Freedom fighters

Deborah Sampson

Born on December 1, 1760 in Plymton, Massachusetts, near Plymouth. Came from a poor family background.

During the Revolutionary War Deborah Sampson wanted to fight yet they did not allow girls to join the army at this time. After venturing out undetected in her disguise, she resolved to enlist, which she did in the spring of 1781. In May she arrived at the fortifications at West Point, New York, on the west bank of the Hudson River, where she was detached to Captain George Webb’s Company of Light Infantry and issued a uniform and accoutrements.

Deborah endured the incessant cannonade from the enemy, got blisters digging trenches, and was part of a detachment that stormed a British redoubt. 

For over two years, Deborah’s true sex had escaped detection. She had had close calls with both discovery and death: fainting on that first march to West Point, lying that she had had smallpox when the soldiers were culled for vaccination in the winter of 1782, receiving a revealing wound in June of 1781, and nearly drowning in the Croton River in December of that year. 

The committee concluded that the history of the Revolution “furnished no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity and courage”

Deborah Sampson's courage has inspired me and my ideas for my character Tomora. Deborah wasn't afraid to stand up and fight for what she believed in despite being a female. She chose to take the risk and not let anyone stop her. Tomora is similar and Deborah's story has inspired me to think about Tomora having clever and smart tactics.

(information sourced from the National Women's history museum website)