Many Sunday mornings, I sit on my back porch with a warm cup of coffee and read whatever I want to. With my line of work, I am often caught up with research, editing, and reviews, all focused reading that doesn’t allow me to wander where my literary roving eye wishes to take me. This past Sunday, while going down the ever-entertaining rabbit hole of the American Revolution, I stumbled upon a story that really caught my attention.
The story is that of the great Patriot and frontierswoman Nancy Hart, who assisted rebel soldiers during America’s War for Independence. British soldiers were especially confused by her six foot stature and ability to shoot a musket. And she wasn’t the only American woman who perplexed them. I put up a quote one of the soldiers wrote about the women they encountered in the states on Facebook (more on the quote later), and my mom, without missing a beat, replied with a remark indicating the women the soldier was talking about had to be southern.
She was spot on.
Southern women have a long legacy of going toe to toe with their male counterparts, and this wonderfully life-affirming, entertaining moxy has been documented well throughout U.S. pop culture. One mention of the cowgirl archetype draws a slew of mental images of independent, strong, stubborn, capable women.
Georgia homesteader Nancy Hart embodied them all.
“Wahatche”
Recent studies show that women from ages past had significantly more muscular frames than that of even the strongest female athletes of today. Prehistoric women, particularly from agricultural communities, had between 11-16% stronger upper bodies than contemporary athletes and a whopping 30% stronger upper bodies than today’s average, non-athletic female.
When people described Nancy Hart after meeting her, you’d think they were talking about a prehistoric woman reincarnated.
Hart had fiery red hair that only added to the startling nature of her six foot frame, muscular from the never-ending work that comes with farming in America’s colonial time period.
She was an excellent markswoman and wielded an ax with ease. She spent her time hunting to provide food for her eight children she had with her husband, Benjamin Hart, who would go on to fight with a Georgia militia during the war.
On top of her skills with weaponry she was also an herbalist.
Her looks were so otherworldly, and her wide array of skills so impressive, Native American tribes who lived close to the Hart property nicknamed Nancy “Wahatche,” or war woman.
Heart be still. I’m in love with a woman who’s been dead for almost 200 years.
The Revolution comes to Georgia
As the war escalated and made its way into southern states, Nancy’s husband joined the fight alongside fellow Georgia homesteaders. As impressive as Nancy’s skill set already was, she proved she could be just as useful during the war as the men.
Though she was illiterate, that didn’t stop her from exhibiting quick wit, creativity, and tactical decision-making.
Georgia eventually became inundated with Loyalist troops, so Nancy was forced to deal with them at times on an almost daily basis. This was during a time when soldiers could simply walk into your home and demand supplies like food, and housing.
Nancy wasn’t the only American woman giving Loyalist troops a hard time. One soldier wrote in regards to the unique nature of America’s women of colonial times:
“Even in their dresses, the females seem to bid us defiance.”
That was the quote I posted to Facebook. You gotta love it!
Nancy’s large frame served her well and she used it to her advantage. Many times, she’d dress up like a man and wander onto Loyalist camp sites appearing to be drunk. The soldiers let their guards down pretty quickly with the ruse, and would tell her all kinds of secret information. She would then take that intelligence to her husband and his camp so they could use it to their advantage as they drove the Loyalist army out of their state.
Let’s go ahead and add Revolutionary War spy to her list of awe-inspiring accolades.
Her Most Popular War Story
When she wasn’t fighting alongside her husband and sons in battles like the one at Kettle Creek, she could be found capturing Loyalist troops spying on her property (at one time she made use of boiling water meant for soap-making to subdue a soldier and turn him over to Patriot troops for questioning).
One afternoon in particular though, she took down six soldiers who entered her home and demanded the name of a Patriot soldier she had recently helped escape from Loyalist forces.
Of course, she refused to give them that information.
When the soldiers demanded she feed them and she agreed, they thought they had brokered one heck of a deal. She fed them her family’s last turkey (which the soldiers had shot so she kind of had to) and gave them plenty of whiskey to drink.
As the soldiers feasted, Nancy and her daughter Sukey began covertly confiscating their muskets they had left by the front door. When the soldiers realized what they were doing, they immediately tried to retaliate. The markswoman didn’t miss a beat. She fired a musket once and one of the soldiers dropped to the floor. The blast also wounded another, and she was down to four. She had no problem handling the remaining intruders as her daughter ran to Benjamin's camp and informed him of the situation (it’s under control, but, hey, Mom could use some back up).
It has long been speculated what exactly happened to the soldiers after Benjamin made it home with Sukey to finish what Nancy had started. However, in 1912 an excavation ordered by a railroad company took place near the Harts’ former property. Six skeletons were found buried not far from their former residence. I’ll let your imagination run amuck a bit as you wonder what kind of fate Nancy and Mr. Hart levied on their unwelcome visitors.
Beloved Woman Patriot
Though she’s an obscure figure by today’s standards, Nancy’s heroic legacy continues to flourish amid new generations. In subsequent wars, bands of fighters named their units after her to commemorate her courageous spirit. Several landmarks in Georgia are named after her. And the Daughters of the American Revolution even reconstructed the Hart family cabin some time ago in order to pay tribute to her moving story.
Nancy was a firecracker, from her hair to her heart. And her actions and principles can teach us many things today.
May we be brave like her while defending our home and family. May we be as steadfast as her while battling life’s many hardships and challenges alongside loved ones. And may we always be smart enough to know exactly who our enemy is. So when he comes knocking, we do not cower, we get creative. And win.
Next week, I will publish the first edition of my bi-weekly collection, “Stories from the Stoa,” which offers a rundown of noteworthy cultural news, trends, and inspiration happening around the world. I hope these stories reignite hope for you for the future, because they’ll highlight the best of humanity, which I believe, still greatly outweighs the worst (contrary to what the news will tell you).
If you haven’t already, subscribe below so you receive the inaugural issue next week!