Historical Walking Tours | Boston, Massachusetts
  • Tour 18thC of Paul Revere
    • ADDITIONAL TOURS >
      • The Boston Massacre Tour >
        • The Boston Massacre per the Pennsylvania Gzette
        • The Boston Massacre Lesson Plan
      • Boston Civil War Tours
      • The Kennedy Tour
  • Revere Bells Index
    • Revere Bells in Boston
    • California's 2 Paul Revere Bells >
      • Paul Revere & Son's Bell Westborough Massachusetts
    • First Parish Church of Kennebunk
    • Revere Bells in Maine
    • Revere Bell of Michigan
    • Singapore Revere Bell
    • Revere Bells Washington DC
    • Tuscaloosa Bell >
      • History of the St John and Leavens Patriarchs
      • Samuel St John Jr Estate Genealogy
      • Authenticating the Revere Tuscaloosa Bell
      • Joshua B Leavens Last Will and Testament
      • 20th Century Tuscaloosa bell
    • Revere Bells Woodstock VT
    • Revere Bells Lost in Time
  • History Blog
  • Bostonians
    • Edward F Alexander of The Harvard 20th Civil War Regiment
    • Polly Baker
    • John Wilkes Booth
    • The Mad Hatter, Thomas, Boston Corbett who Killed John Wilkes Booth
    • Mayor's of Boston
    • James Franklin
    • Amos Lincoln
    • King Philip
    • James Otis
    • Edward Hutchinson Robbins Revere
    • Paul Joseph Revere
    • John Rowe >
      • Joh Rowe's Tea Ship
      • John Rowe and the Jail Fire
      • Hang John Rowe?????
      • John Rowe the Fisherman
    • Be Proud to be Called a Lucy Stoner
    • Rachel Wall , Pirate
    • Paul Revere the Coroner of Boston
    • Deborah Sampson
    • Who was Mrs. Silence Dogood?
    • Dr. Joseph Warren's Dedication
  • Collage of Boston
    • Boston Harbor
    • Forest Hills Cemetery
    • The Battle Road
    • Skate bike and scooter park
    • Cassin Young & USS Cassin Young
    • MIT
    • Historic Charles River
    • The Customs House
    • John & Abigail Adams National Park
https://www.walkbostonhistory.com/ https://www.walkbostonhistory.com/store/c2/Please_hover_over_the_category_%22Bostonians%22_to_see_a_pull_down_list_of_names..html

PAUL REVERE HELPED DEBORAH SAMPSON              GANNETT RECEIVE HER MILITARY PENSION

3/9/2017

 
Deborah Sampson descended from the Pilgrims of Plympton (sic), Massachusetts.  She was born December 17, 1760 , in Sharon Massachusetts, a community thirty-five miles south of Boston and forty-two miles southeast of Worcester. Sharon was hardly the center of patriotism or radical politics.  She was the oldest of six children from a poor family.  Her father deserted the family.  Literally, he sailed away.  Her mother could not provide for them and the Town of Sharon's safety net could not accommodate the seven Sampsons.  Deborah was indentured at the early age of ten to a neighbor on a nearby farm.  It was a hard life but she learned to sew, hunt, ride and modest woodworking.  The adopted family all helped educate her.  Deborah's indenture ended at eighteen, a little early to be set free from the terms of indenture.  Her future employment as a school teacher and weaver must have given her a taste of independence. 

In 1782 Deborah failed at volunteering for the Continental Army.  She marched all the way to Worcester dressed as a man hoping she would not be discovered.  Her second attempt under the enlisted name of Robert Shurtliff found her quickly engaged with a Worcester regiment in the Hudson Valley, near West Point.  She did some solo scouting on behalf of George Washington and led a successful raiding
 party.

In two years of service, Robert was wounded twice, but she managed to conceal her gender while being treated. She recovered  from a sword wound to the head. She removed a bullet wound to her thigh by herself.[i]  Typical of camp life, diseases were as much a concern as wounds.  She developed a serious fever landing her in a Philadelphia hospital.  Her doctor discovered her true gender.

Unfortunately, George Washington did not like any women in camp due to the impact they had on discipline and the extra support, food and  baggage.  He instructed his generals to remove all women from camp to improve discipline. He handed Deborah her honorable discharge in writing but did not utter a word of thanks.

Benjamin Gannet of Sharon married Deborah on her return to Massachusetts.  Deborah wrote her memoirs and toured New England in her military dress uniform and demonstrated battlefield techniques.  The Gannetts suffered financial difficulties and applied for Deborah’s military pension. Congress rejected her request.

One day Paul Revere visited the Town of Sharon.  It was next to the Town of  Canton and the home of Paul’s new foundry and forge.  Paul took up her cause, writing to the Congressman for her district.  In his words, Paul said, Deborah was “much more deserving than hundreds to whom Congress have been generous.”   Paul Revere was qualified to make the above statement since he had three major military assignments.  The Penobscot Expedition was a significant failure leading to court martial charges against all officers, including himself.  He served on Castle William many months as a colonel and was part of the expedition to Rhode Island that failed to even engage the enemy.  


Revere rarely showed emotions in his various writings except in the case of Deborah Sampson. He embedded his personality and his professional experience as he proselytized to Congress  for her military pension.  He was greatly satisfied with his efforts at achieving a veteran’s pension for her service.  In total twenty-one years of effort by the Gannets invigorated by Paul Revere's letter earned Deborah a pension of $4.00/month, equal to about $104 today.

Below is a heartfelt letter by Paul Revere to Congressman William Eustis, dated February 20, 1804, in support of Deborah’s application for a pension.  Paul’s next to the last paragraph may sound a bit peculiar today, but consider that he wrote it in the early part of the Nineteenth Century.  Try your best not to judge him from the Twenty-first Century.   

Deborah Sampson Gannett is another of our early American heroes that deserves more attention.

                                                                         Post Script​

Four years after Deborah’s death, Benjamin Gannet applied for a survivor's pension petitioning directly to the United States Congress.  Though they were not married at the time of her service, Congress concluded that there were no similar situations, and awarded the "survivors pension". Unfortunately, Benjamin died before Congress issued the payment.

There does seem to be some contradiction to the granting of Deborah’s honorable discharge.  In contradiction, General Henry Knox or George Washington are credited.  Washington may well have been too busy, but women in the camp were one of his many significant concerns.

Was Deborah Sampson a model for women of the second revolution?(iv)  It is estimated that between 400-700 women served clandestinely on both sides of the Civil War.  For example, immediately below is Frances Clayton alias Frances Clalin of the Union Army.iii


Paul Revere would have endorsed the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designation of Deborah Sampson as the official state heroine on “Deborah Sampson Day,” May 23, 1982.

If you have further interest in Civil War women, Maggie Maclean’s “Civil War Women” referenced below is a very interesting read.

Picture
                                                                             Bibliography
 
Mann, Herman. The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier in the War of Revolution. New York: Arno Press, 1972
http://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=326&img_step=1&mode=transcript#page1
"MHS Collections Online: Letter from Paul Revere to William Eustis, 20 February 1804." MHS Collections Online: Letter from Paul Revere to William Eustis, 20 February 1804. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
National Women's History Museum." Education & Resources - National Women's History Museum – NWHM
Smith, Sam. "Female Soldiers in the Civil War." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
MacLean, Maggie. "Maggie MacLean." Civil War Women. N.p., 23 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
MassHist.orghttp://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=326&mode=dual&img_step=1&pid=3&nodesc=1&br=1#page1

Field Guide to U. S. Public Monuments and Memorials, http://www.monumentsandmemorials.com/report.php?id=1041 
 

                                                                        End Notes



[i] "National Women's History Museum." Education & Resources - National Women's History Museum - NWHM. N.p., 05 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
 
[ii] Library of Congress
 
 iii MacLean, Maggie. "Maggie MacLean." Civil War Women. N.p., 23 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

iv)   The term "Second Revolution" was commonly used by Abolitionists to suggest the Civil War would right the failings of the U. S. Constitution such as its quiet acceptance of slavery.
https://www.walkbostonhistory.com/ https://www.walkbostonhistory.com/store/c2/Please_hover_over_the_category_%22Bostonians%22_to_see_a_pull_down_list_of_names..html

Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    Abolitionist
    Adams
    American Revolutionary War
    Boston Civil War
    Boston Massacre
    Colonial Boston
    Colonial Law
    Politics In General
    Reveres
    Rowe
    The Secret Six And John Brown
    Travel To Boston
    World War I
    World War II

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Authors

    Local Bostonians engulfed in the unique history of our town.  We enjoy walking and talking  history, it is more interesting than historical fiction. We will tailor any tour to the nature of your group, college, high school/middle school, international, retirees, history buffs, general public wishing to walk beyond the Freedom Trail.,  Tours can be adjusted to be ADA compliant.

    RSS Feed



9/5/2017
Hi Sheila,


I just wanted to tell you and Mitch how very much I enjoyed today. Mitch is passion for history comes through loud and clear in his delivery.

I learned new facts about Paul Revere that I had never known before.

Mitch was so well-prepared including all of the pictures and it was obvious that heput a lot of time and effort into this tour and the presentation.

So thank you so much for the invitation
He did a great job!
leslie b, Natick


10/18/2017Hi Mitch, finally getting to say thank you for such an enjoyable day and tour of Paul Revere etc.. I truly learned so much and loved walking through so much of historic Boston! PHYLIS, nh

9/5/2017
Hi Beth,

Thanks for asking us to go on your tour, Mitch, of Boston’s historic sites. Your enthusiasm and love of history is contagious. You made history come alive. Sorry I had to leave early. I bet the tour of the North End was equally exciting! You put your all into it.
sarah r. Wellesley

6/15/2017 gxxxxen@snhu.edu Comment 6/1/2017, Your remarks about John Hancock really painted a historical image of the man.
​
6/1/2016
Hi Mitch, resume services reviews has just posted a comment on your blog post,     Why Did Paul Revere Become a Coroner at the   Age of Sixty-two? : This is a very interesting piece of historical information. I was never aware of this information before. I didn't even know how relevant Paul Revere is in the history of Boston. It seems that he is a very important figure on Boston's foundation. I'm definitely going to dwell further into matter and research more about him.
Comment actions:

​

6/3/2017 GS, SNHU,edu,  Mitch your remarks about John Hancock really painted an historical image of the man.

10/15/2016 Thank you so much for the Boston Massacre Tour.  I never knew it was such a complicated affair.  I particularly liked the incidental historical stops about Colonial Boston.  I hadn't been downtown for years.  You opened up so much for me.  June, Natick Ma.

    TO BE ON OUR MAILING LIST FOR NEW BLOGS

Submit

 Tours can be modified to be ADA compliant

mailto:walkbostonhistory@gmail.com


An association of tour guifrd for educators, amateurs historians, and the general public looking to walk beyond the Freedom Trail, concentrating on the legal, philosophical, emotional and political events of Boston.

Also follow us on twitter @walkbostonhist

Follow us on facebook at  
https://www.facebook.com/walkbostonhistory/

Member, Massachusetts historical Society, 
​http://www.masshist.org/​
​
Member, New England historical Genealogical society

VOLUNTEER PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR fINDAGRAVE.COM

fOLLOW US ON TWITTER @WALKBOSTONHIST
​

Continuing Member Massachusetts Historical Society

  • Tour 18thC of Paul Revere
    • ADDITIONAL TOURS >
      • The Boston Massacre Tour >
        • The Boston Massacre per the Pennsylvania Gzette
        • The Boston Massacre Lesson Plan
      • Boston Civil War Tours
      • The Kennedy Tour
  • Revere Bells Index
    • Revere Bells in Boston
    • California's 2 Paul Revere Bells >
      • Paul Revere & Son's Bell Westborough Massachusetts
    • First Parish Church of Kennebunk
    • Revere Bells in Maine
    • Revere Bell of Michigan
    • Singapore Revere Bell
    • Revere Bells Washington DC
    • Tuscaloosa Bell >
      • History of the St John and Leavens Patriarchs
      • Samuel St John Jr Estate Genealogy
      • Authenticating the Revere Tuscaloosa Bell
      • Joshua B Leavens Last Will and Testament
      • 20th Century Tuscaloosa bell
    • Revere Bells Woodstock VT
    • Revere Bells Lost in Time
  • History Blog
  • Bostonians
    • Edward F Alexander of The Harvard 20th Civil War Regiment
    • Polly Baker
    • John Wilkes Booth
    • The Mad Hatter, Thomas, Boston Corbett who Killed John Wilkes Booth
    • Mayor's of Boston
    • James Franklin
    • Amos Lincoln
    • King Philip
    • James Otis
    • Edward Hutchinson Robbins Revere
    • Paul Joseph Revere
    • John Rowe >
      • Joh Rowe's Tea Ship
      • John Rowe and the Jail Fire
      • Hang John Rowe?????
      • John Rowe the Fisherman
    • Be Proud to be Called a Lucy Stoner
    • Rachel Wall , Pirate
    • Paul Revere the Coroner of Boston
    • Deborah Sampson
    • Who was Mrs. Silence Dogood?
    • Dr. Joseph Warren's Dedication
  • Collage of Boston
    • Boston Harbor
    • Forest Hills Cemetery
    • The Battle Road
    • Skate bike and scooter park
    • Cassin Young & USS Cassin Young
    • MIT
    • Historic Charles River
    • The Customs House
    • John & Abigail Adams National Park
✕