Deborah Sampson
By:Claire Novak
Deborah
Deborah was the oldest of 7 children and born in Plympton,Massachusetts on December 17,1760. She became an indentured servant after her father, Jonathan Sampson abandoned them. Her siblings were Jonathon, Elisha, Sylvia, Hannah, Ephraim and Nehemiah. In 1770 she had the idea to enlist in the army. Since women were not allowed she dressed as a man. She had little difficulty passing since she was five feet seven inches tall which was tall for a woman. She successfully enlisted as her deceased brother Robert Sampson. Her signature remains in the Massachusetts records. In her first battle she received two musket balls in her thigh and a cut on her forehead. She pleaded her fellow soldiers to let her die but they refused. One put her on a horse and rode six miles to the hospital. The doctors treated her head but she left before they could attend to the musket balls. Afraid her identity would be unfurled she removed one with a pocketknife and a sewing needle but it didn't heal all the way since one was too deep for her to reach. During 1783 she came down with malignant fever and a doctor named Barnabas Binney cared for her. He took off her clothes to help her and discovered she had binded her breasts to look like a man. He didn't tell anyone but he took her to his home where his wife and daughter cared for her. Later she received a honorary discharge with an amount of money, enough to pay expenses. She died of Yellow fever on April 29,1827 at the age of 66.
The Battle of Bunker Hill
This Battle actually happened on Breed's Hill because when the British had heard of the Continental army's location they planned an immediate attack. After the third assault we ran out of ammunition and backed down. The British won the battle but suffered a heavy loss. Over 800 were wounded and 226 were killed. We were able to regain our balance and fight for independence!