A Girl Called Samson

General Washington sends Paterson to Philadelphia to quell an uprising of soldiers threatening to destroy the state house. During the journey, Agrippa notes the tension between Samson and Paterson, but Samson explains it away by claiming that she and the general quarreled about reducing her duties because of her limp. That night, Paterson insists on standing guard while Samson bathes. They kiss and embrace, but Paterson stops them from going further. The next night, Samson voices her desire for Paterson, and they have sex.

The night before they reach Philadelphia, Paterson proposes that they marry in secret at his sister’s house and that Samson stay there until after the war. He doesn’t want Samson to remain in the army with him because he doesn’t want anyone to think that he is interested in men; he fears that this potential misperception would lead people to misconstrue his marriage. As he explains, “I did not join this fight to escape Elizabeth. And I will not dishonor her, or this cause, by doing anything to make people think that I did” (330). Samson worries that Paterson will become a laughingstock if anyone realizes that Robert Shurtliff and Deborah Samson are one and the same, and she fears that he is only asking her to marry him out of a sense of responsibility. However, he assures her, “I have never wanted something so much in all my life” (333).

By the time that General Paterson and General Howe arrive in Philadelphia on October 3, the conflict at the state house has already ended. Washington requests that Paterson remain in the city and judge the mutineers. Colonel Kosciuszko’s enlistment expires, and he asks Agrippa to come to Europe with him, but Agrippa declines. Paterson purchases a formal dress and other feminine clothes for Samson on their way to the home of his sister, Anne Holmes. Paterson introduces Samson to Anne, saying, “This is Deborah Samson, my aide-de-camp, and my wife-to-be” (340). At first, Anne is incredulous and concerned, but Paterson convinces her to trust him. Anne deems that most of the new wardrobe is too frilly to suit Samson’s strong features, but a dress in colonial blue with rows of gold buttons down the front meets her approval. Anne’s husband, Reverend Holmes, marries them in a nearby church. During the ceremony, the reverend quotes the Book of Revelation, stating, “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (346).

The morning after their wedding, Paterson leaves Samson at his sister’s house. She decides to explore the city and puts on her uniform so that she can walk about without an escort. However, Philadelphia is plagued by yellow fever, and Samson sickens and collapses in the street. She is taken to a hospital, where Dr. Binney and Dr. Thatcher discover that she is a woman. Although she is terribly weak, she shields Paterson by uttering, “The general… didn’t… know” (355).

Dr. Thatcher contacts General Paterson, who carries her from the hospital to his sister’s house with Agrippa’s help. Only Anne Holmes and Agrippa know the full truth of Samson’s sex and of her marriage to the general. Paterson beseeches Samson to live and tends to her throughout her sickness. Nine days after their wedding day, she awakens in a more lucid state. Paterson offers to resign, but she insists that he fight until the end of the war as he has promised himself and his soldiers. He says that he can only fulfill his duty if he is certain that she is safe, and she agrees to wait for him at Lenox. Before Agrippa returns to West Point, he pays Samson a visit. She apologizes for hiding the truth from him and asks him to look after Paterson. He assures her that they are still friends and that he will protect her secret, saying, “Remember what I told you? You don’t have to be afraid anymore” (364).

In a diary entry dated June 12, 1783, Samson writes to Elizabeth that Paterson House at Lenox is filled with the presence of her late friend. John’s mother and sisters welcome her with open arms. Samson is also grateful to see that Paterson has freed Morris, his wife, and their son and given them work at Lenox. Elizabeth kept all of Samson’s letters from their decade of correspondence, and now, by reading the letters to John and Elizabeth’s three daughters (Hannah, Polly, and Ruthie), Samson grows close to the children.

General John Paterson resigns his commission and comes home in December 1783, nearly nine years after he first left for war. His daughters and mother are overjoyed by his surprise return. Samson puts on the blue dress that she wore at their wedding and waits for him under the tree where Elizabeth is buried. The reunited couple shares a kiss filled with “ardor and relief” (372).

Years pass, and Samson and John have a son named John and a daughter named Elizabeth. When Samson’s mother dies, Samson is struck by the realization that her mother will never know her story. She creates a replica of her colonial uniform and considers staging talks about her time in the military. She confides the idea to Agrippa and explains that she wants the world to accept her. Her friend laughs heartily and replies, “Go chase acceptance. When you find it, let me know. ’Cause there’s a few African folk who’d really like to know where it is” (378). Samson has never shared her story with anyone because she has always been worried about tarnishing her husband’s reputation, but Paterson assures her that he cares about her happiness far more than his good name. Samson explains that she must tell her story, not only for her sake, but for that of all American women, saying, “We suffered and sacrificed. We fought, even if it was not always on the battlefield. It was our Revolution as well, and yet… no one ever asks us” (385).

During Samson’s speaking tour, she fills lecture halls in Boston, Providence, and New York. At the start of each presentation, she dresses in a replica of her colonial uniform and performs military drills before changing into a dress and returning to the stage with her musket in hand. She gives four sold-out shows in Middleborough, and Mrs. Thomas comes to see her. Samson shows her husband around her old home, and Benjamin Thomas gives Samson her old journals and encourages her to publish them. Samson tells Mrs. Thomas that she thinks of her as her mother and apologizes for never telling her that. The woman answers, “I have always been so proud of you. Don’t ever stop being Deborah Samson. Don’t ever hide her again. The world needs to know your story” (389).

In a diary entry dated April 29, 1827, Samson tells Elizabeth that she feels her life drawing to a close. John served in Congress for two years but spent most of his career after the military as a judge. They now have two granddaughters, Elizabeth and Deborah, and Samson makes them their own pairs of magic breeches for racing boys. Twenty-five years have passed since her first speaking tour, but she still does small engagements on occasion. Agrippa is a now father and a local celebrity, and he still regales people with his war stories. With the support of notable figures like Paul Revere and John Quincy Adams, Samson receives her soldier’s pension. Reflecting on her multifaceted identity as a veteran, a mother, and a wife, she observes that she “embraced every role, played every part, and made [her] mark on the world” (393).