Revolutionary Heroes: Women As Homestead Warriors

Queen Of Deception.One such heroic woman was Deborah Sampson of Plympton, Massachusetts, who was possibly one of the first women to enlist in the army disguised as a man. She enlisted the first time at the tender age of 19 using the name Timothy Thayer, but her deception was quickly discovered.

Brutal tales of the war and the deaths of two young men who she considered as brothers pushed her to enlist yet again, this time under the name Robert Shirtliffe. Early on, she took a musket ball to the thigh but treated the wound herself to keep her gender from being discovered.

The Secret Is Revealed. Throughout the three years she served and the battles she fought, she was wounded two more times: Once she was shot through the shoulder, and another time she was cut by a sword in the side of her head. (That's one tough woman!) She was able to keep her gender hidden until the shoulder wound, when a doctor discovered her secret. He sent her to deliver a message to General George Washington, and as she stood trembling before the great general, she knew the jig was up. Washington gave her an honorable discharge, some words of advice, and a stipend to help her get back home.

After the war, she was granted a pension and some land for her service to her country. She later married and had three children; today she is honored as the "Official Heroine of the State of Massachusetts".

Paul-ette Revere Is Born. Imagine 2,000 British troops invading Danbury, Connecticut....they set fire to Continental supply warehouses of food, medical supplies, and clothing as well the homes of non-Loyalists....but they salvage the alcohol and drink it themselves, then become so drunk and disorderly that they start destroying more property randomly. Help was urgently needed, but in an era before telephones, television, and radio, news traveled by horse or by foot, so hours or even days could pass before help could arrive.

It took five hours for a messenger to reach Col. Henry Ludington in Kent, NY at 9:00 PM. A militia needed to be raised, but the messenger was too fatigued to alert citizens whose farmhouses were scattered about the countryside.

Sybil To The Rescue. Knowing full well the dangers that lay in wait, Sybil Ludington rode her horse 40 miles through the storm-filled night to warn sleeping citizens and raise a militia. Even through the driving rain, she could see the sky glowing from the direction of the burning city of Danbury. As if the rain and the eerie glow of death weren't bad enough, Sybil had to dodge British soldiers, Loyalists, and "Skinners" - outlaws with no allegiance to anyone. Sybil managed to muster 400 men, turning down the offer of an escort along the way and instead sending him eastward to warn other areas. She returned home at dawn the next morning, just as the troops she mustered were readying to march. Unfortunately they were too late to save Danbury, but they did fight off the advancing British troops, saving countless American lives.

Not In My House! Lydia Barrington Darragh probably didn't even know what she was capable of, until British General William Howe decided to use the house next door to hers as his headquarters. This was during the British occupation of Philadelphia in September of 1777, Darragh was told that she and her two children could remain in their home....as long as she allowed British officers to hold meetings in one of her rooms.

In December, top British officers held an important meeting at Darragh's house. General Howe had discovered Washington's plans to move his troops at Whitemarsh to a new camp, and he and his officers discussed plans to attack the Americans during their move with 5,000 British troops. Little did he suspect, however, that Lydia Darragh was hiding in a nearby linen closet listening to everything being said. As the meeting drew to a close, Lydia sneaked back to her room and pretended to be asleep.

The Plan Is Hatched. (This version of events was told by Lydia's daughter, Ann. Other versions differ, and you'll see another account after this one.) The next day, Lydia came up with a plan of her own: She would appeal to her cousin, a British officer, for a pass to get some flour from a Frankford mill. As this was not an unusual request, the pass was granted.

The next day Darragh took an empty flour sack and trudged through the snow toward Whitemarsh. After several miles, she met Thomas Craig, a Pennsylvania militiaman. Lydia told Craig of Howe's plan to ambush the Americans at Whitemarsh - which happened to be where Lydia's eldest son, Charles, was serving with the 2nd PA Regiment - and Craig immediately passed the information on to General Washington personally.

Commissary of Prisoners Elias Boudinot wrote a different version in his journal. He was dining at the Rising Sun Tavern when an "insignificant old woman" came in, asking for permission to go get flour from Frankford mill. While being questioned about her errand, she slipped an old dirty needle book into Boudinot's hand. Later, he rifled through the book, finding nothing of consequence until he reached the last pocket, where a piece of paper had been rolled into something resembling a pipe stem; on this paper, Lydia had written Howe's plans for the attack on Washington, with specifics as to manpower and weapons. Boudinot then set off on horseback to deliver the information to General Washington.

Regardless of which is the true story, the result was that on December 4, when Howe and his troops marched on the Americans, they were greeted by a fully armed and ready unit, who repelled the British attack. The British knew someone had heard their plans and forewarned Washington, and they began questioning likely suspects. Spymaster John Andre personally questioned Lydia Darragh, asking whether anyone in the house was up on the night of Howe's meeting, but she convincingly told him that everyone was asleep early. He believed her. "The walls must have ears" was his parting comment.

Not only did Lydia save the life of her own son, countless soldiers, and General Washington, but she may have changed the course of the war had the British attack been successful.