The Revolution

• In 1763, the United Kingdom defeated France in the French and Indian War. The war left the country deeply in debt. Since the American colonists benefited from the conflict, Parliament felt they should help pay for it. Parliament passed several tax acts such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts that levied taxes on goods such as sugar, coffee, tea and printed documents. The colonists vigorously protested these taxes. Eighteenth century women were customarily kept from participating in politics. However, many of the protests such as boycotts of British goods were supported by women in their roles as consumers and producers of domestic goods. As the dispute broke down into open warfare, many women even found themselves on the battlefield.
  
  

Camp Followers

• Camp followers were the wives and daughters of the soldiers They maintained a steady presence at camp and received about half a ration of food and were paid a small wage for a variety of services that made camp life easier. Although not uniformed personnel, camp followers faced many of the same hardships as the soldiers, such as low pay and poor shelter. Historians believe the camp followers primary duties would have included cooking, mending torn uniforms, laundry and nursing.
  
  

Combat

• Many women ended up in combat. Some were camp followers who took over their husbands' duties after their husbands' were wounded or killed. For example, Margaret "Captain Molly" Corbin was the wife of artilleryman John Corbin. She learned how to load and fire cannons by assisting him in his duties. When John was mortally wounded at the battle of Fort Washington, New York, "Captain Molly" assumed his duties. Mary Hays earned the nickname "Molly Pitcher" by supplying the troops with water. After her artilleryman husband was wounded during the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, "Molly Pitcher" assumed his duty loading cannons. Other women deliberately joined in combat. For example, Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and joined the army in 1782. When her secret was discovered, she enlisted in a new regiment under a different name and eventually became General John Paterson's aide-de-camp at West Point. When a doctor discovered her secret in 1783, she was honorably discharged.
  
  

Spies and Messengers

• The war was largely fought in backyards and farms so it was easy for many women to become spies and messengers. They reported on enemy troop movements and carried messages between the officers. For example, Ann Simpson Davis served General George Washington as a messenger when his forces were in eastern Pennsylvania. Davis was an accomplished horsewoman and managed to carry secret messages past British forces without being noticed. She carried the messages hidden in sacks of grain or her clothes and delivered them to various mills in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.