Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a woman who may have fought in the American Revolutionary War. Historians differ on the real identity of Molly Pitcher, or even if she existed. Since the various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, historians now often regard Molly Pitcher as folklore, rather than history. However, 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. This water was not for drinking, as is popularly believed, but for swabbing the cannons.
Legend and evidence
Molly Pitcher is generally remembered as Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, wife of William Hays,[1]. Molly was a frequent nickname for women named Mary.[2] Biographical information about her, including her actual name and year of birth (October 13, 1754 is suggested as an approximate date of birth) is sparse. According to one version of the story, she was born to a German family in Pennsylvania. Regardless, solid records first appear in 1778. She was working in her 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. She then helped the soldiers on the American side by giving them water and took her husband's place at his cannon. She got the name Molly Pitcher when the soldiers said, "Molly, Pitcher". 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". However, some of these details may have been borrowed from the actions of a leading candidate for another Molly Pitcher, Margaret Corbin.
Her husband, William Hays, died in 1783 of cancer and shortness of breath. Mary married again to one John McCauley (some sources believe his name may have been George McCauley); he died in 1813. Afterwards, she became a nurse and housekeeper.
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.[3] 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.'"[3]
Molly was finally pictured on an imprinted stamp on a postal card issued in 1978 for the 200th anniversary of the battle.[4]
"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 .
References
- ^ Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up!
- ^ a b "Pitcher, Molly." Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 February 2007.
- ^ a b Hotchner, John M. (2008-08-25). "The scandal surrounding the Molly Pitcher overprint stamp of 1928". Linn's Stamp News (Amos Press Inc.): pp. 6.
- ^ United States Postal Cards UX77, multicolored, lithographed, issued September 8, 1978, in Freehold, New Jersey. Bicentennial of the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, and to honor Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays)
- 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."
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