12. Deborah Sampson
Deborah Sampson of Massachusetts was so determined to fight in the Revolutionary War that she tried to enlist in the fledgling army twice. During her second attempt, she used the identity “Robert Shirtliffe,” and she successfully fought in the war for almost two years. At five-foot, and seven inches tall, she had an impressive height advantage over most women at the time.
Sampson joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, and she was assigned to Captain George Webb’s forces. She had the dangerous task of scouting neutral territory and assessing the British’s buildup of men and materials in Manhattan.