Background
Molly Pitcher was on October 13, 1754, at Trenton, New Jersey, United States. She grew up in a small, modest household and her parents were German immigrants. Molly had an older brother named Johann Martin.
Molly Pitcher was on October 13, 1754, at Trenton, New Jersey, United States. She grew up in a small, modest household and her parents were German immigrants. Molly had an older brother named Johann Martin.
Education was not considered to be important for women at the time. It was unlikely that Mary would have learned to read or write during her childhood.
In 1769 Mary entered domestic service in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In that same year, while working as a maid for Dr. William Irvine, she met and married John Caspar Hays, a barber. In December 1775 John Hays enlisted as a gunner in the First Company of Pennsylvania Artillery under the command of Thomas Proctor. He enlisted again in January 1777, this time in the Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment. It is likely that Mary joined her husband in the camp when her employer, Dr. Irvine, became commander of his regiment. She performed a variety of duties as a camp follower, including cooking, cleaning, nursing, and helping to maintain weapons.
When their regiment was engaged at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778, Mary crossed the line from camp follower to soldier. She carried water to her husband to cool his artillery piece (many accounts report, probably inaccurately, that she brought water to quench his thirst). Hays assumed her husband's place at the gun after he was wounded or collapsed from the heat, and she fired the gun at least once. Joseph Plumb Martin, a private in the 8th Connecticut Regiment, who was present at the battle, noted in his famous diary that a woman who is believed to be Hays had part of her petticoat shot off "while in the act of reaching for a cartridge." Hays returned to Carlisle after the war and resumed her work as a servant.
In February 1822 the Pennsylvania state legislature voted to grant Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley forty dollars and to give her the same amount each year for life. The original bill referred to "Molly McKolly" as the "widow of a soldier in the Revolutionary war," but subsequently the bill was amended to reward McCauley "for services rendered" in the war by herself. McCauley never received a congressional pension, but she collected the state's annuity until she died.
Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley followed her husband into service in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, and when he was wounded at the Battle of Monmouth, she assumed control of his weapon and fired on the enemy. McCauley was granted an annuity by the state of Pennsylvania in recognition of her military service. Her wartime experiences inspired the popular legend of "Molly Pitcher," a title sometimes applied generally to emphasize the vital military support of camp followers of the American Revolution who brought water to the troops.
Markers were placed on Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley's grave in 1876 and 1916, and the official monument commemorating the Battle of Monmouth depicts her.
Mary was raised to be a hard worker, and as a typical hardworking farm girl, she could do all the chores and tasks that a small farm requires.
Physical Characteristics: Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley was heavy-set, strong, and sturdy.
Quotes from others about the person
"A woman whose husband belonged to the artillery and who was then attached to a piece in the engagement, attended with her husband at the piece the whole time. While in the act of reaching a cartridge and having one of her feet as far before the other as she could step, a cannon shot from the enemy passed directly between her legs without doing any other damage than carrying away all the lower part of her petticoat. Looking at it with apparent unconcern, she observed that it was lucky it did not pass a little higher, for in that case it might have carried away something else, and continued her occupation." - Joseph Plumb Martin
In early 1777, when Mary was in her early twenties, she married a barber named William Hays. After John Hays died, she married another veteran named John McCauley in 1792. Her second husband was not a nice man and he disappeared between 1807 and 1810, never to be seen again.
Molly Pitcher joined a group of women led by Martha Washington. The group were known as camp followers and provided several services. They washed blankets and clothes and cared for the sick and the dying.
