Molly Pitcher

Molly Pitcher was a generic name applied to women who bravely carried water (usually in pitchers) to men on the battlefield during the American Revolutionary War. The various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, and most historians now believe they should be regarded as folklore rather than history, though real women inspired these stories.

One such woman was Mary Hays McCauly (or Mary Ludwig Hays), who attended to her husband William Hays in the battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. In later versions of the story, this Molly took over her husband's place at the cannon after he was killed or wounded.

According to legend, after the battle, General George Washington issued her a warrant as a noncommissioned officer, and she was thereafter known by the nickname "Sergeant Molly", although this version of the story probably conflates this Molly with another, a woman named Margaret Corbin.

In 1928, "Molly Pitcher" was honored with an overprint reading "MOLLY / PITCHER" on a U.S. postage stamp.