# Do you know who Molly Pitcher was? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923 "2012-04-16T04:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/61 "2012-04-19T05:10:25Z")
She’s about as mythical as Betsey Ross, why should we know or care who she is? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/62 "2012-04-19T05:29:13Z")
Sure, old man Pitcher’s wife. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/63 "2012-04-19T07:06:55Z")
I couldn’t give exact details but I had the general idea of who she was. I am originally from the Midwest but after age 7 I ended up in Florida so I guess that counts as East Coast, however I still entered where I was originally from for the poll. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/64 "2012-04-19T12:48:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > She’s about as mythical as Betsey Ross, why should we know or care who she is? No, she’s not. \*Betsy \*Ross, while a real name of a real woman, didn’t do what her legend said. Mary Ludwig Hayes really was a woman helped fire a cannon at Monmouth, having been a fetcher of water for the artillery (both for the men and to keep the cannon cool). A British shot passed between her legs putting a hole in her skirt during the battle. She was given a pension for her service. “Molly” was a real nickname for Mary, and she was probably actually called Molly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/65 "2012-04-19T12:55:03Z")
> **[Molly Pitcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Pitcher)** > > Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War. She is most often identified as Mary Ludwig Hays, who fought in the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778. Another possibility is Margaret Corbin, who helped defend Fort Washington in New York in November 1776. > The deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays, who was married to William Hays, an artilleryman in the Continental Army. She joined him at the Army's winter camp ... "_Since various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, many historians regard Molly Pitcher as folklore rather than history, or suggest that Molly Pitcher may be a composite image inspired by the actions of a number of real women."_ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/66 "2012-04-19T13:15:24Z")
I invite anybody to read the linked wikipedia article and decide if the single quote provided by **Dr. Deth** captures the spirit of that article, or is cherry-picking. You should know who Mary Ludwig Hays was and what she did. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/67 "2012-04-20T04:18:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I invite anybody to read the linked wikipedia article and decide if the single quote provided by **Dr. Deth** captures the spirit of that article, or is cherry-picking. > > You should know who Mary Ludwig Hays was and what she did. But we weren’t asked about Mary Ludwig Hays. We were asked about _Molly Pitcher._ Yes, no doubt Mary is part of the Molly Pitcher legend, but it’s still folklore, even tho based partly upon a real person. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/68 "2012-04-20T19:25:17Z")
I’ve heard of her. Probably could have told you about her at one time. Don’t remember a thing, though. Off to wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/69 "2012-04-20T21:36:06Z")
Yup, I heard about her in school in California…but that was 50+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923/70 "2012-04-22T20:23:34Z")
Thanks for all the replies! Very interesting spread of responses. And my apologies to anyone who felt geographically abused by the poll options. I was just trying to keep it longitudinal. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-molly-pitcher-was/618923.md?page=3)