Gourt > Kids and Teens > School Time > Social Studies > History > By Region > North America > United States > Wars > Revolutionary War > Biographies > Pitcher, Molly
"Molly Pitcher" was a nickname given to a woman who may have fought briefly in the American Revolutionary War. Historians differ on who was the "real" Molly Pitcher, or even if she ever existed at all. 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.
One candidate for the "real" 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, 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 as a noncommissioned 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.
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, and subsequently torpedoed, in 1943.
More on [ Molly Pitcher ]
@romanlevant Oh man. Cinnabon. <3 Are you at Molly Pitcher?
albrecht_letao (Phillip Albrecht) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:14:58 -0000
@romanlevant Oh man. Cinnabon. <3 Are you at Molly Pitcher?
RT @Robstantinople: Teaneck. Parsippanny. Metuchen. Loveladies. Mount Holly. Hardwick. Molly Pitcher Service Area. #NewJerseyplacenamest ...
jessicamellish (Jessica Piorski) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:22:10 -0000
RT @Robstantinople: Teaneck. Parsippanny. Metuchen. Loveladies. Mount Holly. Hardwick. Molly Pitcher Service Area. #NewJerseyplacenamest ...
Delays on New Jersey Turnpike inner and outer roadways southbound North of Interchange 8A - NJ 32 (Monroe Twp) to South of Molly Pitcher Ser
511njtpk (511NJ TPK) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:22:05 -0000
Delays on New Jersey Turnpike inner and outer roadways southbound North of Interchange 8A - NJ 32 (Monroe Twp) to South of Molly Pitcher Ser
http://twitpic.com/r0uoi - At the Molly Pitcher Reststop
gjlutz (G Lutz) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:01:10 -0000
http://twitpic.com/r0uoi - At the Molly Pitcher Reststop
Delays on New Jersey Turnpike inner and outer roadways southbound North of Interchange 8A - NJ 32 (South Brunswick Twp) to Molly Pitcher Ser
511njtpk (511NJ TPK) Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:19:08 -0000
Delays on New Jersey Turnpike inner and outer roadways southbound North of Interchange 8A - NJ 32 (South Brunswick Twp) to Molly Pitcher Ser
Going out to deliver the Molly Pitcher Inn and the OPH's Gingerbread Hotel! It will be on display at : The Sassy... http://bit.ly/7sjQlr
OysterPointNJ (Oyster Point Hotel) Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:58:51 -0000
Going out to deliver the Molly Pitcher Inn and the OPH's Gingerbread Hotel! It will be on display at : The Sassy... http://bit.ly/7sjQlr
About Molly Pitcher - Remarks about who the woman known as Molly Pitcher might have been. Provides story of how she brought water to the soldiers on the field, how her husband fell, and she stepped forward to keep the gun firing.
Carlisle's Molly Pitcher - Heroine who brought water to hot and dying soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth. Includes biographical details.
Molly Pitcher - Short video with images and details about Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley and how she got her name.
Molly Pitcher - Discussion and information about the woman known as Molly Pitcher who fetched water for the soldiers during battle.
Meta Description: [ Historic Valley Forge, from the Valley Forge Historical Society. ]
Sergeant Molly - Student report identifies Mary Hays McCauly as Molly Pitcher. Includes image.
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