"I told him I had suspicion of his being lame, and Desired Capt Flavin to Afficiate as Doctor in searching he did, and soon made the Discovery by Pulling out the Teats of A Plump Young Girl, which caused Great divertion..."
For our first Women's History Month post, we return to the Letters from the Front sub-collection for this dispatch from William Barton, which provides an extremely rare example of a woman attempting to enlist in the Continental Army. According to Heitman's Officers of the Continental Army, four William Barton's served in the American forces during the war. The most likely candidate for the author of this letter was acting as a First Lieutenant in the 1st New Jersey Regiment at the time of this letter. In his account written at Elizabethtown, NJ, on 17 November 1778, Barton relates how an individual appearing to be a young man presented himself for service in the Barton's regiment. A few behavioral mistakes gave Barton sufficient pause to call in his fellow officers to examine the recruit for lameness. The resulting events provide a graphic account of the fate that lay in store for any woman who challenged contemporary gender roles by attempting to pass as a man in the army. For the entire letter, please read below. Our thanks go to Library Research Assistant David Swain for this transcript.
WPTIII
Sol Feinstone Collection No. 82
William Barton to [_____]. Elizabethtown, [N.J.], 17 Nov. 1778
Transcribed by David Swain August 2011
Elizabethtown Noemr 17th 1778
Dr Sir
As your memory to me is ever Sweet, I Imbrace this Opportunity to Inform you that I am in Perfect health at Preasant, wish these to find you in the Enjoyment of yours; the day after I arriv’d at Elizabeth, I was ordered to Newark on Command which was A very agreeable one. friday afternoon I happened at A Tavern the Retreat begun to beat, I went out to go to the Parade when I met A Sol’r with a young Lad. I Question’d the Sol’r knowing he did not belong their, he said he Came there to see his Sister, I then ask’d who he had with him if he was A Sol’r he Answer’d he was’t but wanted to Enlist. I Gave him some money& told him to Come to my quarters he did so, I there Took an enlistment, and he remaind there Untill the next Day without any suspicion, when for some reasons he was Suspected to be A woman and I happened to dine out that day, when the Family was at dinner he was Calld in and desired to hand the Tankard to the Table he did so and Made a Courtesy at the Delivery, which was suppos’d to be Accidental, when I came in I was Inform’d of Several Circumstances which give me reason to believe that it was A she, I was Determind to know the Certainty, Capt Flavin & [pg 1] Several other officers being there, I had him Calld in when I told him I had suspicion of his being lame, and Desired Capt Flavin to Afficiate as Doctor in searching he did, and soon made the Discovery by Pulling out the Teats of A Plump Young Girl, which caused Great divertion She said the reason of her behaving in the manner was she wanted to marry A young man and her Father would not Permit her, she remaind at my Quarters until the next morning, when I got Up, She came to me and said she Dreamd I had dischas’d her, I then ordered the Drums to beat her Threw the Town with the whores march they did for which was Curious Seeing the her dress’d in mens Clothes amid ye whores march Beating, I have nothing more to relate at Preasent but my Compliments to your fathers Family, and other inquiring friends—and Remain with all Due respect your very Humble Serv’t—Wm Barton
[pg 2]”
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Love the verb “dischase.”
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