A Girl Called Samson

Samson, Agrippa, General Paterson, and Colonel Sproat enter the cave, which contains hundreds of barrels of flour, butter, salted meat, beans, and other foodstuffs desperately needed by the starving Continental Army. The general theorizes that DeLancey attacked them back in June to divert their attention from the stolen goods. The group spends the night in the barn of a local patriot.

They are attacked early the next morning. A bullet grazes General Paterson’s head, rendering him unconscious. As Samson rushes to his side, she is shot in the leg and prays, “Elizabeth, help me” (203). She knows the area from previous expeditions and rides to the estate of a loyalist named Van Tassel. The rules of the neutral zone require Van Tassel to aid any officer regardless of his loyalties, but he tries to evade this responsibility until Samson points a pistol at him. An enslaved man named Morris helps Samson to bring the general to a barn. He cautions, “These folks are not friendly to the regimentals” (209). Samson tends to the general’s injury and then digs the bullet out of her leg.

The next morning, Paterson awakens and tells Samson, “I owe you my life, Shurtliff” (216). Morris helps them to mount the general’s horse, and Paterson invites him to join the Continental Army. The enslaved man explains that he cannot do so because he cannot leave his wife and son. During the taxing ride back, Samson and Paterson talk to keep each other conscious. The general speaks of Elizabeth’s beauty, kindness, and generosity and voices his doubts about why he left her to fight in the war. Samson shares that she would like to have children one day but doesn’t let herself think about the future much. As they ride, she recites every text she has ever memorized. When they reach Peekskill Hollow, Samson sheds tears of relief to see that Agrippa is alive. She collapses, and Agrippa helps her upright, saying, “You did good, Bonny. You did good” (223).

After Dr. Thatcher inspects the general’s injuries, Paterson insists that Samson be examined as well. She manages to conceal the bullet wound in her thigh and only shows him the place on her calf where she was grazed. Agrippa brings Samson fresh clothing and takes over the task of waking the general every hour, thereby allowing Samson to rest. Agrippa believes that Samson’s impressive reputation and hard work are motivated by a fear of losing the people close to her, and he assures her that he and the general will look after her. Colonel Sproat leads a group of men to recover the supplies from the cave, and the mission is successful.

A month after the ambush, Samson still walks with a limp, so General Paterson encourages her to rest at Moore House and entertain herself with a commentary on the Book of Judges while he goes on a short trip. The general encounters Captain Samson, who mentions that he has a daughter who wants to be a soldier. The general recovers the horse that Samson rode on the mission. Her diary is in the saddlebag, and he notes that all of the entries are addressed to Elizabeth. He confirms his suspicions by verifying that the handwriting in the diary matches the letters sent to him by Deborah Samson. The general confronts her with the truth. He explains that he had a sense that they knew each other from the moment they met and asks her if she is a spy. Samson denies this accusation and pleads passionately to be allowed to remain in the army, saying, “I have served well. I have earned my right to be here” (236). The general embraces her but then leaves without another word. Samson believes that Paterson will discharge her privately, and the thought of never seeing him again is “worse than public censure, worse than having no future and no home” (237). In a letter to Elizabeth, she pours out her sorrow and her guilt at being in love with her late friend’s husband.

The next morning, Samson resolves to accept whatever fate Paterson decides for her. She is surprised when Agrippa informs her that the general has left to investigate the sudden death of the loyalist, Van Tassel. Agrippa has no idea that anything is amiss between her and the general. He tells Samson that Benedict Arnold was Paterson’s friend and that the general blames himself for not realizing that he was a traitor. Agrippa explains, “John Paterson is always cleaning up everyone’s messes [...] And he never, ever asks a thing in return” (243).

The general returns to Moore House six days later. He informs Samson that she may continue as his aide but warns her that he will not be able to protect her if the truth is discovered. She answers that she has never had anyone’s protection besides her own, and she insists that he treat her just the same as he did before he learned her secret. However, the general is cold and withdrawn, and she confronts him when he starts sending Agrippa on errands that she used to complete. Paterson explains that he struggles to see her as the soldier he knew and that he worries for her safety. She tries to help him see that she values autonomy far more than security. As she says, “The war was at my doorstep, and it was the only escape available to me” (254). Still, she promises to respect his orders.

As the war drags on, the Continental Army contends with deepening dissatisfaction and sporadic mutinies among the troops. General Washington decides to hold a celebration in honor of the birth of the French dauphin as a way of honoring France’s invaluable support. Paterson worries that the unpaid and underfed soldiers will resent this, but he obeys his commander and prepares West Point for the event. A few days before the party, Captain Webb tells Paterson and Samson that some of the troops are plotting to desert. (One of the alleged conspirators, Davis Dornan, previously mentioned the possibility of desertion during a scouting mission with Samson.) Now, Paterson and Webb inform all the officers in the area of the plot, but Dornan slips away.

On May 31, 1781, French and American officers arrive for the celebration along with their wives and staff members. Samson is thrilled to meet her heroes, including the autodidact and war hero General Henry Knox and his wife, Lucy, who travels beside him from camp to camp. When Lucy Knox expresses surprise that Paterson’s aide is not an officer, the general praises her, saying, “Samson is the best aide I’ve ever had. Smart, incredibly capable, and often underestimated” (269). They explain that he calls her Samson as a nickname because she is stronger than she appears; this is a reference to the biblical warrior, Samson, who was blessed with superhuman might.

Samson watches admiringly from the sidelines as General Paterson dances at the ball. To her astonishment, Phineas Thomas recognizes her. He assures her that he will keep her secret and congratulates her on achieving the position of aide-de-camp within a year of enlisting. However, their reunion turns gloomy when Phineas mentions his deceased brothers. He says, “The best men don’t make it as long, though I don’t know if, at this point, I can be counted among the living” (275). Still, Samson is glad to hear that Benjamin and Jacob made it back home, and she becomes tearful when she and Phineas say their goodbyes.

The party goes smoothly, and Paterson is in good spirits when Samson finds him afterward. Washington is staying in the general’s room, so Paterson and Samson spend the night in his office. Paterson asks Samson to dance with him, and they both laugh because Samson keeps performing the man’s steps rather than the woman’s. Afterward, she asks him why he chose her for his aide. He answers that Robert Shurtliff impressed him, and he adds that exchanging letters with Deborah Samson helped him to better understand his own beliefs. He tells her, “Good night, Samson. You made me proud today” (283). This makes her shed happy tears, which she conceals from him. She accidentally calls him by his first name when she bids him good night.

In July, 100 men from General Paterson’s brigade gather in White Plains and refuse to return to their posts until they receive the pay they were promised. General Paterson assembles 250 men to approach the discontented soldiers, and Samson insists on accompanying him. They round up the mutineers, and Paterson asks who their leaders are. When Phineas steps forward, Samson pleads on his behalf, saying, “He is one of ten brothers, all of whom enlisted. Four of them are dead. No family has given more than his. I would ask that you show him mercy” (289). Phineas protests that he only wants justice, and Paterson answers that it is impossible for Phineas to receive justice for all that he has lost. The general takes off his own coat and shirt and orders Phineas to be given a whip so that he can take his vengeance for the Continental Army’s broken promises. Phineas lashes Paterson’s back 11 times before one of the other mutineers intervenes.

All of the men except for Phineas agree to continue to serve as long as General Paterson does. Phineas tells Samson that he doesn’t want to be saved and that his youngest brother, Jeremiah, is dead. Then he rushes at Paterson with a knife, forcing Samson and Colonel Sproat to shoot him. Sproat grew up in the same town as Samson and the Thomas brothers, and her defense of Phineas has caused him to realize her true identity. He promises to keep her secret and praises her as a fine soldier. Later, Paterson finds Samson grieving in his tent. He holds her while she weeps. She recounts stories of the Phineas she knew in her childhood, and in the morning, she awakens feeling “cleansed, even whole” (299).