Deborah Sampson (1760-1827) disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the name of Robert Shurtliff. The above pictures represent Deborah in uniform; the one on the left is said to be an actual picture of her.  
                                                                                                        

        There may be some who are not familiar with the history of women's role in the War of the Revolution. Below are just some of the better-known examples of the various roles women took on during the War. Deborah has been said many times to be the only woman soldier to actually fight in the Revolution dressed in full uniform. Some books refer to others. Deborah was a farm girl who longed to take a real part in the fight so, being as tall as many men, she decided the only way to be accepted into the Army was to assume a man's identity. With the identity of Robert Shurtleff she actually fought on the front lines. 

       In 1782 Deborah enlisted in the Army but failed to report to duty. It was later that she joined the 4th Massachusetts Regiment and soon saw action in the front lines. When she was shot in the thigh, she removed the bullet herself, fearing her secret identity as a woman would be discovered if she allowed anyone else to do it. It is said that on one occasion she became sick and the Doctor who cared for her learned she was a woman. He did not report it.

     She had many exciting escapades as Robert Shurtliff, such as other instances of becoming sick and fearing her true identity would be discovered. She was always fearful and took great care to avoid any instances that might reveal her as a woman. Robert Shurtliff eventually received an honorable discharge, and Deborah Sampson became the first woman in U.S. history to receive a soldier's pension.¹    
     Another woman who made her mark during the War is "Molly" Pitcher - she also has been made famous by her exploits during the War. She became known as the woman with her "water pitcher" who dispensed water to the "weary, parched soldiers on the battlefield." She moved among the troops of General Washington and the British forces "binding wounds, dispensing water, and giving encouragement. It is said that many of the soldiers recognized her as Mary Ludwig Hayes McCauley, wife of John Hays, an artilleryman of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment." Historians differ as to who really was "Molly Pitcher" as several women performed similar feats during the War, but the name Margaret Corbin seems to prevail as "Molly Pitcher". She distinguished herself a full two years earlier in the battle of Fort Washington by taking over the gun position of her husband (named John). Margaret was seriously injured during this battle and was disabled for life.²     
     From another book, "Women From Prehistory to the Present", several women are mentioned as contributing to the War effort. A sixteen year old, Sybil Ludington, who like Paul Revere, made a midnight ride in April 1777, telling the local military that the British were raiding Danbury, Connecticut. Another woman, a Pennsylvania Quaker named Lydia Darrah repeated conversations that she overheard between the British General William Howe and his staff. Lydia heard these conversations when they boarded in her home. Other women acted as spies for their country - reporting anything that might help the War effort. On page 126 of this book, when writing of "Molly Pitcher", the author does not mention a "water pitcher' but speaks of Molly's part in the War as the woman who "courageously took over an artillery position when her husband fell." From this same book, I quote a line referring to Margaret Corbin: "The unmarked grave in New York was identified by the Daughters of the American Revolution during the sesquicentennial of American Independence in 1926. The patriotic Daughters arranged for reinterment of the remains at West Point.³  Many other women served the Army in any way they could, working in hospitals and on the battlefields to treat the wounds of the soldiers. They supplied food and just about anything else they could for the Continental Army.