Women in the American Revolution

Paul Revere's Letter Supporting Deborah Sampson Gannett

Michael Streich

 

In 1804, Paul Revere, an icon of the Revolutionary War, wrote a letter to William Eustis, a member of Congress representing Massachusetts. Revere’s letter was sent on behalf of a neighbor, Mrs. Deborah Sampson Gannett, to secure “relief” owing to her poor health, attributed to her service as a soldier during the war. Revere’s letter demonstrates the prevailing attitudes and perceptions governing women. He speaks of Gannett’s good morals, her children, and her femininity as opposed to a “…masculine female…one of the meanest of her sex.”

 

Expectations of Women in Colonial America

 

Women like Deborah Gannett were expected to marry and provide children. In New England, where Gannett lived, the scrutiny of women was perhaps greater than, for example, Virginia, due to strict prevailing religious beliefs and the importance of the family unit in the close-knit rural farm communities. Gannett lived in Sharon, a distance of some fifteen miles from the center of Boston. In 1804 it was a typical farm community.

 

Revere’s letter characterizes common perceptions of women in 1804. He writes that upon meeting her, he was surprised to find “…a small, effeminate, and conversable woman, whose education entitled her to a better situation in life.” Revere’s surprise stemmed from Gannett’s clandestine service as a Continental soldier, serving in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment.

 

Deborah Gannett’s Disguise as a Male

 

In 1797, a “citizen of Massachusetts” wrote a tribute to Gannett, stating that, “She performed the duties of every department, into which she was called, with punctual exactness, fidelity and honor, and preserved her chastity inviolate, by the most artful concealment of her sex.” Gannett served for three years and was seriously wounded during battle before returning to Massachusetts to lead a life considered “normal” for women.

 

The 1797 publication highlights similar perceptions as seen in Revere’s letter. Women were expected to be chaste, seen as a matter of difficulty if serving in the military. In order to serve the Patriot cause, Gannett had to appear as a man; military service was strictly a male affair. Deborah Sampson Gannett would be the first female to be recognized as a member of America’s military.

 

Deborah Sampson Gannett served under the name Robert Shirtliffe (or Shurtliff). According to historian Page Smith, her deception was discovered while being treated by Dr. Birney following “a bullet wound in her shoulder.” Smith comments that she was sent to George Washington who, “discharged her with some kind words” and enough money to cover her expenses for returning to Boston.

 

Her battle wounds eventually contributed to illnesses as she grew older. Gannett’s husband, according to Revere, was not successful in business and the few acres he owned were considered “poor land.” Revere’s estimation is that the Gannett’s “…are really poor.”

 

The Expectation of Federal Assistance

 

Revere’s letter includes an expectation that Deborah Gannett, being poor, ill, and having served her country, deserves “relief.” Further, Gannett exercised her constitutional right of petitioning Congress. By sending the petition to Eustis with his personal recommendation, Revere also places his own reputation and stature as a war hero on the line.

 

Additionally, it is significant that Revere devotes an extensive evaluation (given the length of his letter) to portraying Deborah Gannett as a typical woman rather than the stereotype of women as soldiers that he refers to. Gannett’s petition was favorably received and she was formally added to the military rolls, enabling her to receive a pension.

 

References:

 

Alice Morse Earle, Home Life in Colonial Days (Stockbridge, MA: The Berkshire Traveller Press, 1974)

Paul Revere’s Letter to William Eustis, Letters of a Nation, Andrew Carroll, editor (NY: Broadway Books, 1997)

Massachusetts Historical Society

Page Smith, A New Age Begins: A People’s History of the American Revolution, Volume Two (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1976)

[Copyright owned by Michael Streich; any reprints require written permission]