Posted on 07/04/2007 1:54:21 PM PDT by Libloather
Molly Pitcher
An Artillery wife, Mary Hays McCauly (better known as Molly Pitcher) shared the rigors of Valley Forge with her husband, William Hays. Her actions during the battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778 became legendary. That day at Monmouth was as hot as Valley Forge was cold. Someone had to cool the hot guns and bathe parched throats with water.
Across that bullet-swept ground, a striped skirt fluttered. 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 hard-charging Britishers. On her next trip with water, she found her artilleryman husband back with the guns again, replacing a casualty. While she watched, Hays fell wounded. The piece, its crew too depleted to serve it, was about to be withdrawn. Without hesitation, Molly stepped forward and took the rammer staff from her fallen husbands hands. For the second time on an American battlefield, a woman manned a gun. (The first was Margaret Corbin during the defense of Fort Washington in 1776.) Resolutely, she stayed at her post in the face of heavy enemy fire, ably acting as a matross (gunner).
For her heroic role, General Washington himself issued her a warrant as a noncommissioned officer. Thereafter, she was widely hailed as "Sergeant Molly." A flagstaff and cannon stand at her gravesite at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A sculpture on the battle monument commemorates her courageous deed.
http://sill-www.army.mil/pao/pamolly.htm
It was 104 degrees Fahrenheit that day, and they fought in those heavy wool uniforms, without much water, other than what Molly Pitcher brought to them...!!!! Yikes!
Not only the temperature, but also the humidity! It must have been terrible.
I grew up in Philadelphia, and I remember many stiflingly hot summers.
When we moved to California in the summer of ‘72, I remember the first night
here with the cool, comfortable breeze and the dry evening air. It was paradise!
It is interesting to note that the summer of 1787, when the Constitution was created in Philadelphia, was one of the hottest in memory. The men who drafted our Constitution spent long hours every day locked in a room in Independence Hall, windows closed for fear of spies, in the typically heavy clothing of the time. It was a small miracle they were able to come up with such a beautiful document under such painful conditions.
Ping!
This is a “3 miles from my house” BTTT.
A flagstaff and cannon stand at her gravesite at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Would that happen to be at the Army War College in Carlisle?
Anyone who hasn't read "Angel in the Whirlwind" by Benson Bobrick on the Revolutionary War, should.
The men who drafted our Constitution spent long hours every day locked in a room in Independence Hall, windows closed for fear of spies, in the typically heavy clothing of the time. It was a small miracle they were able to come up with such a beautiful document under such painful conditions.
Maybe we should turn off the air conditioning in the house and senate...
As far as the long sleeve shirts, they're as often as not a heavier material. My gardener was here Monday - wearing a Pendleton.
Americans fought the strongest military in the world to a stalemate and one of the best was Molly Pitcher.With men and woman like these, America would never be defeated and those of us who have been blessed by their legacy should NEVER retreat from foreign or domestic enemies regardless who they are !!!
Something that has always been remarkable to me is that back in that era, everyone served in the military in some capacity. Even the wealthy and the educated, physicians and attorneys of the day were out in the field fighting for America.
Wish I could see that sort of service today.
They'll be "five degrees cooler than the other team."
Initial reviews were glowing: "What a fabric! Finally we can breathe."
"Cotton is king."
"I never dreamed anything could be so soft and fluffy."
The History Channel is doing it justice. Private land had to be grabbed. Heat and cold were at extremes. Supplies were few. Washington's men always seemed to be short of food. A civil war broke out between loyalists and patriots. Some considered the whole mess a world war.
An amazing time with amazing people.
Thanks for the post!
I’ve been doing lots of genealogy in recent years. One person who has intrigued me from history is Gen. Winfield Scott. I’ve worked outward in all directions and have accummulated over 1600 people, one of whom I was working on two nights ago...Col. Nathaniel Ramsay who I believe was involved in the Battle of Monmouth.
I’ve learned a lot more about history this way.
A quick search produced this -
Old Graveyard
E. South Street
Carlisle, PA
Graveyard entrance off Hanover Street
Right now, I'm glued to the History Channel. I'm waiting for Maj. General Nathanael Greene to kick Lt. General Charles Cornwallis's behind. (OK, it wasn't called Greensborough back then - but IT SHOULD'VE BEEN!)
http://www.patriotresource.com/battles/guilford.html
Global warming ping...
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