Sarah Tarrant facts for kids

Sarah Tarrant was a brave nurse who lived from 1743 to 1828 in Salem, Massachusetts. She is remembered for standing up to British soldiers. This happened just before the American Revolutionary War began.

Sarah Tarrant: A Brave Nurse

Standing Up to British Soldiers

On Sunday, February 26, 1775, a group of British soldiers arrived in Salem. They were led by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Leslie. Their mission was to find weapons that American colonists might be hiding.

Sarah Tarrant saw the soldiers from her window. She bravely shouted at them. "Go home and tell your master he sent you on a fool's errand," she yelled. "He has broken the peace of our Sabbath!" She also asked, "Do you think we were born in the woods, to be frightened of owls?"

A soldier aimed his musket at her. Sarah Tarrant was not afraid. She dared him, "Fire, if you have the courage, but I doubt it." No shots were fired that day. The British soldiers did not find any weapons. They soon left the town. Sarah Tarrant's courage showed the spirit of the American colonists.