![]() Source: Georgie Lou's Retro Candy blog, CCHS Gardner Library website, Biography. ![]() The grave of "Molly Pitcher" is perhaps the most iconic landmark in Carlisle today and should be on your list of things to see in downtown Carlisle. Many decades later, a bronze likeness of Mary holding a ramrod was placed at her gravesite along with a cannon. She received a pension for her service, and when she died, she was buried in the Old Graveyard. We continue the tradition of the Colonial Artillerymen at the Battle of Monmouth. Fought in the area outside Freehold on June 28, 1778, the conflict. Young history buffs first learn of her as a hero of the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution, bravely staying on the field of battle as cannons roared around her. It is a story of fortitude, determination and true patriotism. If you grew up in New Jersey, or driven on the Turnpike for that matter, you've heard of Molly Pitcher. The next day, George Washington inquired about the woman he had seen loading cannon during the battle and made Mary a non-commissioned officer in his army.Īfter the war was over, Mary and her husband returned to Carlisle, where she became a well-known figure about town. Known to history as Molly Pitcher, a gunner’s spouse, Mary Hays McCauley’s story, belongs to us all. As "Molly" was the common nickname for Mary in the 18th Century, it's probable that Mary earned her nickname because soldiers would yell "Molly! Pitcher!" to call for more water.ĭuring the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, Mary's husband was either wounded or overcome with heat exhaustion while manning his cannon, and it has become legend that Mary took up his ramrod duties and began to swab the barrel and load it in his place. Water was an essential battlefield tool for artillerymen, who used it to swab sparks from inside cannon barrels between shots. Mary, like other camp followers, continued her duties on the battlefield, bringing water to soldiers, in you guessed it, pitchers. William joined the Continental Army as an artilleryman soon after, and Mary joined him during the brutal winter at Valley Forge, where she served as a washerwoman and nurse alongside other wives, including Martha Washington. In 1777, Mary married local Carlisle barber, William Hays. Mary and her family came to Carlisle sometime around 1770, after her widowed mother re-married. ![]() "Molly Pitcher" is the nickname given to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, a legendary camp follower during the Revolutionary War. Princeton University Press.With her husband overcome during battle, "Molly Pitcher" took up his duties at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, earning her George Washington's respect and forging her as a legend. “The Battle of Monmouth,” William Stryker. “Molly Pitcher of Monmouth County, New Jersey and Captain Molly of Fort Washington, New York,” William Davison Perrine. “Will the real Molly please stand up: ’Captain Molly’ and ‘Molly Pitcher’,” Army Digest. “Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up?” Emily J. Journal of the American Revolution (website). “Molly Pitcher and Captain Molly” Ray Raphael. Further reading on "Molly Pitcher" folklore: Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. While we may not ever know all of their real names, we honor the many individual contributions these women made in the fight for our nation’s independence. Find Molly Pitcher stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Historians cite that potentially tens of thousands of women were involved in active combat during the Revolutionary War. With this story having many similarities to Margaret Corbin’s story–in addition to her nickname of “Captain Molly”–it is no surprise that she too was often called “Molly Pitcher.” Unfortunately, the moniker has led to much confusion causing the historical facts about these women’s contributions to become comingled and mythologized. Many historians consider “Molly Pitcher” to be most closely associated with Mary Ludwig Hays who was a camp follower who took up her husband’s cannon when he was injured during the Battle of Monmouth. However, in the years following the war, the persona of patriotic cannoneer “Molly Pitcher” was likely created from various tales of lore about several different women of the time period.įor centuries, many people have revered “Molly Pitcher” as the definitive Revolutionary War heroine, when in fact she is likely a composite character with a fictional moniker, much like “Rosie the Riveter” from WWII. Margaret Corbin’s story is often associated with the folklore of “Molly Pitcher.” We know from historical military records of Corbin’s heroic actions, along with other women who fought in the Revolutionary War, such as Deborah Sampson and Mary Ludwig Hays.
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