What did Mary Hays do in the Revolutionary War?
In 1777, Hays enlisted in the Continental Army and was trained as an artilleryman. Mary followed and joined a group of camp followers led by Martha Washington. They took care of the troops, washed clothes, made food, and helped care for the sick or injured soldiers.
Who is Mary Ludwig Hays?
/ 40.19744; -77.18797 / 40.19744; -77.18797 Mary Ludwig Hays (October 13, 1754 – January 22, 1832) was a woman who fought in the American War of Independence at the Battle of Monmouth.
Who was John Hays and what did he do?
Hays decided to enlist in the 4th Pennsylvania Artillery and served in the Continental Army when the American Revolutionary War began. It was very common for soldier’s wives to follow their husbands when they enlisted in the army.
Where did Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly live?
Written By: Molly Pitcher, byname of Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly, (born 1754, near Trenton, N.J. [U.S.]—died Jan. 22, 1832, Carlisle, Pa., U.S.), heroine of the Battle of Monmouth Court House during the American Revolution.
What was Mary Ludwig Hays known as?
Molly Pitcher, byname of Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly, (born 1754, near Trenton, New Jersey [U.S.]—died January 22, 1832, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.), heroine of the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution.
What was Mary McCauley known for?
Heroine of the American Revolution. On a blistering hot day during the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, young Mary Hays McCauley became Molly Pitcher in American Legend. Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the Revolutionary War.
What happened to Mary Ludwig Hays after the Revolutionary War?
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 Johannes (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.
What was Mary Hays job?
Military personnelMary Hays / Profession
Was Mary Ludwig Hays a patriot or a loyalist?
Mary Ludwig Hays' noble selfless actions in the Battle of Monmouth during American Revolution earned her the endearing name of Molly Pitcher by the American troops she was aiding . . . She was and remains a Great American Patriot!
Why did the soldiers call Mary Hays Molly Pitcher?
Mary Hays McCauly was earning her nickname "Molly Pitcher" by bringing pitcher after pitcher of cool spring water to the exhausted and thirsty men. She also tended to the wounded and once, heaving a crippled continental soldier up on her strong young back, carried him out of reach of hardcharging Britishers.
Who was the most famous Molly Pitcher?
Mary Ludwig HaysThere is some evidence, however, that one woman, Mary Ludwig Hays, matches the most famous Pitcher tale closely enough to fit the bill.
How old was Mary pitcher when she died?
77 years (1754–1832)Mary Hays / Age at death
How old was Molly Pitcher when she got married?
13It is hard to find any information on Molly before the Battle of Monmouth. Born in 1754, Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley was the daughter of a New Jersey dairy farmer. At the age of 13, she went to work as a domestic/servant and married a barber named William Hays.
How old is Molly Pitcher now?
She was 78 years old.
What was the nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War?
A heroine of the Revolutionary War, Molly Pitcher was the nickname of a woman said to have carried water to American soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, before taking over for her husband on the battlefield after he was no longer able to fight.
Where did Molly Pitcher died?
Carlisle, PAMary Hays / Place of deathCarlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. Wikipedia
Who were Mary Ludwig Hays parents?
John Georg LudwickMaria Margaretha LudwickMary Hays/Parents
What did Molly Pitcher died from?
January 22, 1832Mary Hays / Date of death
Who influenced Mary Hays?
Hays was influenced by Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and after writing admiringly to her, the two women became friends. The backlash following Wollstonecraft's death and posthumous publication of her Memoirs impacted Hays' later work, which some scholars have called more conservative.
What are some fun facts about Molly Pitcher?
Interesting Facts about Molly Pitcher Mary Hays was known as "Sergeant Molly" after the Battle of Monmouth. Margaret Corbin was the first woman in the United States to earn a military pension for her actions in battle. Corbin's wounded arm never healed right and she had difficulty using it the rest of her life.
What was William Hays' army?
In 1777, William Hays enlisted in Proctor's 4th Pennsylvania Artillery, which became Proctor's 4th Artillery of the Continental Army. During the winter of 1777, Molly Hays joined her husband at the Continental Army's winter camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
What was Mary Hays' mark at the Battle of Monmouth?
Molly Pitcher Spring Marker . At the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, Mary Hays attended to the soldiers by giving them water. Just before the battle started, she found a spring to serve as her supply, and two places on the battlefield are now marked as the " Molly Pitcher Spring .".
What caused Mary to sell her bounty land?
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 (81 ha) of bounty land left to her by William Hays, for 30 dollars.
Where is Mary McCauley buried?
Mary died January 22, 1832, in Carlisle, at the approximate age of 87. She is buried in the Old Graveyard in Carlisle under the name "Molly McCauley".
What did Mary do when she was carried off the battlefield?
As he was carried off the battlefield, Mary took his place at the cannon and 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.
Where is Mary Hays' grave?
Grave in Carlisle. 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 Johannes (or John). In late 1786, William Hays died.
Who was the woman who fought in the Battle of Monmouth?
Battle of Monmouth. Spouse (s) William Hays. John McCauley. Mary Ludwig Hays (October 13, 1744 – January 22, 1832) was a woman who fought in the American War of Independence at the Battle of Monmouth. The woman behind the Molly Pitcher story is most often identified as Hays, but it is likely that the legend is an amalgam ...
Who was Mary Hays?
According to legend, at the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778), Mary Hays , wife of artilleryman William Hays, carried water to cool both the cannon and the soldiers in her husband’s battery—hence the nickname “Molly Pitcher.”. Legend also asserts that when William Hays collapsed or was wounded, she took her husband’s place in the gun crew for ...
What was the American Revolution?
American Revolution, (1775–83), insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British…
Did William Hays enlist in the army?
Military records indicate that a William Hays did enlist in the artillery in 1776 and died about 1789. His wife Mary remarried and eventually applied for a pension as a soldier’s widow. Instead, on Feb. 21, 1822, Pennsylvania awarded her an annual grant of $40 “for services she rendered.”.
What did Mary Hays do at the Battle of Monmouth?
In the Battle of Monmouth in June of 1778, Mary Hays carried water from a spring to the thirsty soldiers under heavy fire from the British.
What is Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley's story?
Her story is very similar to that of Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley. John Corbin enlisted and Margaret joined a group of camp followers so she could take care of him. In 1776, stationed at Fort Washington, John was killed in the Battle of Fort Washington, leaving his cannon unmanned.
What happened to Mary Hays' husband?
When her husband collapsed (sources claim either heat stroke or injury) and was carried off of the battlefield, Mary Hays took his place at his cannon. Once, a cannon ball came so close, that it actually went between her legs, ripping her petticoat.
Where was Mary Ludwig born?
Mary Ludwig was born to a German family in Pennsylvania circa 1744. Details of her childhood are not widely known, though it is believed that her father was a butcher, she had several siblings, and that she was not taught to read or write. She married William Hays, a foober, in 1769.
Overview
Mary Ludwig Hays (October 13, 1754 – January 22, 1832) was a woman who fought in the American War of Independence at the Battle of Monmouth. The woman behind the Molly Pitcher story is most often identified as Hays, but it is likely that the legend is an amalgam of more than one woman seen on the battlefield that day.
Life and military career
Mary Ludwig was born in Trenton, New Jersey, British America. There is some dispute over her birth date, but a marker in the cemetery where she is buried lists her birth date as October 13, 1744. She had a moderately sized family which included her older brother Johann Martin; their parents were Maria Margaretha and Johann George Ludwig, who was a butcher. It is likely that sh…
The Molly Pitcher story
Molly was a common nickname for women named Mary in the Revolutionary time period. Biographical information about Mary Hays has been gathered by historians, including her cultural heritage, given name, probable year of birth, marriages, progeny, and census and tax records, providing a reasonably reliable account of her life. Historian Emily Teipe notes that the deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays. However, she has also p…
Commemorations
Mary Ludwig Hays is commemorated, and named as Molly Pitcher, on the Monmouth Battle Monument in Freehold, New Jersey, and on her grave in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The Monmouth battlefield also has a stone marking the Molly Pitcher Spring.
A mural depicting Mary in battle was painted in the Freehold post office as a …
See also
• Angelina Eberly
• Anna Maria Lane
• Agustina de Aragón
• Deborah Sampson
• Francisca Carrasco Jimenez
Bibliography
• Bilby, Joseph G., and Katherine Bilby Jenkins. Monmouth Court House: The Battle That Made the American Army. Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2010. ISBN 9781594161087 OCLC 495778701
• Downey, Fairfax. 1956. "The Girls Behind the Guns". American Heritage. 8, no. 1: 46-48.
• Bohrer, Melissa Lukeman. Glory, Passion, and Principle: The Story of Eight Remarkable Women at the Core of the American Revolution. New York: Atria Books, 2003. ISBN 0-7434-5330-1.
External links
• Pitcher Molly Pitcher Overprint on 2¢ Postage Stamp
• "Molly, Captain" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.