Margaret Corbin Margaret ( née Cochran ) Corbin ( November 12 , 1751 – January 16 , 1800 ) was a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War . On November 16 , 1776 , she and her husband , John Corbin , both from Philadelphia , along with some 600 American soldiers , were defending Fort Washington in northern Manhattan from 4 , 000 attacking Hessian troops under British command . John and Margaret crewed one of two cannons the defenders possessed . When her husband fell , Margaret took his place at his cannon and continued firing until she , herself , was seriously wounded . She later became the first woman in U . S . history to receive a pension from Congress for military service . Margaret Cochran was born in West Pennsylvania on November 12 , 1751 in what is now Franklin County . Her parents were Robert Cochran , a Scots - Irish immigrant , and his wife , Sarah . In 1756 , when Margaret was five years old , her parents were attacked by Native Americans . Her father was killed , and her mother was kidnapped , never to be seen again — Margaret and her brother , John , escaped the raid because they were not at home . Margaret lived with her uncle for the rest of her childhood . In 1772 , at the age of 21 , Margaret married a Virginia farmer named John Corbin . American Revolutionary War . When the war began , John enlisted in the First Company of Pennsylvania Artillery as a matross , someone who worked with loading and firing the cannons . As was common at the time for wives of soldiers , Margaret became a camp follower , accompanying John during his enlistment . She joined many other women in cooking , washing , and caring for the wounded soldiers . She acquired the nickname " Molly Pitcher " ( as did many other women who served in the war ) by bringing water to cool the over - heated cannons during battle . On November 16 , 1776 , Fort Washington , where John ' s company was stationed , was attacked by the British . John , an artilleryman , was in charge of firing a small cannon at the top of a ridge , today known as Fort Tryon . During an assault by the Hessians , John was killed , leaving his cannon unmanned . Margaret had been with her husband on the battlefield the entire time , and , after witnessing his death , she immediately took his place at the cannon . She fired away until her arm , chest , and jaw were hit by enemy fire . The British ultimately won the Battle of Fort Washington , resulting in the surrender of Margaret and her comrades . As the equivalent of a wounded soldier , Margaret was released by the British on parole . After the battle , Margaret went to Philadelphia , completely disabled from her wound , and would never fully heal . Life was difficult for her because of her injury , and in 1779 she received aid from the government . On June 29 , the Executive Council of Pennsylvania granted her $ 30 to cover her present needs , and passed her case on to Congress ’ s Board of War . On July 6 , 1779 , the Board , sympathetic to Margaret ’ s injuries and impressed with her service and bravery , granted her half the monthly pay of a soldier in the Continental Army and a new set of clothes or its equivalent in cash . With this act , Congress made Margaret the first woman in the United States to receive a military pension from Congress . After Congress ’ s decision , Margaret was included on military rolls until the end of the war . She was enrolled in the Corps of Invalids , created by Congress for wounded soldiers . In 1781 , the Corps of Invalids became part of the garrison at West Point , New York . She was discharged from the Continental Army in 1783 . Later years . She received financial support from the government after the war , the first woman to do so . She died in Highland Falls , New York , on January 16 , 1800 , at the age of 48 . In 1926 , the Daughters of the American Revolution had Margaret ’ s remains reburied and erected the Margaret Corbin Monument in the West Point Cemetery , making her one of only two Revolutionary War soldiers to be buried there . The other soldier is Dominick Trant . A tablet commemorating her heroism was erected in 1909 in New York City ' s Fort Tryon Park , near the scene of her service , and the entrance to the park is named Margaret Corbin Circle in her honor . A large Art Deco mural depicting the battle scene decorates the lobby of a nearby building at 720 Fort Washington Avenue .