Deborah Sampson served in the Continental Army for 17 months while disguised as a man.
She enlisted under the name Robert Shirtliff in 1782 and served as a private in the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. Her service occurred late in the American Revolutionary War, when the Continental Army was still maintaining operations despite the conflict’s approaching end.
Sampson’s identity was discovered in 1783 after she became ill in Philadelphia and received medical treatment. Her commander, General John Paterson, arranged for her honorable discharge at West Point, New York, rather than prosecuting her.
After the war, Sampson married Benjamin Gannett and later lectured publicly about her military experiences. In 1792, the Massachusetts legislature granted her compensation for military pay withheld because she had served as a woman. Her story is distinct from the broader, less documented cases of other women who may have accompanied armies or fought in wartime roles.