Welcome back viewers!
This week we will honor two heroes who share a connection
They are...
Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays
Intro:
Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays were two patriotic women who answered a call to duty. They would both face some of the heaviest combat during the American Revolution. And their courage and valor would secure both women special places in American legend.
Part I
Margaret Corbin (born Cochran) was born on November 12, 1751, in the Pennsylvania colony. She was the daughter of Scottish Irish immigrants who settled on the very edge of the colony's frontier line. Early in her life, Margaret suffered terrible loss when her father was killed by Iroquois warriors and her mother abducted (never to be heard from again). As a result, Margaret and her brother were then raised by an uncle. When she was 21, Margaret married a farmer named, John Corbin in 1772. Little did either of them know, they were about to play a major role in the coming revolution.
When the American Revolution began in 1775, Margaret's husband was one of the first to enlist in the Continental Army. When the British attacked New York, the Continental Army was soundly defeated at the battle of Long Island, in August 1776. Although they had fought a successful defense at the battle of Harlem Heights (and a successful delaying action at White Plains, NY), the Patriots were pushed back to the north end of Manhattan. The bulk of the army was holed up in Fort Washington on Manhattan. On November 16, the British launched their attack.
Margaret had chosen to accompany the Continental Army as a volunteer nurse. Her husband John Corbin, was posted with a small artillery battery at the northern most point of Fort Washington. With around 250 riflemen to support them, they faced more than 800 British regulars and Hessian mercenaries. The patriots struggled to hold their ground against the oncoming force and managed to inflict some severe casualties on the attackers.
During the attack, Margaret acted as a water carrier for the artillery and the wounded. When she looked up, she noticed John get hit by a Hessian volley that cut down many soldiers. With no time to mourn him, Margaret realized that her husband's cannon was now unmanned. She ran up to the gun and quickly reloaded it. She then fired the cannon into the advancing British and Hessians inflicting many casualties. She continued to reload and man the cannon until an enemy artillery shot destroyed it and knocked her unconscious.
Part II
Mary (born Mary Ludwig) Hays was born on October 13, 1744, in the colony of New Jersey. She was the daughter of German immigrants who owned a small modest house. Much of her early life has not been documented except that she got married to a barber named, William Hays on July, 24 1769. And when the American Revolution began, like thousands of other Americans, both William and Mary answered the call to duty.
Mary's husband enlisted in the Continental Army in the year 1777. By September, heavy fighting was taking place in the Pennsylvania colony. The patriots had recently two devastating defeats at Brandywine Creek and Germantown. By December, Philadelphia had been captured by the British and the Continental Army retreated to a small village 18 miles north-west of the city. The village was named, Valley Forge.
Mary Hays had accompanied her husband on the march to Valley Forge and helped care for the sick and wounded during the winter of 1777-78. During the six month stay at Valley Forge, Mary watched the army resupply and retrain. One thing that they devoted much of their time to was to effectively use their artillery. While the soldiers (including William Hays) were trained to fire and reload the guns, many of the women were used by the army as water-carriers. Their job was to continually supply the soldiers with water for the latter's hydration and to cool the cannons as they were being reloaded. Little did Mary know, she would end up doing far more than just carrying water.
After a six month respite, the Continental Army was ready to fight again; especially after the British departed Philadelphia in June 1778. Washington set out from Valley Forge and met the British on the fields of Monmouth, New Jersey. On June 28, 1778, (an exceptionally hot day with temperatures over 100 degrees) the two armies began the largest clash up to that point. During the engagement, Mary ran into the fray to deliver water to patriots as they advanced against the British. However, the intense heat caused many on both sides to pass out during the battle. One of those to pass out from heat stroke was William Hays. Upon seeing her husband fall, Mary quickly grabbed his ramrod and proceeded to assist the gunners in reloading the cannon. During the battle, Mary's group helped repulse at least two British assaults on their position. She continued to fight with her unit until the fighting had ended. After which, she helped tend to the wounded.
Epilogue:
Despite Margaret Corbin's courage and valor at Fort Washington, this battle ended in defeat for the patriots. Although Washington managed to escape with most of his army, more than 2,800 Patriot soldiers (including Margaret) were forced to surrender to the British. Fortunately, the British agreed to release her (and some other severely wounded POWs) in a prisoner exchange. In 1779 (while the war was still being fought) Margaret became the very first woman in American history to receive a pension from the US Congress. Although she lived to see the end of the Revolution, Margaret Corbin never fully recovered from the wounds she had received at Fort Washington. She ultimately died due to complications from them on January 16, 1800. She was only 48.
At the end of the day both sides had agreed to disengage from the battlefield of Monmouth Court House. Tactically this battle had ended in a draw. However, since the British had suffered far more casualties than the Americans, history would remember this battle as a strategic victory (a victory in the long term) for the latter. For her part, both Mary Hays and her husband William had survived the battle. George Washington was so impressed by Mary's courage that he made her a non-commissioned officer in the Continental Army. For the rest of the war she was known as, "Sergeant Molly Pitcher". It was a moniker that would stay with her for the rest of her life. When the war ended, both Mary and William returned to Pennsylvania and lived a quiet life on their farm. Like Margaret Corbin before her, Mary Hays also received a pension from the US Congress for her gallant service during the American Revolution (although she had to wait until 1822 for it to be given). She passed away on January 22, 1832, at the age of 87.
In the long years since the American Revolution, most of the patriots who served as foot soldiers have been largely forgotten by the general American populace. Most people tend to remember the leaders who laid the groundworks that helped to spark the revolution and the generals who secured victory on the battlefield. However, when one reads about the stories of people like Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays, they will learn that the American foot soldier played a vital role in securing the future of the United States of America. Their courage and valor remain great examples of what ultimately made our country.
https://www.biography.com/military-figure/molly-pitcher
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-ludwig-hays
https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/margaret-corbin-revolutionary/
https://www.dar.org/national-society/margaret-cochran-corbin
https://www.thoughtco.com/molly-pitcher-biography-3530670
No comments:
Post a Comment