Molly Pitcher
Molly Pitcher is a known hero around Carlisle, Pennsylvania because of her important act during the Battle of Monmouth. Molly was born on October 13th,1754 near Trenton, New Jersey. Molly’s real name is Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, her nickname came from the war. She grew up on a dairy farm in Trenton, New Jersey. She didn’t have much education, but she knew a lot about farming. When she was thirteen, she went to work as a servant/domestic helper. Molly’s father died within her teenage years. In 1768 Molly moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania where she met and married a barber named William Hays.
During the American Revolutionary War, William was enlisted as a gunner in the
Continental Army. Molly also joined the women group run
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William and Molly went back home to Carlisle, PA until he died in April 1783. Molly earned forty dollars, including an annual commission of the exact same amount for the rest of her life from the Pennsylvania Legislature for her wartime services. Some say that monies that she received were higher than what most widows got, so she must have gone above and beyond her duties during the war. After her husband’s death, she remarried a war veteran named John McCauley and they stayed married for another 44 years, she worked in the State House in Carlisle.
Molly was a heroine, she was very brave to be with her husband during the war, and helped during the battles, I don’t think many of us could have done this. Molly was a fighter and adapted well to her surroundings, she may not have had any education but was always willing to jump right in and help.
Molly became a hard woman turning to alcohol in her later years, but because of her actions she proved that women are just as strong as men and are capable to do anything they want. At 78, Molly Pitcher died in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where a statue stands to honor her