Eliza, who says in her autobiography that she had read about Deborah Sampson in the American Revolution and Lucy Brewer in the War of 1812, determined that she would follow him.

[7] She cut her hair, dressed in men's clothing, and sailed to Portland, Maine[7] and volunteered herself under the alias George Mead the next day.

[8] Eliza describes her experiences, including two tours in the Mexican—American War and a period, still presenting herself as George Mead, in the California gold rush, in her memoir The Female Volunteer; or the Life, Wonderful Adventures and Miraculous Escapes of Miss Eliza Allen, A Young Lady of Eastport, Maine.

[8] But several reputable sources, including a rare-book seller marketing a first edition[9] question whether the book is historical or fiction.

[8] For her first tour of duty, Allen, disguised as George Mead, reportedly fought under General Zachary Taylor in Texas.

She continues to hang around with William and his buddies, who ultimately gamble away their military pay at the hands of two men Eliza recognizes as slick swindlers while her friends do not.

[10] In Boston, in an apparently disreputable boarding house, Billings and the men they've traveled with are on the verge of losing all their money gambling again when Eliza determines to save him, this time by revealing herself to him.

She parts company with them and checks herself into the Revere House, a good establishment, as Eliza Billings—sister to William Billings (so that he can visit her there without scandal).