|
In
this stifling heat, a woman, Mary Ludwig Hays, walked back and forth from a
well (or possibly a nearby creek) carrying water to the hot men and
smoldering guns. Her husband, William Hays, manned one of the
valuable cannons. They were making a difference by holding the
causeway.
As American men fell from wounds and heat, the woman's bucket of
water (or "pitcher") became precious. The men among the cannons
began to call her ... Molly Pitcher. A large woman, she reportedly
carried wounded men away from the line to shade trees as she made
her trip back to the well. During one of her many returns to the line, she saw her husband
fall. A Colonial officer ordered his gun moved to the rear to make
room on the line; he had no one left to man it. But Molly Pitcher
stepped forward to keep her husband's gun roaring - every cannon was
important.
As if she had been trained for the task, Molly kept the cannon
booming. The artillerymen around her noticed her swift, accurate
action in keeping the gun firing. No longer were they asking for
water from her; she had become one of them - a gunner. The tale of
her efforts passed among the men that evening, and as each gunner
spoke, the story's details changed. Information
about the Battle of Monmouth provided by the nominator. |
