her family, she appealed for her share of a military pension. The men in her unit received one, but because Deborah was female, she was cut out. Her friend and colleague Paul Revere assisted her in her quest for financial justice, and in 1804, she was awarded a pension of $4 per month. In 1816, this was upped to $6.40/month.
Deborah Sampson died of mountain yellow fever on April 29th, 1827. Her grandson, George W. Gay, erected a monument in her honor in the town of Sharon, MA.
