Wonder Woman of the Week: Elizabeth Burgin

Elizabeth Burgin was an unsung hero of the American Revolution, a woman whose quiet bravery helped liberate hundreds of American prisoners from British captivity. A resident of New York City during the war, Burgin was known to bring food, comfort, and small items to American soldiers held aboard British prison ships in New York Harbor—floating hells where disease, starvation, and filth were rampant. These ships, most notoriously the HMS Jersey, were overcrowded and deadly, with thousands of Americans perishing on board. Burgin gained the trust of British guards by posing as a harmless benefactor, but she was secretly working in concert with the American cause. Her regular visits enabled her to communicate with prisoners and eventually assist in organizing a mass escape.

Her most daring act came around 1779 when she collaborated with American agent George Higday, who was smuggling information and coordinating escapes. With Burgin’s help, Higday planned to free over 200 prisoners by ferrying them off the ships and hiding them with Patriot sympathizers. Burgin passed along intelligence, names, and details—information crucial to the timing and success of the plan. The escape was a remarkable success, and although the details remain shadowed in secrecy due to its covert nature, it’s believed that Burgin directly helped dozens flee British imprisonment. Unfortunately, British authorities quickly became suspicious, and after the escape, they placed a bounty of £200 on her head, a testament to how seriously they viewed her threat. Forced into hiding, Burgin fled New York and left behind her home and possessions to escape capture.

Despite the personal cost, Elizabeth Burgin’s actions had a lasting impact on the war effort and the morale of the Patriots. She demonstrated that resistance took many forms—not just on the battlefield, but also in acts of courage carried out in kitchens, marketplaces, and quiet corners of occupied cities. After the war, Congress recognized her sacrifices and granted her a modest pension in acknowledgment of her bravery. While she never became a household name, Burgin’s legacy endures in the stories of women who took enormous risks for freedom, justice, and the fledgling American nation. Her courage stands as a reminder that the Revolution was won not only by generals and soldiers, but by ordinary citizens—especially women—whose loyalty and daring shaped the outcome of the war in unseen but vital ways.