A Girl Called Samson

Samson is escorted back to the Thomases in disgrace. She is threatened with imprisonment, but she is spared this punishment when she pays back the money from the muster man. She explains to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas that she truly wishes to help end the war and reminds them that she is a better shot than their sons. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas warn her that her actions will cost her her teaching position, her offer of marriage from Mr. Crewe, and her acceptance in the town’s churches. Samson isn’t troubled by any of these consequences, and she realizes, “If I don’t do this, I cannot continue on. [...] I would rather die” (95).

Filled with sudden resolve, she puts her men’s attire back on, gathers some supplies, and writes her goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. As she heads south to a place she won’t be recognized, she chooses the alias Robert Shurtliff and decides that she will claim to be a 16-year-old orphan. After walking for three days, she reaches New Bedford, where she goes to a tavern and sees her father, who is now a captain. He thinks that she is one of his sons, and she tells him that she is more of a man than he will ever be. On April 20, 1781, Samson becomes a light infantryman in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment under Captain George Webb.

Along with the other new recruits, Samson receives a uniform and gear. Captain Webb praises her excellent form during drills, and her conversation with him makes her truly realize that she may have to kill. During the arduous marches, Samson grows acquainted with the other members of her regiment, including John Beebe, Jimmy Battles, and Noble Sperin. Her skills at reading, writing, and barbery ingratiate her to her fellow soldiers, and she becomes adept at passing as a man. She is given the nickname Bonny because she is considered pretty for a boy.

The regiment is posted at Fort Clinton on the Hudson River. Samson is shocked to discover that General Paterson is stationed at the fort, and she worries that he will recognize her somehow even though they have never met in person. The general is troubled by the youth of the new recruits and says, “God willing, this war will end before it makes them men…or we dig their graves” (116). Samson admires Paterson’s upright nature and wishes that she could greet him as a friend and extend her condolences to him for the death of Elizabeth.

Samson keeps to herself as much as possible to avoid detection, and she volunteers for night watch for the same reason. One night, a restless General Paterson paces near her post. The general believes that the youth shouldn’t have to see war, so she recites the Declaration of Independence to remind them both what they’re fighting for. These nightly recitations become a habit, and Samson strives to give the weary and grieving general some hope, even though she cannot reveal to him that they are friends who have corresponded for years. During one of their conversations, she expresses her great enthusiasm for the Book of Revelation. He remarks, “You are a very odd fellow, Shurtliff” (128) and laughs heartily for the first time in a great while. Samson’s heart races when the general pats her shoulder. She has never been interested in men before, and she tries to convince herself that her reaction is simply admiration for his strong physique and auburn hair.

In June, Samson’s regiment is sent to the no-man’s-land between West Point and New York City, which is held by the British. The region is beset by loyalist scavengers and profiteers led by James DeLancey. Samson doesn’t have an opportunity to say goodbye to General Paterson in person, but she writes a letter as Deborah, in which she tells him how much he and Elizabeth mean to her.

One night, Beebe confesses to Samson that he is afraid to die, and she comforts him by quoting Scripture. He suggests that she would make a good reverend, and she likes the idea of following in Conant’s footsteps. After Beebe relieves Samson from her watch, she bathes in a nearby creek. She sees a group of riders from DeLancey’s brigade and fires at them to alert her detachment that there are enemies behind their lines. She then races back to camp as the riders return fire.

Within minutes of Samson raising the alarm at the camp, DeLancey’s cavalry is upon them. Noble is shot in the head while urging Samson to take cover, and Samson kills two riders with a bayonet and a hatchet. General Paterson sends her to deliver a message to Colonel Sproat: “Tell him we’re pinned in here, and they’re mowing us down” (147). Sproat sends her to find reinforcements at Dobbs Ferry.

By the time she returns to her regiment’s camp, the battle is over. Neither Jimmy nor Beebe has survived. Samson realizes that her arm bears a long gash, and she resolves to stitch the wound herself rather than risk discovery by the army doctors. General Paterson sees her and tends to her injury himself. She talks to the general about the loss of her closest comrades and tells him, “I had no idea what I was talking about. No idea what I signed up for” (154). He assures her that no one does and praises her efforts. Samson’s fallen comrades remind her of the Thomas boys, and she offers to help Paterson write letters to their families.

In September, General Paterson’s brigade marches to Philadelphia as part of George Washington’s plan to trick the British into thinking that he will target New York. He then orders his forces to Virginia. At Yorktown, Samson’s regiment endures weeks of bombardment from British cannons. Her unit is tasked with taking a British redoubt. Paterson gives his forces a speech, saying, “[W]e stand on the precipice of a glorious ending. Let’s finish it. And let’s go home” (163). The British retreat from the redoubt, and Samson is astonished to have survived her second battle. A few days later, Lord Cornwallis surrenders to General Washington. In a diary entry, Samson deplores the fact that the colonies still allow enslavement to continue even as they fight for emancipation from the British.

The pitiful state of Samson’s fellow soldiers during the slog back to West Point makes her realize that as much as she chafes against society’s restrictions on women, “men had their own burdens” (167), including the expectation that they would fight in the war. As autumn nears its end, Samson prays that the British will surrender before she and her fellow soldiers have to face the hardships of winter.

General Paterson’s forces do not receive adequate supplies from Congress, so they resort to raiding loyalist properties for food. Samson volunteers to join the scouting expeditions, and she grows anxious when some of the other scouts, including Davis Dornan, consider desertion. Captain Webb informs Samson that General Paterson is considering her for the position of his new aide-de-camp, saying, “I hate to lose you, but you’ll eat better, you’ll sleep better, and I reckon you’ll do me proud” (172).

Samson reports to Moore House for the interview, and the building is far more massive and opulent than any she has entered before. Agrippa Hull, a Black freeman and the aide of Colonel Kosciuszko, pokes fun at her feminine features and leads her to General Paterson. The general evaluates Samson’s qualifications by dictating a letter to her. As a further demonstration of her skills, she shaves his face. Samson considers it “a miracle that such an opportunity had arisen” (178), because being an aide will afford her far greater privacy than her current arrangement among the troops. The general offers her the position, warns her that it will be a demanding role, and says that the most important aspect of the job is being worthy of his trust. Samson gladly accepts.