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.