Does the name Mary Ludwig sound familiar? Probably not. The name Mary Ludwig may not ring a bell, but the woman that is known today as "Molly Pitcher" was actually born with that name. Molly Pitcher was born in the state of New Jersey, near the city of Trenton in 1754. She married a man by the name of John Hays in 1769 and six years later, when John Hays enlisted in the army, Molly became a full-time camp follower. Molly stayed with Hays throughout all of his service in the military and they both even spent that very arduous winter at Valley Forge together.
In 1778, during the now famous Battle of Monmouth, Molly performed the services that earned her her famous nickname. During the battle, Molly brought pitchers of water to the many dehydrated soldiers to refresh them and is also credited with nursing many wounded soldiers during the battle. According to some accounts of her story, Molly even carried a soldier off of the battlefield even though she was at least eight months pregnant at the time of the battle! When Molly Pitcher's husband collapsed because of a heatstroke during the battle, she took his place and began firing his cannon, a skill that she had acquired through watching him. Molly is often depicted firing the large cannon, a task many women of that time period had not accomplished. According to some accounts of history, Molly had been only the first or second woman to operate a gun or cannon during any battle.
Molly later went on to remarry after the husband that she helped to replace in the battlefield passed away. She was married to a man named George McCauly, some say because of her fear of being alone. A short time later Molly was honored by a different "George".
George Washington was so impressed with Molly's many heroic actions that he named her a Sergeant in the United States Continental Army. In 1822, Molly was given a pension by the Pennsylvania legislature to thank her for her work during the Battle of Monmouth, which many say the Americans won because of Molly's extraordinary work.
