Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-29

9 0Hk4H mothering care
$A &1 kept the baby na-
YS@ tions armies
afield during the
very blacklist period of reverse. as wei
as to the husbands. brothers and sons OF
those women who did the actual bloody
task of musketing and sabering their way
To liberty.
But il is a curious fact that although
the individual work of hundreds upon
hundreds of men is recorded alike by his
torian, poet and orator. next to none OF
the women who fought and wrought and
schemed and died that their country
might be free have been remembered by
name.
1t has been assumed that while the
country could not have thrown off the
British yoke without the cooperation OF
the women, at the same time their role,
according to prevalent opinion, was only
that OF the Roman matron, in which they
found opportunity for no more than the
inconspicuous heroism of starving and
shivering that the armies might be fed
and clothed, and of falling i'll in the at
tempt to nurse the sick or wounded back
to fighting trim.
AS a matter of fact, however. this Is
very far from being the full truth. The
American matron did fill the role of the
Roman woman of old. but she did far
more than this. Side by side with the men,
American women served in battle, camp
and siege, sharing the dangers and priva-
tons of actual campaigning to the full.
In camp they mended the soldiers tat
tiers and cooked the weeviily food; in bat
tie they risked their lives carrying water
to the front. and out of battle they risked
their lives again nursing sick and wound
ed. But they also played more mascu-
line roles than these. Such extra-haZard-
Gus duties as dispatch bearing. powder
running, scouting and spying were IRE
querItly intrusted to women.
Moreover, they worked In the thlckest
OF battle as gun-loaders and occasionally
as cannoneers: while. II they mad Deen
allowed, many a woman would have en-
listed as regular soldier. Even the
stay-at-bome woman did her full share
of fightfng for these women had highly
important part in suppressing the tory
and Indian euerrillaS who carried inc
horrors of war to the very hearthstones
OF the patriots
Every one who has read even the most
elementary school history Of course
knows the name OF Mol Pitcher, the
heroine who took her fallen husband
place at Monmouth. serving his cannon
till the end of the battle and winning the
personal encomium Of Gen. Washington
for her valor The full story of Mol
pitcher however has not received as
much attention as this crowning incident
in her life.
Mol Pitcher was not her real name
She was born Mary Ludwig, the daughter
of a German farmer in New Jersey, and
married barber in pennsylvania named
John Hays. When her husband enlisted
artillery, his wife, as was then allowable
in the American army. went along as
cook, dishwasher and seamstress TO the
soldiers Many patriotic women OF those
ties, not merely to be by their husbands
sides but TO contribute as much as they
were able to the effort for independence
Mary always accompanied her husband
into action, and. like many other SOL
diers' wives, made herself useful by per-
forming the dangerous battle duty of car
rying water TO the soldiers. 1t was while
acting In this capacity that she got heI
nickname, which. before it was abbrevi-
ated was MOLLY o. the Pitcher"
Moreover. Mary took a deep interest In
the fieldpiece of which her husband was
pointer. and made him tell her all about
it's mechanism and operation. At the
battle of Monmouth Proctor's artillery
occupied an exposed position, which II
had to hold against murderous rakine
British fire. Hays fell as he was in tht
act of pointing his piece. and. in view OF
the fact that there were no more gun
pointers available. the captain was about
to order the gun out OF action. when Mol
Here" she said. II know as much
about that piece as John did You let ms
serve it
the commander left her in charge ant
she served the piece throughout the res
OF the action. In recognition OF her serv
ices. Congress made her sergeant ant
voted her upon retirement. half pay 70
the rest OF her life. She died in 1882, a
the age of seventy-eight
However. the prominence given Mol
Pitchers act can be explained only as
freak OF history, for in reality severa
women saw harder military service. In
deed. one woman, who is now never hear,
Of. duplicated Molfs own act.
This woman was Mrs. Mary Cochrai
Corbin. who served a gun at the battle o
Fort Washington after her husband. PR
vate in the LIST Pennsylvania Artillery
was killed at the side of his piece. Will
engaged in working the cannon she wa
wounded and disabled. She received
vote OF thanks from Congress. WHICH ais
retired her on private's half pay. Tn
state OF Pennsylvania likewise granite
her an annuity.
81
But the military exploits Of both thes
women. brave as they were, pale besid
those OF Deborah Samson, a Massachu
sets girl. who disguised herself as
DOy, ENLISTED III the COntlnental army 10
the war and served through several cam
paigns before she was found out More
over. in making this sacrifice Deboral
could hardly have been actuated by an
motives OF gratitude for the opportuni
ties which her country had afforded her
for she had been bound out when only
little child to a position where she 60
nothing more than her board and clothes
with no educational advantages what
soever.
She picked up the art OF reading b.
herself. and at the age of eighteen whe
the law freed her from her indenture sh
set about getting further instruction
This she accomplished by working in tn
family of farmer half the time for he
board and clothes and spending the othe
half OF her time in attendance on the dis
tfict school. Her progress was remarka
bly, rapid. and in few months she ha
progressed farther in her studies tina
boys and girls who had been going I
school for years.
Soon she was able TO keep a distric
school herself. Acting in this capacit,
she saved up So, with which she bough
some coarse fustian. Out of this she mad
a suit Of boys clothes With the an
nouncement that she was going wher
she could get better salary. she swun
her few belongings over her back, walk
ed out of the sight and mind of the 10
rhor I'D INT