Ann McGovern’s The Secret Soldier (1975) is a historical biography for young readers that recounts the real-life story of Deborah Sampson. Set during the American Revolution, the narrative follows Deborah, a young Massachusetts woman who chafes against the restrictive roles available to women in the 18th century. Driven by a desire for adventure and independence, she disguises herself as a man named Robert Shurtliff and enlists in the Continental Army, the revolutionary force fighting British troops during the war. The book explores themes of Gender Discrimination as a Barrier to Independence, The Burden of Concealment, and The Lasting Drive for Adventure.

McGovern was a prolific author of more than 50 books for children, many of which focused on making historical figures and events accessible to a young audience. She worked as an editor at Scholastic for 13 years and wrote popular titles such as If You Lived in Colonial Times and If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. The Secret Soldier reflects McGovern’s broader interest in presenting history to young readers through the experiences of individual figures. The book follows Deborah’s efforts to pursue opportunities unavailable to women of her time, the demands of concealing her identity during military service, and her continuing desire for travel and adventure after the war.

This guide refers to the 1975 Scholastic Inc. edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, graphic violence, child abuse, gender discrimination, and substance use.

Summary

In 1765 Massachusetts, five-year-old Deborah Sampson’s father dies in a shipwreck, and her impoverished mother must give her children away. Deborah is sent to live with a kind relative, Cousin Fuller, who bakes her cookies and teaches her to read, spin, and weave. For three years, Deborah is happy, but Cousin Fuller then dies. Now eight, Deborah is sent to live with 80-year-old Mrs. Thatcher, who can’t care for herself and depends on Deborah for household tasks, including cooking and hauling firewood. The work is demanding and lonely, but Deborah finds a friend in the local minister, who sees her plight. He arranges for Mrs. Thatcher to live with relatives and finds a new home for Deborah with the family of Deacon Thomas in Middleborough, where she is to serve for the next 10 years.

In the Thomas household, Deborah is a servant, but she’s part of a lively family again, caring for the four young boys. She works hard at every chore, from cooking and cleaning to plowing fields and harnessing the horse. Deborah wants to continue learning, but Deacon Thomas and his wife don’t consider extensive reading important for girls, and her household responsibilities prevent her from attending school. She watches the Thomas boys run off to the village school and begs them to teach her what they have learned, but they’re more interested in wrestling with her. Undeterred, Deborah borrows their books and reads by candlelight in her loft room at night. She makes a pen from a goose feather and practices writing on birch bark, even starting a diary to record her thoughts. When Deacon Thomas gives each child lambs to raise and sell, Deborah participates, earning her first money, which she carefully wraps in a handkerchief. During these years, the political conflict between the American colonies and England escalates, and Deborah hears about disputes over taxes, British soldiers, and the growing possibility of war.

When she’s 10 years old, she hears about growing unrest in Boston over the presence of British soldiers, and at 13, she hears about the Boston Tea Party. The colonies begin preparing for war, with men and boys training as minutemen, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Deborah watches them drill in her village. In 1775, at age 15, she hears the bells ring out, marking the first battles of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord. A year later, Congress votes for the Declaration of Independence, declaring the colonies free from English rule and establishing the United States of America. The war drags on, and when Deborah is 18, in 1778, her 10 years of service to the Thomas family end. She’s finally free, but her options as a woman are limited. She works for a summer as a schoolteacher, teaching the girls in her class far more than the sewing and knitting they’re expected to learn. Her mother urges her to marry, but Deborah is reluctant to do so because married women have few legal rights over property, money, or family decisions. She dreams of travel and adventure, including seeing great cities like Boston and New York. Knowing that men seeking travel and adventure can join the army, she begins to consider disguising herself as a man and becoming a soldier.

By the time Deborah is 21, the Americans have won an important battle at Yorktown, but the fighting continues. General George Washington is seeking Continental soldiers willing to enlist for three-year terms, and Deborah decides to carry out her plan. While working as a weaver, she weaves a strip of cloth to bind her chest flat and then weaves enough cloth for a man’s suit. She also buys a man’s hat and shoes. To test her disguise, she visits her own mother, who fails to recognize her. She then visits a fortune-teller, who tells the young “man” that he will have many adventures. Deborah decides to wait until spring to travel and spends the intervening time practicing sitting, standing, walking, running, and speaking in a deeper voice. When the weather grows warmer, she puts her plan into action. After walking all night, she becomes lost and exhausted but continues toward Boston. Upon arriving in the city hungry and penniless, she prepares to enlist. On May 20, 1782, she enlists in the Continental Army for a three-year term, signing the name Robert Shurtliff. Her fellow soldiers, seeing her beardless face, assume that she’s a boy of 15 and nickname her “Bobby” or, teasingly, “Blooming Boy.” No one suspects she is a woman.

Deborah’s life as a soldier is grueling. A nearly two-week march to West Point, New York, leaves her exhausted to the point of fainting. Once there, she’s issued a uniform and a gun and participates in daily drills and raids against Tories—Americans who remain loyal to the English king. After witnessing soldiers suffering and dying, she stops thinking of war as an adventure. She endures blistered hands, worn-out shoes, and days without food, but she never complains. During a scouting mission to a cave filled with food stolen by Tories, her party is discovered. As they flee, Deborah is shot in the neck and leg. Knowing that a doctor’s examination will reveal her secret, she urges a fellow soldier to leave her behind, but he refuses and takes her to a hospital. The doctor bandages her neck but notices her bloody boot. Desperate, Deborah asks to rest alone for a while. In a small room, she uses her pocketknife to dig the bullet from her own leg. Despite the pain, she removes the bullet herself and bandages the wound. Her leg never properly heals.

Two weeks after being wounded, Deborah is called to take part in a march despite still being weak. When a sick soldier named Richard Snow collapses, she takes him to a nearby farmhouse owned by Van Tassel, a Tory. They’re confined to a cold attic, where Van Tassel’s daughter secretly brings them food and water. Richard dies after 10 days, and Deborah and the daughter bury him before Deborah sets out to rejoin the soldiers. Later, General Paterson, who has heard of Robert Shurtliff’s bravery, chooses Deborah as his personal orderly, giving her a horse and better living conditions. In June, she’s sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where a terrible fever is spreading. She falls ill and is taken to a hospital, where she sinks into a coma. As she lies unconscious, Dr. Binney examines her and discovers that Robert Shurtliff is a woman.

Dr. Binney keeps her secret and introduces her to his wife and daughters as Robert Shurtliff. As Deborah recovers, she spends time with the family exploring Philadelphia. In September, Deborah learns that a peace treaty has been signed in Paris, and the city celebrates the end of the war. Once she’s well, Binney gives her a sealed letter to deliver to General Paterson. Back at camp, Deborah hands the general the letter and runs from the room, afraid of what Binney has written. Paterson summons her and kindly asks if what Binney has written is true. In tears, Deborah confesses her identity. She asks the general to obtain a fancy gown for her and later appears before him dressed in pink. When her captain doesn’t recognize her, Deborah recounts the names of men in his company and their shared experiences, convincing him that she is Robert Shurtliff. On October 25, 1783, she’s discharged from the army after about a year and a half of service and receives an excellent record of service.

After the war, Deborah marries a farmer named Benjamin Gannet and settles in Sharon, Massachusetts. They have three children and take in a baby girl named Susanna after her mother dies, raising her as their own. Though she’s a gentle mother, Deborah remains restless and yearns for adventure. After her military story appears in newspapers, Deborah begins giving public talks. At age 41, she becomes one of the first women in the country to travel alone and give talks for money, traveling to cities like Boston and New York as well as Providence, Rhode Island. She arranges her own bookings, puts notices in local papers, and appears on stage in her old military uniform to speak about her experiences and against war. She keeps a detailed diary of her travels, audiences, and expenses. Eventually, she grows tired of life on the road and returns home for good. In 1805, she receives government money allocated to soldiers wounded during the war. Thirteen years later, she begins receiving $8 a month, which continues for the rest of her life. She dies on April 29, 1827, at the age of 67. The author describes later commemorations of Deborah, including a warship named after her, a memorial tablet at her grave, and Deborah Sampson Street in Sharon.