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Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, lithograph by Currier & Ives

Molly Pitcher (1754-1832) was a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. Since various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, many historians think as to regard Molly Pitcher as folklore, rather than history, or suggest that Molly Pitcher may be a composite image inspired by the actions of a number of real women. The name itself may have originated as a nickname given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield during the war.

Legend and Evidence

Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, engraving by J.C. Armytage, c1859

The deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, wife of William Hays.^[1] Molly was a common nickname for women named Mary in the Revolutionary time period.^[2] Biographical information about her has been gathered by descendent-historians^[3], including her cultural heritage, given name, probable year of birth, marriages, progeny, census and tax records, etc., suggesting a reasonably reliable account of her life. Nonetheless, independent review of these documents and the conclusions suggested by the family still needs to be done by professional historians; some details of her life and evidence of the story of her unherioic deeds remain sparse.

It is said that she was born to a German family in Pennsylvania October 13th,1754. Around 1778, Mary was working in a house with her best friend whose husband was also in the war. She knew her husband was going to Monmouth and she heard from German soldiers about the British. She went to her husband in New Jersey from Carlisle. At the Battle of Monmouth she attended to the Revolutionary soldiers by giving them water. She got the name Molly Pitcher when the soldiers said, "Molly, Pitcher". Hays took her husband's place at his cannon when he fell of a heat stroke. After the battle, General George Washington issued her a warrant as a non-commissioned officer, and she was thereafter known by the nickname "Sergeant Molly". The similarity of the story of the cannon to that of another Revolutionary wife has suggested to some that these details may have been borrowed from the actions of a leading candidate for another Molly Pitcher, Margaret Corbin; it is also possible that both accounts could be historically correct.

On February 21, 1822, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded her an annual pension of $40 for her heroism. She died January 22, 1832, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at the age of 78.^[2]

Commemorations

Molly Pitcher depicted at base of Columbus monument in front of Freehold, NJ Courthouse

In 1928, "Molly Pitcher" was honored with an overprint reading "MOLLY / PITCHER" on a U.S. postage stamp. In 1928, festivities were being planned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth. Stamp collectors petitioned the U.S. Post Office Department for a commemorative stamp to mark the anniversary. After receiving several rejections New Jersey congressman Ernest Ackerman, a stamp collector himself, enlisted the assistance of the majority leader of the House, John Q. Tilson.^[4] Postmaster General Harry New stedfastly refused to issue a commemorative stamp specifically acknowledging the battle or Molly Pitcher. In a telegram to Tilson, Postmaster New explained "Finally, however, I have agreed to put a surcharged title on ten million of the regular issue Washington 2¢ stamps bearing the name 'Molly Pitcher.'"^[4]

Molly was finally pictured on an imprinted stamp on a postal card issued in 1978 for the 200th anniversary of the battle.^[5]

"Molly was further honored in World War II with the naming of the Liberty ship SS Molly Pitcher, launched, and subsequently torpedoed, in 1943.

There is a hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey, not far from the site of the Battle of Monmouth called the Molly Pitcher Inn. Also nearby the Battle of Monmouth location, in Freehold, New Jersey, there is a small tombstone that purports to mark the grave of Molly Pitcher. There is also a 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 the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line is known as the Molly Pitcher Highway. The American Legion Post in Englishtown is named "Molly Pitcher Post 04". In the 1940s, a 78 rpm record album for children dramatized the Molly Pitcher story with musical accompaniment.

There is a statue of her in Old Cemetery, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as well as a hotel named after her in downtown .

The Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery branches of the US Army established an honorary society in Molly Pitcher's name, the Honorable Order of Molly Pitcher. Membership is ceremoniously bestowed upon wives of artillerymen during the annual Feast of St. Barbara. The Order of Molly Pitcher recognizes individuals who have voluntarily contributed in a significant way to the improvement of the Field Artillery Community.

References

• 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 0-7434-5330-1.
• Raphael, Ray. Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past. New York: New Press, 2004. ISBN 1-56584-921-3. Raphael regards "Molly Pitcher" , as a myth which serves to obscure the actual (though less dramatic) contributions of women to the war effort.
• Goodyear, Robert C. The Real Pennsylvania Dutch American, "Molly Pitcher."

External links

• Find-A-Grave profile for "Molly Pitcher", identified there as Mary (Molly) Ludwig Hays (also spelled Hayes) McCauley (also spelled McCalley)
• Molly Pitcher Overprint on 2c Postage Stamp
• Tugster Blog of Molly Pitcher Rest Area on the New Jersey Turnpike

New Jersey during the American Revolution 1776 Fort Lee • Washington's crossing of the Delaware • First Trenton 1777 Second Trenton • Princeton • Millstone • Short Hills • Forage War • Bound Brook • Red Bank • Middlebrook encampment 1778 Monmouth • Molly Pitcher • Baylor Massacre • Little Egg Harbor massacre • Chestnut Neck 1779 Paulus Hook 1780 Connecticut Farms • Springfield 1783 U.S. Capital at Princeton