The Female Fighter - American History, 1493-1945

Margaret ‘Molly’ Corbin and the American Revolution

1782

View the letter from Tench Tilghman to Samuel Shaw about Margaret Corbin in the resource

General Knox’s letter to Samuel Shaw recognizes that Margaret ‘Molly’ Corbin is authorized to receive a military pension from the U.S. government. In doing so, it serves to make her one of the first women in history to have this and one of the first to be recognized for military action. In this collection, there are a number of documents from the era debating the topic and discussing what to do about this woman, who had been injured whilst fighting against the British and who was the first of her sex to be recognized for doing so.

Margaret ‘Molly’ Corbin is one among a few women who are remembered now as fighting alongside their husbands and sons in American wars. Arguably the most well-known of this group is the character ‘Molly Pitcher’. Though some believe ‘Molly Pitcher’ to be based on Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, another female fighter from the American Revolution, she is generally believed by most to be a composite character representative of the women who fought. Margaret Corbin was one of these women and although she was one of a few, she was the first to be formally recognized by the state. Like many women, she lived life as a camp follower during the war, following her husband from battle to battle (he served as a mastross – someone who helped with loading and firing the cannons). At first, she merely provided sustenance and medical aid but when her husband was killed during the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776, Margaret stepped into his place and continued firing the cannon until she was struck down by the British. Severely wounded (she would be forever paralysed in her left arm), she was captured when the American forces surrendered. After returning to her normal life, her injuries made it impossible for her to work and she applied to the U.S. government for aid. After reviewing her case and recognizing her contributions, General Knox and his contemporaries granted her half the pay of a soldier and a fund for a suit of clothes. This was later adjusted to full pay and she was given an allowance for ‘spirits’, which is referenced in this letter. She was also included on the military roll and enrolled in the Corps of Invalids. Her actions are recognized in the letters we have in this collection and the frank opinions and initial reactions to this unusual situation are clearly recorded.

After gaining the pension, Margaret is said to have married another invalid soldier and lived with her injuries, eventually dying at the age of 48. Forgotten for a number of years, in the 1920s her story was rediscovered in the Knox collection. Her body was exhumed and reburied in a military cemetery and a monument was erected in her memory. She’s now recognized as being part of a significant group of women who contributed to the history of the United States.