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Women could not serve in George Washington’s Continental Army.
But there is proof that at least four women did. Here’s how they did it. Boys as young as 14 could join the army. So a woman in loose clothing could pretend she was a boy. One woman from Maine joined up with her brother in 1775. She served until the war ended in 1781. In 1776, an unknown Cherokee woman was found dead on a battlefield. She wore face paint like male Cherokee warriors did. She also carried a bow and arrows.
Sally St. Clair came from a French and African-American family. Some say she joined the army in disguise to be near her boyfriend. She died at the British siege of Savannah, Georgia, in 1779. Her secret was safe until she was dead. ▶
◀ In 1781, the commander of the Continental Army in South Carolina camped near the home of 16-year-old Emily Geiger. He needed more troops, but the nearest ones were far away. The countryside was full of Loyalists. Emily volunteered to carry a message. She knew that a girl wouldn’t draw as much attention as a man would. But, just to be safe, she memorized the message. Then she hid it in her clothing. Sure enough, British soldiers stopped her. When they went to get a woman to search Emily, she ripped up the message and swallowed the pieces. The British let her go, and she delivered the message by speaking it.
Deborah Sampson was a Massachusetts farm worker who loved adventure. In 1782, after the last battle of the war—but while there was still some fighting—she joined the Continental Army. She used the name Robert Shurtliff. She served for one and a half years. One story says that Sampson was hit by a musket ball. She cut the ball out of her own leg so a doctor wouldn't examine her. Later, a doctor did treat her for a fever and discovered her secret. She was given an honorable discharge in October 1783. ▶
◀ Militias were local fighting units. They operated in backwoods areas away from large towns. Women who lived in these places had to defend against Indian attacks, so they were used to weapons. Some of them used their fighting skills against the enemy. Nancy Morgan Hart of Wilkes County, Georgia, took on five Loyalists. They attacked her home while her husband was away. She shot two and captured them all.
Other teenage girls were Patriot messengers. Sybil Ludington was the 16-year-old daughter of a New York militia commander. In 1777, he needed to call out his militiamen. The British were attacking near Danbury, Connecticut. So one rainy night, Sybil rode her horse about 40 miles to alert her father’s men. ▶
▲ Ann Bailey’s time in the army didn’t go as well as Deborah Sampson’s. In 1777, Bailey joined a militia using the name Samuel Gay. Within three weeks, she was promoted to corporal. Soon after, her disguise was discovered, so she ran away. A few months later, Bailey was caught and tried in court. She was fined, sentenced to two months in jail, and discharged from the army.
