Molly Pitcher & the Monmouth Battlefield - Manalapan, NJ
N 40° 15.823 W 074° 19.151
18T E 557890 N 4457250
Monmouth Battlefield State Park preserves the historical battlefield on which the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Monmouth was waged. It's also the place where Revolutionary War heroine Molly Pitcher emerged & became part of American history.
Waymark Code: WMERW9
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/02/2012
Views: 6
The Battle of Monmouth is most notable for creating the American legend of Molly Pitcher; a housewife who boldly took her husband's place at the cannon only moments after his peril. In honor of Pitcher, an aging white cenotaph was erected near the property of the battlefield. There is also another marker which offers a narrative of why she is famous, and it reads:
Molly Pitcher
Americas First Heroine
During the Revolutionary War, on June 28, 1778.
A blistering hot day at the Battle of Monmouth.
A woman who was with her husband, John Casper Hays,
who served in the Pennsylvania Regiment
carried water to the thirsty American soldiers
who shouted "MOLLY, "Molly Pitcher" when they needed water.
Through heavy Bombardment Molly carried the water
to the parched soldiers during the artillery dual.
Her husband was wounded and she immediately
helped load and fire the cannon
continuing the barrage against the British.
Legend has it that General George Washington
commended Molly Pitcher after the battle
and commissioned her a sergeant on the battlefield.
This seems to be substantiated by the fact that
she was given an army pension and buried
in her home town with full military honors in 1832.
The home where she drew the water is to your Northeast
Robert N. Ferrell
The monument pictured in this waymark for Molly Pitcher reads as follows:
In Honor Of
THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH HEROINE
MOLLY PITCHER, JUNE 28, 1778
Gift Of The Historical Societies Of
Monmouth County N.J. D.A.R.
Monmouth County Heritage Committee
And Friends
Dedicated October 28, 1978
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War (or American War of Independence) battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court House (modern Freehold Borough). It is sometimes known as the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse. The battle ended in a standoffSOURCE
There is also a mention of this Revolutionary War site in the American Guide Series:
"At 3.8 m. is (R) the Monmouth Battlefield, which has its western boundary at the little hill, well covered with old trees and gravestones, that is crowned by Old Tennent Church (open daily 9 a.m. until sunset; apply to custodian on grounds.)" --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939; page 565