Molly Pitcher

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Molly Pitcher depicted in 1859 engraving

"Molly Pitcher" was a nickname given to a woman who may have fought briefly in the American Revolutionary War. The name itself may have originated as a nickname given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield during the war. Molly Pitcher's fame began two years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the American Colonies. The fight for independence was beginning to take a favorable turn toward the Colonials and due to the success at the Battle of Monmouth only in the northern colonies.

One candidate for the "true" Molly Pitcher is Mary Hays McCauly (or Mary Ludwig Hays), about whom there is conflicting biographical information, including her actual name and year of birth. According to one version of the story, she was born to a German family in New Jersey, and attended to her husband William Hays, an artilleryman, in the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. When William fell wounded, or possibly from heat stroke, Mary bravely took her husband's post at his cannon. According to the legend, after the battle, General George Washington issued her a warrant officer's rank as a non-commissioned officer, and she was thereafter known by the nickname "Sergeant Molly." However, some of these details may have been borrowed from the actions of the other leading candidate for the "real" Molly Pitcher, a woman named Margaret Corbin.

Margaret Crobin was a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War. On November 16, 1776 she and her husband, John Corbin, both from Philadelphia, along with some 600 American soldiers, defended Fort Washington in northern Manhattan against 4,000 attacking Hessian troops under British command. John and Margaret crewed one of two cannons the defenders possessed. After her husband was killed, Margaret took over until she was badly wounded herself.

A tablet commemorating her heroism was erected in 1909 in Fort Tryon Park, near the scene of the battle, and the entrance to the park is named Margaret Corbin Circle in her honor. A large art-deco mural depicting the battle scene decorates the lobby of nearby 720 Fort Washington Avenue. She lies buried in West Point Cemetery.

Early Life

Mary Ludwig's father was named John George Ludwig. He was a dairy farmer with a farm near Trenton, New Jersey. Molly was born there on October 13, 1754. She lived with her parents and worked on the farm until she was fifteen years old.

When she was fifteen years old Molly's father found her a with a doctor's family. Taking the job required her moving to Carlisle, Pennsylvania which was nearly one hundred miles away. Mary went to work in the home of Dr. William Irvine. She worked as a laundry woman, cook and caretaker to the doctor's children. Dr. Irvine paid her well enough that was able to send money home to her family. She reported to her family that this made her feel as a proud and loyal daughter.

In Carlisle, Mary met the town barber, a man named John Hays. They were married in July 1769.

Battle of Monmouth

Molly felt the desire to be near her husband while he was at battle. Molly made herself useful by cooking and washing for the soldiers and bringing water while they were fighting.

The air that day was filled with musket and gun fire. The troops under Continental Army General Stirling aimed the its guns directly on the British as they tried to cross a causeway. Stirling's cannons allowed time for General Washington to take command and regroup General Lee's retreating forces.

As the cannons thundered, the oppressive heat soared to 96 degrees With humidity above 90 percent, the heat index that day hovered near 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Both sides lost many men to hypothermia. Through this unbearable weather and stench, Molly made one round trip after another to a nearby creek, bringing much needed water to the men. Her husband controlled one of the cannons. Stirlings men were successfully holding the causeway and the British at bay. Although considered a draw by many historians, this battle proved that the Continental Army could stand up to the challenge of the British army in open conflict.

Many observers gave witness to seeing the causalities being carried away by a large woman, the same woman brought the wounded to a shade tree between her water runs to the stream.

During one of her many returns to the line, Molly saw her husband fall, possibly from heat exhaustion. The commanding officer ordered his cannon removed since there was no one to man it. Before that order could be followed, Molly Pitcher stepped forward to keep her husband's gun in place. It appeared she had been trained for the task, Molly kept the cannon firing. The artillerymen around her took note of her speed and accuracy in keeping the gun in action. No longer were they asking for water from her; she had become one of them - a gunner. The tale of her efforts passed among the men that evening, and as each gunner spoke, the story's details changed.

Later Life

After the Revolution, Molly and her husband returned to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She was left a widow in 1789, and remarried George McCauley. In 1822, the Pennsylvania State Legislature granted her a pension for her outstanding valor at the Battle of Monmouth.

There is even a debate over the exact date of Molly Pitcher’s death. Her gravestone, tax records and contemporary newspapers do not agree if she died in January of 1832 at the age of ninety or in January of 1833 at the age of seventy-nine. Whatever day she died, whatever her age, monuments stand near her grave in honor of her heroism.

Tributes

In 1928, "Molly Pitcher" was honored with an overprint reading "MOLLY / PITCHER" on a U.S. postage stamp. "Molly" was further honored in World War II with the naming of the Liberty ship SS Molly Pitcher, launched on December 12, 1942, and subsequently torpedoed and lost west of Lisbon, Portugal on January 30, 1943.

There is a hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey, not far from the site of the Battle of Monmouth, named for Molly Pitcher, called the Molly Pitcher Inn. She is also honored with her own rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike named for Molly Pitcher at Southbound Mile 71.7. The stretch of US Route 11 between Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is known as the Molly Pitcher Highway.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bohrer, Melissa Lukeman. Glory, Passion, and Principle: The Story of Eight Remarkable Women at the Core of the American Revolution. New York: Atria Books, 2003. ISBN 0743453301.
  • Raphael, Ray. Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past. New York: New Press, 2004. ISBN 1565849213. Raphael regards "Molly Pitcher" as a myth which serves to obscure the actual (though less dramatic) contributions of women to the war effort.
  • Teipe, Emily J. Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up?

External links

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