Molly Pitcher Research Paper

Not many women are mentioned during the Revolutionary War. If they are, they are not always titled a "heroine". However, Molly Pitcher broke the trend by not only being a war hero, but a loyal wife and hard worker. Mary was a short woman who often wore a white dress. Over this she wore a striped skirt. This skirt was split in the middle, and pulled to either side. She also wore a white frilled cap. Her actions during the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778 became legendary. There is some misunderstanding about the actual identity of Molly Pitcher. That she actually existed there is no doubt. Some sources claim that her original name was Mary Ludwig, and that she was born in 1754 to German immigrants. Now, other sources claim that her original surname is unknown, though she is thought to have been Irish. As a young girl she went to work as a domestic/servant for Dr. George M. Foukle in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She washed clothes, cleaned house and took care of the family's children. At age 16 she met and married a man by the name of Hays. There is also some misunderstanding on her husband's name whether it was John Hays or William Hays. Military records indicate that her husband was William Hays, who enlisted as a gunner in a Pennsylvania artillery regiment in 1777. Apparently John Hays was never listed as a member of the artillery.
Molly soon followed William to the continental army's camp at Valley Forge. Snow lay deep on the ground, and Washington's troops had run out of everything that they needed to keep on fighting. Their shoes had holes in them from tramping over miles of rough ground. They had no blankets or warm clothes. Molly and other women who followed the men to Valley Forge did whatever they could to help. They cooked and cleaned, washed and mended clothes, and nursed the