Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article is about the possibly legendary heroine of the American Revolutionary War. For the eighteenth-century Massachusetts fortune-teller, see Molly Pitcher.
Molly Pitcher depicted at base of Columbus monument in front of Freehold, NJ Courthouse
Molly Pitcher depicted at base of Columbus monument in front of Freehold, NJ Courthouse

"Molly Pitcher" was the nickname given to a woman who may have fought in the American Revolutionary War. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Some Historians differ on who the "real" Molly Pitcher was, or even if she existed at all. Since the various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, historians now often regard Molly Pitcher as folklore rather than history. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological 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.

Contents

The Legend & The Evidence

Molly Pitcher is generally identified as Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley who married William Hays,[1] or Mary Ludwig Hays, Molly then being a frequent nickname for women named Mary. Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a girl who loved a man who may have fought in the American Revolutionary War. Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a girl who loved a man who may have fought in the American Revolutionary War. [2] Biographical information about her, including her actual name and year of birth (1754 is suggested as an approximate birth year) is sparse. According to one version of the story, she was born to a German family in Pennsylvania. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Regardless, solid records first appear in 1778; she attended her husband William Hays, an artilleryman who had enlisted in a Pennsylvanian artillery unit in 1777, to the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey on June 28, 1778. Prelude In May of 1778 The British commander General Clinton in Philadelphia faced with a war with France decided it was prudent to protect New York City and Florida Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 1778 ( MDCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or [2] When William fell wounded, possibly from heat stroke, Mary took her husband's post at his cannon. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural After the battle, General George Washington issued her a warrant as a noncommissioned officer, and she was thereafter known by the nickname "Sergeant Molly". George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer) also known as an NCO or Noncom, is an enlisted member of an Armed force However, some of these details may have been borrowed from the actions of a leading candidate for another Molly Pitcher, a woman named Margaret Corbin. Margaret Corbin ( November 12, 1751 – January 16, 1800) was a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Mary and William had a son named John L. Hays. Her husband, William Hays, died in 1787 when their son was five years old. Mary married again to one John McCauly (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 state of Pennsylvania awarded her an annual pension of $40 for her heroism. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1822 (MDCCCXXII was a Common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Sunday of the She died January 22, 1832, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at the age of 78. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Carlisle is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km west by southwest of Harrisburg, the State capital [2]

Honors

In 1928, "Molly Pitcher" was honored with an overprint reading "MOLLY / PITCHER" on a U. An overprint is the addition of text (and sometimes graphics to the face of a Postage stamp after it has been printed (although some overprints are solely in the Selvedge S. postage stamp. A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services "Molly" was further honored in World War II with the naming of the Liberty ship SS Molly Pitcher, launched, and subsequently torpedoed, in 1943. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including History and service In 1936 the American Merchant Marine Act was passed to subsidize the annual construction of 50 commercial merchant vessels to be used in wartime by This section of List of Liberty ships is a sortable list of Liberty ships, Cargo ships built in the United States during World War II, with names

There is a hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey, not far from the site of the Battle of Monmouth called the Molly Pitcher Inn. The Borough of Red Bank is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey incorporated in 1908 Prelude In May of 1778 The British commander General Clinton in Philadelphia faced with a war with France decided it was prudent to protect New York City and Florida There is also a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike named for Molly Pitcher at southbound mile 71. The New Jersey Turnpike (or simply The Turnpike as it is known to New Jersey residents is a Toll road in New Jersey and is one of the most heavily traveled 7. The stretch of US Route 11 between Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line is known as the Molly Pitcher Highway. US Route 11 is a north-south United States highway extending 1645 mile Settled in 1730 Shippensburg is a borough in Pennsylvania, 41 miles (66 km west-southwest of Harrisburg. The American Legion Post in Englishtown is named "Molly Pitcher Post 04".

See also

References

  1. ^ Will the Real Molly Pitcher Please Stand Up!
  2. ^ a b c "Pitcher, Molly." Encyclopædia Britannica. The Honorable Order of Molly Pitcher is bestowed by the US Field Artillery Association (USFAA and the Air Defense Artillery Association (ADAA to recognize women Prelude In May of 1778 The British commander General Clinton in Philadelphia faced with a war with France decided it was prudent to protect New York City and Florida The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc 13 February 2007. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.


External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic