In this activity, students will analyze a legal document for clues about the experience of a woman serving in the Revolutionary War disguised as a man.
Suggested Teaching Instructions
This activity may be presented as part of a unit on Revolutionary America. For grades 9-12. Approximate time needed is 20 minutes. The activity can be completed individually, in pairs, or as a whole-class discussion.
Begin the activity in a full-class setting. Review with students some of the key events of the Revolutionary War.
After the class discussion, open the activity and show students the letter with texts spotlighted. They will be provided with some background information:
Deborah Sampson Gannett was one of a handful of women who fought in the Revolutionary War disguised as men. She was a descendent of Pilgrims Miles Standish (on her father’s side) and William Bradford (on her mother’s). In 1781 she enlisted to serve in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment under the name Robert Shurtleff. She received multiple sword and bullet wounds and received an honorable discharge in 1783.
In 1792 the General Court of Massachusetts awarded her a pension citing her “extrodinary [sic] instance of female heroism and by discharging the duties of a faithful and gallant soldier.” In 1805 she petitioned the State of Massachusetts for an “invalid” pension. Her petition was supported by Paul Revere who, in his letter to U.S. Representative William Eustis (Massachusetts), said Gannett's “ill health is in consequence of her being exposed when she did a soldiers [sic] duty...I think her case much more deserving than hundreds to whom Congress have been generous.”
This document is Gannett’s sworn testimony that she "served as a private soldier...in the war of the revolution" and states that "she is in such reduced circumstances, as to require the aid of her country" for additional compensation. Her testimony is part of her application for a larger, Federal pension from the U.S. Government. It references that her service record was lost (during the burning of Washington by the British in 1814), and provides a thorough accounting of her service in the Revolutionary War. Gannett was one of only two women to receive a Federal pension, the other being Margaret Corbin. Gannett is believed to be the only woman to serve in the Revolutionary War.
Ask students where the date falls in relation to the events of the war that they reviewed earlier. Then examine the letter for word choices. Ask students to identify the five most powerful words in the letter. How do the word choices contribute to the tone of the letter? Divide the class into groups. Direct each group to discuss the following, the questions that students will see when they click on "When You're Done":
- What do we learn about Deborah Gannett's service in the Revolutionary War?
- Gannett previously received a pension from the State of Massachusetts. Why is she testifying now, 35 years after her discharge? (Hint: you should be able to identify a minimum of two reasons.)
Invite students to share their responses during a follow-up class discussion, or ask them to write their responses using text from the letter to support their answers.
Conclude with a class discussion about the following question: What would motivate a woman in the 18th century to join the army disguised as a man?
This activity was created by National Archives volunteer Cynthia Peterman.
