LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Submitted to Dr. Ronald Satta
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
HIUS 512-D03
American Revolution
by
May 5, 2021
Hollingsworth 1
Women had a strong impact on American Revolution, yet so much of Colonial America
accepted hierarchical notions of political and social standings, with a result of most
women not being given the credit they deserved for their contributions.
1
Men were
superior to women during that time period, therefore, girls were expected to obey their
father, and their husbands once married. When a woman married, she had no control
over any property she previously owned, therefore, many marriages were entered into
with marriage settlements, and done so carefully.
2
Men typically married in the early
twenties, and women slightly younger.
3
With this came the expectation that a woman
would have children, and care for them. This was to be their main purpose, and with the
average woman having 8 or 9 children, this was their reality.
4
Women were undervalued,
and underestimated.
The impact women made on the accomplishments of men is underrated and not given the
credit it deserves. America’s history is focused on the male leaders and Soldiers of the
time period. Women were considered to be of lower hierarchy during that period of time,
although so many depended on the contributions of women. What is not shared, is that
women impacted the Revolution in such a way, that their contributions were relevant,
significant, and highly contributed to the success of America’s freedom.
Throughout this paper, I will focus on some of the unsung heroes of the Revolutionary
time period. I will highlight their lives and unique contributions to the cause of freedom
and independence.
1
Jan Lewis. 1994. OAH Magazine of History: Women and the American Revolution. Oxford University
Press, 23
2
Ibid, 23
3
Ibid, 23
4
Ibid, 24
Hollingsworth 2
As men left their homes to fight in the battle for independence, very often their wives
would follow them. This would typically happen in the winter months, due to farms
needing to be tended to in spring, summer, and fall. They would leave their children
home and travel to the camps their husbands were at. There they would sew, cook, tend
to the sick, and any other task that may need to be done.
Martha Custis Washington was not only married to George Washington, she also did her
part to serve her country. She traveled from Mount Vernon to Valley Forge and set up a
sewing circle with other wives.
5
She tended to the sick and was known to be selfless
when it came to tending to sick soldiers. Known as Lady Washington, her presence at
camps was a welcomed event for the soldiers there.
6
She was known to stay at the camps
until the opening of the next battle, when she would return home to Mount Vernon.
Washington once expressed her time at the camps as a fortune for her to hear the first and
last cannons of all the abttles of the Revolutionary war.
7
Lucy Knox was one of the wives
that was with Martha Washington at Valley Forge. She married her husband General
Henry Knox, leaving her Loyalist family in Boston, and never saw them again.
8
There were some women who placed themselves in harm way for the great cause of
independence.
Catherine Moore Barry, known as Kate, the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens”, born in
1752 in Ireland, was married to Captain Andrew Barry.
9
She was a great horseman and
5
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
6
Elizabeth F. Ellet.1900. The Women of the American Revolution. George W. Jacobs & Co.
7
Ibid.
8
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
9
Ibid.
Hollingsworth 3
was familiar with the terrain around her plantation, Walnut Grove. Before the Battle of
Cowpins began, she helped carry the call to arms through the neighborhood. Remaining
present for the battle itself, she was also a scout for the Patriots. The British captured her,
but she refused to give up her husband’s company, and some reports state they beat her
for it.
10
Her story translated into poems and pamphlets, that garnered support for the case
against the British.
11
Kate died in 1823 and is buried at her plantation, Walnut Grove.
Deborah Sampson was a woman who actually disguised herself as a man in order to
contribute her part to the war. She was born in Uxbridge Massachusetts, was a servant
from age 5 to 18 and was determined to become something other than what fate may have
lead her.
12
Having worked as a weaver and a teacher, Deborah desperately wanted to
contribute to the Revolution. Knowing she could not do that as a woman, she decided she
wanted to join the military and fight for independence.
13
Deborah saved her money,
purchased what was needed to make her own clothing, sewed her own men’s clothing,
and told her family she was leaving to find a better paying job.
14
In October 1778, she
enlisted and fought under the assumed name of Robert Shurtliff in the fourth
Massachusetts Regiment.
15
Robert was actually her brother, who had passed away due to
causes unknown. Having been wounded in battle, she allowed the physicians to treat her
forehead, but not her thigh, in fear of her gender being revealed.
16
She managed to slip
10
Walter Edgar. 2012. The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the American Revolution in South
Carolina. University of South Carolina Press, 9.
11
Ibid, 9
12
Anne S. Lombard. 2004. The Woman Who Played The Man: Deborah Sampson, Soldier in the American
Revolution. Reviews in American History. Baltimore, 493-498
13
Ibid, 498
14
Elizabeth F. Ellet.1900. The Women of the American Revolution. George W. Jacobs & Co.
15
Women in the American Revolution: On the Homefront and On the Battlefield. American Battlefield
Trust.
16
Ibid.
Hollingsworth 4
out of the hospital and removed one of two bullets from her leg. Her leg never did heal
due to the remaining bullet. In 1783 she contracted a fever and her attending physician
kept her gender a secret after discovering it. She was honorably discharged in 1763 and
argued for her service pension. She was known to give lectures about her time in the
service, which helped her raise her three children.
17
By the time she passed in 1827 she
was collecting a small amount of pension from both Massachusetts and the federal
government. Deborah’s contribution to the war for freedom is significant, and her
contributions as a woman is noteworthy. A statue is erected in front of the public library
in Sharon, Massachusetts where she settled after the war and lived until she died.
18
Her
story, although romantic is one that may have been duplicated by other woman, but
unknown to the world. This is mainly due to reportable sources were comprised of men.
Men also would not have supported a story of unworthy means, given she was a woman.
As one of the wives that followed their husbands to winter camps, Margaret Cochran
Corbin was with her husband, John Corbin on November 17, 1776 at Fort Washington.
Known as Captain Molly, she became a brave soldier when the Fort came under attack.
19
Her husband was killed in battle and she took over her husband’s job of firing the cannon
at the British and Hessian troops. She was injured herself, in her shoulder chest, and jaw.
She never did fully recover from her injuries and couldn’t use her left arm for the
17
Women in the American Revolution: On the Homefront and On the Battlefield. American Battlefield
Trust.
18
Ibid.
19
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
Hollingsworth 5
remainder of her life.
20
She was the first woman to ever receive a lifetime pension after
the war.
21
Mary Ludwig Hays, also known as Molly Pitcher became well known at the Battle of
Monmouth in 1778. She essentially performed the task of making sure all soldiers were
given water as needed, as did the other women at the camp. She, like Margaret Corbin,
took the place at the cannon when her husband collapsed.
22
Her actions the day she took
her husband’s place at the cannon were recognized by General Nathaniel Greene, who
introduced her to General Georgeo Washington. Mary was promoted to Sargent for her
courageous actions, and the name Molly Pitcher was then coined in her honor.
23
She
remained in the Army for another 8 years as a washerwoman. In 1822, Mary petitioned
the state of Pennsylvania for financial assistance, and she was awarded $40 per month for
her contributions to the military and was buried with military honors when she died in
1832.
24
Her contribution to the cause has lived on, as the name Molly Pitcher has been
known to translate to many women who performed the task of supporting troops at camp
with water and other essentials.
Sybil Ludington was another woman who placed her life in jeopardy. She is known as the
female Paul Revere due to heroic trip through two counties to warn of the approaching
British in April 1777.
25
Her father was Colonel Henry Ludington, commander of the 7th
Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia and sent his daughter out to warn of the coming
20
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
21
Ibid.
22
Elizabeth Cometti. 1947. Women in the American Revolution. New England Journal.
23
John C. Fredriksen. 2006. Revolutionary War Almanac. New York, New York.
24
Ibid.
25
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
Hollingsworth 6
forces, as he did not have a messenger of his own.
26
She was 16 years old at the time and
she traveled 40 miles each way on horseback to warn of the imminent attack.
27
It is not
commonly known she actually rode twice the distance of Paul Revere, and did so in a
rainstorm.
28
The Daughters of the Revolution erected a statue along her 40 mile route.
That statue can be visited today in Carmel, New York.
29
There was one woman, that although she was home, she protected her homestead and her
family with bravery and wit. Nancy Hart, wife of Benjamin Hart was home when 6
British soldiers came to her home.
30
Demanding information she wouldn’t give them,
they shot one of her turkeys and demanded she cook it for them.
31
While they ate, she
gave them wine, while handing their weapons off to her daughter through a window, who
had secretly gone to alert the neighbors of their guests.
32
Noticing what was happening,
the Soldiers attempted to stop her, only to be met with the end of one of the muskets.
Nancy was able to hold them until her husband arrived. In 1912, railroad workman found
6 skeletons near the Hart cabin, believed to be the British Soldiers from that fateful day.
33
There were numerous women who wanted to help the cause, and did so in a way that
enabled to use their intellect and creativity.
26
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
27
Ibid.
28
Women in the American Revolution: On the Homefront and On the Battlefield. American Battlefield
Trust.
29
Ibid.
30
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
31
Ibid.
32
Ibid.
33
Ibid.
Hollingsworth 7
Esther DeBerdt Reed was from London, but married American Joseph Reed in 1770.
34
They lived in Philadelphia and she became committed to the cause of American
Independence. In an effort to show her support for her new country, Esther established an
organization that went door to door asking for donations for soldiers. The organization,
called “The Ladies of Philadelphia”, raised more than $300,000.
35
With George
Washington’s support, the women of The Ladies of Philadelphia, sewed shirts for the
soldiers, using the money they collected to purchase the linen.
36
On July 4, 1780, Esther
wrote to Washington, telling him of the funds the Ladies of Philadelphia had collected
for the Soldiers. She wrote that although the contributions collected ”answered our
expectations, it does not equal our wishes” and she was sure it would be received as
“proof of our zeal for the great cause of America and our esteem and gratitude for those
who bravely defend it.”
37
Abigail Adams is known for more than being the wife of President John Adams. She is
also known for being outspoken, a business woman and a politically savvy companion to
John Adams.
Born on November 22, 1744 in Weymouth MA, Abigail married John Adams in 1764
and they had 5 children.
38
As John descended into politics, Abigail filled both her role as
mother and house wife, but also learned to run their farm and deal with their tenants. She
eventually engaged in various business enterprises such as buying land in her husband’s
34
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
35
Pamela Murrow. 2013. 10 Amazing Women of the Revolutionary War. Journal of the American
Revolution.
36
Ibid.
37
William Bradford Reed. 1853. The Life of Esther DeBerdt: afterwards Esther Reed of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia: C. Sherman, 319
38
Edith Belle Gelles. 1992. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Hollingsworth 8
name and selling high-end items John would send her from Europe. Abigail admitted she
was never comfortable performing her husband’s roles and considered these tasks ones
she did as a part of her patriotic duty and in support of her husband.
39
It was in John’s
absences she began to write and that’s where her public legacy began. She once wrote to
him, “I hope in time to have the reputation of being as good a farmeness as my partner
has at being a good statesman.”
40
Initially, her letters were to her husband, but then included her friends and family, as it
was a form of therapy for her.
41
Abigail’s letters were always consistent and showed
strength and tolerance. She was outspoken and wrote about religion, education, raising
children, philosophy, poetry and even dressing and manners. She argued for fair
treatment of women, which was unusual for her time. She was friends with Mercy Otis
Warren, which most of recognize as an author who wrote for equal rights for women.
42
She wrote to Mercy “I find it necessary not to only pay attention to my own door, but to
everything without it, about our little farm, etc.”
43
In 1775 along with Mercy, she was
appointed by the Massachusetts Colony General Court to question women who were
suspected loyalists.
44
In 1784 she moved to Europe for a period of time, and her writing
became more diverse. Abigail actually chose a pen name of Portia. Portia was a Roman
wife to the Great Brutus who himself was a politician. This is ironic, because the public’s
39
Edith Belle Gelles. 1992. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
40
Ibid.
41
Edith Belle Gelles. 1992. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
42
Ibid.
43
Edith Belle Gelles. 1992. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
44
Eileen Hunt Botting. 2016. Women Writing War: Mercy Otis Warren and Hannah Mather Crocker on the
American Revolution, Massachusetts and the Origins of American Historical Thought. Massachusetts
History Review, 91
Hollingsworth 9
view of Abigail Adams’ character was altered due to the focus on who her husband
was.
45
As her husband John was working diligently on advocating for an independent nation,
Abigail wrote to him, “I long to hear you have declared an independency and by the way,
in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you
would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your
ancestors. Do not put such un-limited power in the hands of the husbands.”
46
The letters
between her and John Adams show he sought her advice often and she gave it. Her
letters, and even her “remember the ladies” comment created an image of a feminist,
domestic in nature and through time turned into a dutiful wife who dabbled in politics.
It’s important to note that Abigail did not want her letters published in fear of risking her
good reputation. Her grandson Charles Francis Adams first published her letters in 1840.
3 more editions followed by 1848.
47
As previously discussed, Mercy Otis Warren was a literary heroine in her own right. She
was born in 1728 and married Joseph Warren, a Boston Patriot.
48
Mercy was just as
saavy as Abigail Adams, and she often wrote about equal rights for women. She was
focused on the role of women in the new republican government.
49
Known to dabble in
playwriting, she also wrote about important events going on in and around Boston. In
December 1774 she wrote "America stands armed with resolution and virtue, but she still
45
Edith Belle Gelles. 1992. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
46
Ibid.
47
Ibid.
48
Eileen Hunt Botting. 2016. Women Writing War: Mercy Otis Warren and Hannah Mather Crocker on the
American Revolution, Massachusetts and the Origins of American Historical Thought. Massachusetts
History Review, 90
49
Ibid, 91
Hollingsworth 10
recoils at the idea of drawing the sword against the nation from whence she derived her
origin.”
50
Four months later, war broke out at Lexington. Mercy was also a published
author, with her book, published in 1802, History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination
of the American Revolution, which was a historical recollection of cultural events that
occurred during the American Revolution.
51
Betsy Ross is an iconic figure, who’s story deserves to be told, although the accuracy of
specific events were not able to verified by herself. Born Elizabeth Griscom in 1742 in
Philadelphia, she married John Ross and became Elizabeth Ross. Ross was a Quaker, and
a member of the Society of Friends and the Daughters of Benevolence.
52
Through
Daughters, she would provide clothing and lint to Continental Soldiers. Ross was also
known to visit war camps to share songs with Soldiers and tend to the sick and wounded.
She was referred to as the “true friend of the sick”.
53
Ross was also an accomplished
seamstress and upholsterer, well known in Philadelphia and New York cities. Her
storebooks have many known names, some of which were General Washington,
Governor Morns, Judge James Wilson, James Trimble, and William Shippen, to name a
few. Ross made drapery for the Hall of Congress and the Governor’s Reception Room, as
well as theatres and public halls in Philadelphia. In December 1775, Dr. Benjamin
Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were given the task by a secret commission
50
Women in the American Revolution: On the Homefront and On the Battlefield. American Battlefield
Trust.
51
Eileen Hunt Botting. 2016. Women Writing War: Mercy Otis Warren and Hannah Mather Crocker on the
American Revolution, Massachusetts and the Origins of American Historical Thought. Massachusetts
History Review, 90
52
Reigart, Franklin J. 1878. The History of the First United States Flag and the Patriotism of Bets Ross, the
Immortal Heroine that Originated the First Flag of the Union. Lane S. Hart, Printer and Binder.
53
Reigart, Franklin J. 1878. The History of the First United States Flag and the Patriotism of Bets Ross, the
Immortal Heroine that Originated the First Flag of the Union. Lane S. Hart, Printer and Binder.
Hollingsworth 11
in the Congress to have a flag and official seal prepared for the colonies.
54
It has been
said Col George Ross was the one who asked Ross to create the first flag of the nation,
describing to her the thirteen stripes, field of blue, incorporating an eagle and thirteen
stars onto the blue square.
55
The first seal of the nation was also created using the same
concept. The designs Ross came up with were submitted to and approved by Congress
and ultimately adopted as the official flag of the nation on June 14, 1777. The nation’s
seal was made official on September 15, 1789. What is profound is that every official
document was issued by North American Colonies until Ross marked the flags she made
with “The United States of America”.
56
Ross was also included in making flags for
General Washington’s Army and she oversaw the Eagle and stars being placed on drums
for the military as well. After the nation’s flag was adopted, she continued to create Army
and Navy flags for 55 years. When she died in 1832, her daughter, Clarissa Wilson
continued her business. Ross and her daughter were considered the most patriotic ladies
in America.
57
The contributions Ross made to the Revolutionary cause were both tangible
and non tangible. She showed her loyalty by caring for the sick and wounded, and she
showed her patriotism by helping to ensure our Soldiers were prepared, and using her
God given talents to create a flag that represented the soul of the nation and its mission to
be free.
There were at times, stories of women who were heroines simply by being willing to give
of their own to the greater cause. In 1779, Laleah Johnston, who had previously refused
54
Reigart, Franklin J. 1878. The History of the First United States Flag and the Patriotism of Bets Ross, the
Immortal Heroine that Originated the First Flag of the Union. Lane S. Hart, Printer and Binder.
55
Ibid.
56
Ibid.
57
Reigart, Franklin J. 1878. The History of the First United States Flag and the Patriotism of Bets Ross, the
Immortal Heroine that Originated the First Flag of the Union. Lane S. Hart, Printer and Binder.
Hollingsworth 12
to allow her two youngest of four sons fight, made the greatest sacrifice.
58
As a battle
raged and the family was fleeing, she stopped and told her two youngest “My boys, I was
about to disgrace you; go and join your brothers.”
59
This could be seen as one of the
greatest acts of Heroism, to give all your sons to a cause deemed worthy.
A story of much inspiration comes with Phyllis Wheatley. Phyllis was a slave, who begun
to write poetry. She became the first African American author to be published in the
United States.
60
In 1773, her collection of works was published, entitled Poems on
Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.
61
George Washington invited Phyllis to his
Cambridge headquarters in 1776 after she wrote a poem about him entitled “To His
Excellency, George Washington”.
62
it was there she was able to read that poem to him
personally. Phyllis remained a slave until her master passed in 1778.
63
The men that advocated, petitioned and fought during the Revolutionary period would
not have been able to accomplish America’s independence without the help of women.
Women in the American Revolution time period played so many vital roles. They are the
unsung heroes of that generation. Whether they provided support at the different military
camps, took care of crops and children at home, advocated for equal rights or fought
alongside our troops, women acted in so many important roles during the Revolutionary
period. There were many who wanted to make a difference, others showed bravery at
times of danger and adversity. Their impact and roles reached far beyond the battlefields
58
Ben Marsh. 2004. Women and the American Revolution in Georgia. The Georgia Historical Quarterly.
Georgia Historical Society, 157.
59
Ibid.
60
Women in the American Revolution: On the Homefront and On the Battlefield. American Battlefield
Trust.
61
Ibid.
62
Ibid.
63
Ibid.
Hollingsworth 13
and military camps. Women became saavy business women, entrepreneurs, skilled
farmers, protectors of their homes, managers of their estates. They took care of their
homes and families while their husbands were fighting, often maintaining the careers
their husbands worked so hard building. They sacrificed not only themselves, but time
with their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. They raised children and then most said
goodbye to their sons, never to see them again. They sowed crops, sold what they bore,
and endured the harshness of summers and winters, while still providing encouragement
and nurturing to their young. They cooked, cleaned and sewed for troops in military
camps, and were known to fight alongside them if need be. Women contributed most of
their lives in order to ensure the men in their lives were able to make their contributions,
whatever that consisted of. Women proved to be resilient, brave and selfless. The
significance of women’s roles during the Revolutionary time period is incredibly
understated. It goes without measure. The soldiers of the Revolutionary war faced danger
head on, but they were able to do so, because women were there providing support and
aid when needed.
Hollingsworth 14
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Hollingsworth 15
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