Women Also Passionately Joined The Revolutionary War

Several women from the United States participated in the Revolutionary War. Margaret Corbin moved into her husband John's fighting station after he was slain at the Battle of Fort Washington and fought heroically, sustaining three gunshot wounds. She was the first woman to receive financial assistance from the government after the war. Anna Maria Lane accompanied her husband John to the battlefield dressed as a man. They fought in multiple campaigns together. Anna Maria was gravely wounded during the Battle of Germantown on October 3, 1777, and was paralyzed for the rest of her life. Lane, however, continued to serve in the army until 1781, despite her injury.

Deborah Sampson was the most well-known of the women who fought as men. Sampson was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and served in the army as "Robert Shirtliff." She was wounded twice during her one and a half years of service, but she continued to volunteer for dangerous duty. There is also a legend about a woman named Molly Pitcher who witnessed her husband being shot while giving water to parched soldiers. She then took over loading the cannon in his place. Mary Ludwig Hays is commonly credited with the deeds in the Molly Pitcher myth. Molly Pitcher became a catchall term for female combat water providers. Many historians feel that the name is a composite picture based on the acts of several historical women.