Molly Pitcher Molly Pitcher ( 1744 - 1832 ) was a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Battle of Monmouth , who is generally believed to have been Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley . Since various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling , many historians regard Molly Pitcher as folklore rather than history , or suggest that 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 . Army base Fort Bragg holds an annual event called " Molly Pitcher Day " showcasing weapon systems for family members , Airborne Operations , and Field Artillery . Legend and evidence . The deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley . Molly was a common nickname for women named Mary in the Revolutionary time period . Biographical information about her has been gathered by descendent - historians , including her cultural heritage , given name , probable year of birth , marriages , progeny , census and tax records , etc . , suggesting a reasonably reliable account of her life . Nonetheless , independent review of these documents and the conclusions suggested by the family still needs to be done by professional historians ; some details of her life and evidence of the story of her heroic deeds remain sparse . Mary Ludwig was born to a German family in Pennsylvania . There is some dispute over her actual birth date . A marker in the cemetery where she is buried lists her birth date as October 13 , 1744 . Mary had a moderate sized family that included her older brother Johann Martin , and their parents , Maria Margaretha and Hans Georg Ludwick , who was a butcher . It is likely that she never attended school or learned to read , as education was not considered necessary for young girls during this time . In Carlisle , Pennsylvania , while working as a servant for the wife of Dr . William Irvine , Mary met William Hays , a barber . They were married in 1769 . Continental Army records show that William Hays was an artilleryman at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 . ( It is often mistakenly reported that Mary ' s first husband was named John ; however , this was the name of her second husband . ) On July 12 , 1774 , in a meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Carlisle , Dr . William Irvine organized a town boycott of British goods as a protest of the British which was called the Tea Act . William Hays ' name appears on a list of people who were charged with enforcing the boycott . Valley Forge . In 1777 , William Hays enlisted in Proctor ' s 4th Pennsylvania Artillery , which later became Proctor ' s 4th Artillery of the Continental Army . During the winter of 1777 , Mary Hays joined her husband at the Continental Army ' s winter camp at Valley Forge , Pennsylvania . She joined a group of camp follower s led by Martha Washington who would bake and deliver food , wash clothes and blankets , and care for sick and dying soldiers . In the spring of 1778 , the Continental Army was retrained under Baron von Steuben . During this time , William Hays trained as an artilleryman . Mary Hays and other " camp followers " served as " water girls " during the training , carrying water to drilling infantry troops on hot days . Also , artillerymen needed a constant supply of fresh water to cool down the hot cannon barrel and to soak the rag tied to the end of the ramrod , the long pole with which they cleaned sparks and gunpowder out of the barrel after each shot . It is likely that Mary Hays earned her famous nickname , Molly Pitcher , during this time . During training , artillery and infantry soldiers would shout " Molly ! Pitcher ! " whenever they needed Mary to bring water . Battle of Monmouth . At the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778 , Mary Hays attended to the Revolutionary soldiers by giving them water . Just before the battle started , she found a spring to serve as her water supply . Two places on the battlefield are currently marked as the " Molly Pitcher Spring . " Mary Hays spent much of the early day carrying water to soldiers and artillerymen , often under heavy fire from British troops . The weather was hot , over 100 degrees Fahrenheit . Sometime during the battle , William Hays collapsed , either wounded or suffering from heat exhaustion . It has often been reported that Hays was killed in the battle , but it is known that he survived . As her husband was carried off the battlefield , Mary Hays took his place at the cannon . For the rest of the day , in the heat of battle , Mary continued to " swab and load " the cannon using her husband ' s ramrod . At one point , a British musket ball or cannonball flew between her legs and tore off the bottom of her skirt . Mary supposedly said , " Well , that could have been worse , " and went back to loading the cannon . Later in the evening , the fighting was stopped due to gathering darkness . Although George Washington and his commanders expected the battle to continue the following day , the British forces retreated during the night and continued on to Sandy Hook , New Jersey . The battle was seen as a major victory for the Continental Army . After the battle , General Washington asked about the woman whom he had seen loading a cannon on the battlefield . In commemoration of her courage , he issued Mary Hays a warrant as a non commissioned officer . Afterwards , she was known as " Sergeant Molly , " a nickname that she used for the rest of her life . Later life . Following the end of the war , Mary Hays and her husband William returned to Carlisle , Pennsylvania . During this time , Mary gave birth to a son named Johanes ( or John ) . In late 1786 , William Hays died . In 1793 , Mary Hays married John McCauley , another Revolutionary War veteran and possibly a friend of William Hays . McCauley was a stone cutter for the local Carlisle prison . However , the marriage was reportedly not a happy one , as McCauley had a violent temper . It was McCauley who was the cause of Mary ' s financial downfall , causing Mary to sell 200 acres of bounty land left to her by William Hays , for 30 dollars . Sometime between 1807 and 1810 , John McCauley disappeared , and it is not known what became of him . Mary McCauley continued to live in Carlisle . She earned her living as a general servant for hire , cleaning and painting houses , washing windows , and caring for children and sick people . " Sergeant Molly , " as she was known , was often seen in the streets of Carlisle wearing a striped skirt , wool stockings , and a ruffled cap . She was well liked by the people of Carlisle , even though she " often cursed like a soldier . " On February 21 , 1822 , the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded Mary McCauley an annual pension of $ 40 for her service . Mary died January 22 , 1832 , in Carlisle , at the approximate age of 78 . She is buried in the Old Graveyard in Carlisle , under the name " Molly McCauley . " A statue of " Molly Pitcher , " adorned by a cannon , stands in the cemetery . Margaret Corbin . The story of Margaret Corbin bears similarities to the story of Mary Hays . Margaret Corbin was the wife of John Corbin of Philadelphia , also an artilleryman in the Continental army . On November 12 , 1776 , John Corbin was one of 2 , 800 American soldiers who defended Fort Washington in northern Manhattan from 9 , 000 attacking Hessian troops under British command . When John Corbin was killed , Margaret took his place at the cannon , and continued to fire it until she was seriously wounded in the arm . In 1779 , Margaret Corbin was awarded an annual pension of $ 50 by the state of Pennsylvania for her heroism in battle . She was the first woman in the United States to receive a military pension . Her nickname was " Captain Molly . " Commemorations . Federal . In 1928 , " Molly Pitcher " was honored with an overprint reading " " MOLLY / PITCHER " " on a U . S . postage stamp . Earlier that year , festivities had been 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 . Postmaster General Harry New steadfastly 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 . ' " Molly was finally pictured on an imprinted stamp on a postal card issued in 1978 for the 200th anniversary of the battle . " Molly " was further honored in World War II with the naming of the Liberty ship SS " Molly Pitcher " , launched , and subsequently torpedoed , in 1943 . The stretch of US Route 11 between Shippensburg , Pennsylvania , and the Pennsylvania - Maryland state line is known as the " Molly Pitcher Highway " . The Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery branches of the US Army established an honorary society in Molly Pitcher ' s name , the Honorable Order of Molly Pitcher . Membership is ceremoniously bestowed upon wives of artillerymen during the annual Feast of St . Barbara . The Order of Molly Pitcher recognizes individuals who have voluntarily contributed in a significant way to the improvement of the Field Artillery Community . Other . There is a hotel in Red Bank , New Jersey , not far from the site of the Battle of Monmouth , called the Molly Pitcher Inn .