With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, here is another seasonal post from Balladeer’s Blog. When it comes to women who dressed up as men and served as soldiers during America’s Revolutionary War, Deborah Sampson gets most of the attention. Here’s a look at two other women who disguised themselves as men to serve in the war.
ANNA MARIA LANE (c1755-1810) – Pictured above left, this courageous woman and her husband John Lane joined America’s Continental Army in 1776. Anna Maria saw action in Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Continue reading
FEBRUARY 1st – At Drake’s Farm near Metuchen, New Jersey. In reaction to British losses throughout January as part of what some have called the Forage War, British General William Erskine sought to lure American forces into a trap. 
THE SWAMP FOX (1959-1961) – With the 4th of July fast approaching, it’s past time for a seasonal post. The Swamp Fox is a piece of Forgotten Television that ran sporadically on Walt Disney’s programs. Eight episodes were produced over two years with Leslie Nielsen in the lead role and each one filled a 1-hour time slot. 
Marion and his men knew the South Carolina swamplands like the proverbial backs of their hands and could strike the British then disappear deep into the swamps, foiling any pursuit. Obviously, as a television production The Swamp Fox featured a very romanticized version of Marion and his escapades.
THADDEUS KOSCIUSZKO (1746-1817) – As my last name makes clear, I’m of Polish American descent. Last 4th of July I made a blog post about
After receiving his education and military training in Europe, Kosciuszko sailed for America in June 1776. Unlike his fellow Pole Casimir Pulaski, he had missed out on serving in the Bar Uprising in Poland and was enthusiastic about fighting in the Revolutionary War. Poland’s long history of religious tolerance made Thaddeus feel a certain kinship with those who held similar sentiments in our emerging nation. 
ABRAHAM CLARK – Abraham’s two sons Aaron and Thomas were captured during the war and may have perished while captives of the British. Accounts vary and some sources even claim he had three sons die in the war. 
OCTOBER 24th – Near Sandy Hook, NJ American rebel Captain Adam Hyler leads an unknown number of men in a clash with an unknown number of British Loyalists. Hyler takes 6 prisoners during the action.
NOVEMBER 1st-6th – At Gowen’s Fort, SC, Roebuck’s Battalion and civilian non-combatants were attacked and besieged by a combined force of British Loyalists and Chickamauga Indian allies of the British. On November 6th, the Americans surrendered after the Loyalist Captain William Bates guaranteed their safety. 
MARCH 1st – British troops led by Major John Maitland landed and took Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River in Georgia. The Redcoats clashed with American Militiamen and drove them off. Both sides were left with wounded men following the exchange of gunfire, but no fatalities are known. 
Four British warships, along with multiple smaller vessels, launched a joint land and sea effort to seize American rice ships in the area in order to feed the British forces. Over 300 British infantrymen took part in commandeering the rice boats by surprise overnight. 
JANUARY 8th, 1776 – In Charlestown, Massachusetts, British troops and American Tories were attending a performance of General John Burgoyne’s play The Blockade of Boston. The play was a farce ridiculing the supposed inadequacies of the American rebels. An unknown number of American soldiers carried out a raid on the town, panicking the theater audience, capturing 5 British soldiers and destroying 8 Tory buildings. 
THE SIXTH OF JUNE – Many sites are marking the larger event of the D-Day Invasion during World War Two on this date, but in keeping with Balladeer’s Blog’s theme of neglected and obscure items I’ll take a look at a forgotten action from America’s Revolutionary War. With the 4th of July less than a month away, similar seasonal posts will follow in the weeks ahead. 
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