Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near the Village of Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey and Manalapan, New Jersey, Manalapan, on J ...

in June 1778. Another possibility is

Margaret Corbin Margaret Cochran Corbin (November 12, 1751January 16, 1800) was a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War.James, Edward T., et al''Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary'' Vol. II, p. 385-86 (1971) () On Novemb ...

, who helped defend Fort Washington in New York in November 1776.

Suggested identities

Mary Ludwig Hays

The deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays, who was married to William Hays, an artilleryman in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. She joined him at the Army's winter camp at

Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...

in 1777, and was present at the

, where she served as a water-carrier. Her husband fell and she took his place swabbing and loading the cannon, and was later commended by

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. The incident was recorded by Joseph Plumb Martin in his memoir published in 1830.''Private Yankee Doodle'', J.P. Martin, Eastern National Press, 1963, p. 133.

Margaret Corbin

The story of Margaret Corbin bears similarities to the story of Mary Hays. Margaret Corbin was the wife of John Corbin of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, also an artilleryman in the Continental Army. On November 16, 1776, John Corbin was one of 2,800 American soldiers who defended Fort Washington in northern

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

from 9,000 attacking Hessian troops under British command. John Corbin was killed and Margaret took his place at the cannon. She continued to fire it until she was seriously wounded in the arm. In 1779, Margaret Corbin was awarded an annual pension of $50 by the state of Pennsylvania for her heroism in battle. She was the first woman in the United States to receive a military pension. Her nickname was "Captain Molly".Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. ''Molly Pitcher: Heroine of the War for Independence''. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. .

Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson has also been posited as an inspiration for Molly Pitcher. She disguised herself as a man and enlisted under an assumed name. Her comrades nicknamed her "Molly" because of her smooth complexion and high-pitched voice. After her discharge, she successfully petitioned for a pension as a veteran.

Possibly a Generic Name

Emily Teipe has suggested that "the name Molly Pitcher is a collective generic term, much like '

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...

and serves as a common label for the "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women who served not only as ammunition wives, manning and firing the guns, but also in the army and colonial militia."

Commemorations

Federal

In 1928, "Molly Pitcher" was honored with an

overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a Postage stamp, postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or Ticket (admission), ticket after it has been Printing, printed. Post offices most often use ...

reading "MOLLY / PITCHER" on a United States

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...

. Earlier that year, festivities had been planned to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the

. Stamp collectors petitioned the U.S. Post Office Department for a

commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

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. Postmaster General Harry New steadfastly 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.'" Molly was finally pictured on an imprinted stamp on a

postal card Postal cards are postal stationery with an imprinted stamp or indicium signifying the prepayment of postage. They are sold by postal authorities. On January 26, 1869, Dr. Emanuel Herrmann of Austria described the advantages of a ''Corre ...

issued in 1978 for the 200th anniversary of the battle. "Molly" was further honored in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with the naming of the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

SS ''Molly Pitcher'', launched, and subsequently torpedoed, in 1943. The stretch of US Route 11 between

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania Shippensburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Cumberland and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin counties in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensb ...

, and the Pennsylvania-

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

state line is known as the ''Molly Pitcher Highway''. 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. The U.S. Army base

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

holds an annual event called "Molly Pitcher Day," showcasing weapon systems, airborne operations, and field artillery for family members.

Other

*The State of Tennessee offers their women veterans a license plate honoring their service. The plate depicts Molly Pitcher, recognizing women in combat from the beginnings of the nation. * Molly Pitcher Inn is a hotel in

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York metro ...

, not far from the site of the

. * Molly Pitcher Service Area is a

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

on the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

(I-95) in Cranbury, New Jersey. *The Molly Pitcher Stakes is an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

raced annually during the last week of August at

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease ...

Oceanport, New Jersey Oceanport is a borough situated in the Jersey Shore region, within Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, specifically Central Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,150, an increase of 318 (+5.5 ...

. *The Molly Pitcher Club was a short-lived women's anti-prohibition organization in

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. *The Molly Pitcher Brewing Company is located in Carlisle, PA.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitcher, Molly American folklore Tall tales Women in the American Revolution Women in the United States military American legends