"The Search for Captain Molly" Topic

Now, the Daughters of the American Revolution is on a mission to find Corbin's remains and bring the American heroine to her rightful resting place…

link

That said, if Mrs. Corbin was the first, she was
certainly not the last, and I wonder why the DAR is not
looking for other women who fought (and I mean FOUGHT)
in the AWI, such as Mary Ludwig McCauley, nee Hays.
She might be better known if called 'Molly Pitcher,'
the soubriquet given her by folks remembering her
for carrying water to soldiers at Monmouth.

Her legend also includes serving a gun when her husband
was killed or wounded.

Two women with very similar stories, save that McCauley
had descendants. I could not find evidence of Corbin's
descendants, which is of course NOT to say there
were none.

As far as the pension goes, MANY women from our wars
have been awarded pensions whether they saw active
service (FOUGHT) or not. I was especially surprised
when doing research on the ACW at the number of
CONFEDERATE widows awarded pensions from the FedGov.

Previously touched on here. The 1999 article is worth a read.

It seems there is some confusion between the veteran 'Captain Molly' Corbin who had taken over her gunner husband's post when he was killed at Fort Washington, being later wounded herself, and Mary Hayes/McAuley who gained the soubriquet 'Molly Pitcher' for bringing water to the deydrated gunners at Monmouth Courthouse, and who may have been the woman observed that same day by Joseph Plum Martin, cooly serving a gun while shot flew about her.

I have to say watching the assembled speakers get tremulous about Mrs Corbin's bones when the majority of those on both sides who died have no known resting place, makes me a little impatient. These were tough women no doubt and that is worth recording for numerous reasons, but sentimental they were not.