and the couple entertained members of the Continental Congress, including George Washington and John Adams.[1] Reed later served as Washington's secretary and aide-de-camp.

Though she was English by birth, Esther was exceptionally devoted to the revolutionary cause. During the Revolutionary War, she helped organize a women's group in Philadelphia which raised more than $7000 in support of the war. At the suggestion of General Washington, the group then used the funds to purchase linen and sew clothing for American troops. De Berdt had wanted to give the men gold or silver coins, something above and beyond what they would normally receive, but Washington feared the money would be used for liquor, and that the men, used to receiving paper money, each volunteer seamstress, whether married or unmarried, sew hername into the clothing she made. More than 2,200 shirts for the soldiers were created from the funds and the labor of these women. For de Berdt's efforts in support of the American cause, she was recognized as a Daughter of Liberty.

Unfortunately, Reed did not live to see her efforts fully realized. Reed died on September 18, 1780, at the young age of 34. The daughter of Benjamin Franklin, Sarah Franklin Bache, took over Reed’s position and finished the patriotic project. Though she did not see the project finished, Reed’s efforts did not go unacknowledged. She was recognized as a Daughter of Liberty, and women in several colonies, including Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia, followed her example by starting similar fundraising organizations. Her commitment to the Revolution is