Early Life
Margaret Cochran was born on November 12,
1751. She was born near the town of Chambersburg, Pa. Her father was named
Robert Cochran. She had a little brother named John.
In 1756 Native
Americans came to the Cochrans’ house. They killed Margaret’s parents.
Margaret was five years old. Now Margaret and John were orphans. They went
to live with their uncle.
Soldier’s Wife
Margaret grew up to be a strong, tall woman. She was five feet, eight
inches tall. Margaret married a man from Virginia. His name was John
Corbin. They married around the year 1772. Four years later, in 1776,
John joined the army. He went to fight the British.
Margaret became a
camp follower. She was one of the people who followed behind a group of
soldiers. Margaret helped with cooking and washing clothes. She took care
of people who were sick or hurt. When there was a battle, Margaret went
with her husband. She helped him load the cannon. She was called a
half-soldier.
John Corbin was a
matross. His job was to sponge the cannon and to load it with a cannon
ball. He was the helper of the man who fired the cannon.
On November 16, 1776
John’s division went to Fort Washington, New York. Their job was to defend
the fort. John’s cannon was on Forest Hill. The British army came up the
hill to attack the fort. There were many more British than Americans.
The gunner on John’s
cannon was killed. John took over firing the cannon. Margaret did John’s
job. Then John was shot and killed. Margaret kept firing the cannon.
Margaret was hit with grape shot. This is a bunch of small musket balls
all fired together. Grape shot can do a lot of damage. Margaret fell to
the ground. She could not fight any more.
That afternoon a
doctor walked over the hill. He was looking for people who were still
alive. He found Margaret. She was very badly hurt. Her jaw and her chest
were injured. Her left arm was badly cut. Margaret was put into a wagon.
The nearest hospital was in Philadelphia. It was almost 100 miles away.
Margaret rode in a bumpy wagon to the hospital. It was a long, painful
trip.
The Invalid
Regiment
After a while Margaret was allowed to leave the hospital. She could not
use her left arm any more. She could not earn a living. To help injured
soldiers, the Continental Congress formed a special group of soldiers.
They were all people who had been wounded. They were called the Invalid
Regiment. They could not fight, but they could do helpful jobs. Margaret
had never been a real soldier, but she was put into the Invalid Regiment.
The group was sent to West Point. Margaret was called “Captain Molly.”
Margaret was very
poor. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania said that she had been a hero. In
1779 they gave her $30.00. In 1780 the Board of War checked on Margaret.
She was in need. They gave her a set of clothes, and arranged to have her
paid some money each month. This money was called a pension. She was given
half as much money as a regular soldier would be paid. No woman had ever
been given a pension by the United States government. Margaret was the
first one.
Margaret married
again around 1782. Her husband was also a wounded soldier. He was in bad
health. He did not live long. In April 1783 the Invalid Regiment was
broken up. They were not needed any more.
Margaret needed
money. She asked for a rum ration. This was money given to each soldier.
It was never given to camp followers. Margaret was given the rum ration.
She was even given extra money as back pay.
Later Life
As time went on, Margaret lived in the West Point area. She was sometimes
rude to people. She spoke sharply, and did not dress neatly. Even though
she acted a little strange, people who knew whom she was respected her.
They still called her “Captain Molly.” Local people sometimes helped her.
Margaret Corbin died
in 1789. She was buried in the Highland Falls Cemetery in New York.
Fame After Her
Death
150 years after her death, Margaret’s body was moved. It was taken to West
Point Military Academy. She was buried in a grave there. A marker was put
on the grave to honor her. It has a bronze picture on it. The picture
shows Margaret in battle.
Molly Pitcher
Some people think Margaret Corbin was Molly Pitcher. She was not. Molly
Pitcher was really Mary McCauley. Both were brave women.
Researched and written by Melissa Yates |