The Camas Hot Springs Exchange

Molly Pitcher Fights Again

Out of the ghostly land of tradition and myth, they've summoned Molly Pitcher to fight for her country again. This time she isn't serving a cannon, as she did at the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolution. But she's serving in the cause of liberty just the same-selling war savings stamps and bonds to help beat the Axis.

And it isn't just one Molly Pitcher who's doing this, either. There are 5,000,000 Molly Pitchers. Clad in colorful red, white and blue costumes, they're presiding over one of the Molly Pitcher war bond booths that have been set up in thousands of independent grocery stores all over the United States. They're volunteer women workers who are members of women's clubs, church and parent-teacher organizations, the Red Cross and the grocer's own family. They started it on July 1- three days after the 164th anniversary of the battle in which the original Molly Pitcher won immortality -and they're going to keep it up until they've helped the members of the Independent Food Distributors' council sell their share of the $1,000,000,000 worth of bonds and stamps per month, the goal which the United States treasury department has set for the nation-wide campaign through retail outlets.

Thus the name and fame of a Revolutionary war heroine will be heard again throughout the length and breadth of the nation to whose founding she contributed. Although history has preserved her fame under the name of Molly Pitcher, that wasn't her real name.

She was born Mary Ludwig at Carlisle, Pa., on October 13, 1744, the daughter of John George Ludwig, who came to America from the German Palatinate.

When Mary grew up she was employed as a servant in the family of Gen. William Irvine of Carlisle, who was destined to become a famous Revolutionary leader.

There on July 24, 1769, she was married to John Hays, a barber.

At the outbreak of the Revolution Hays enlisted in Proctor's First Pennsylvania artillery in the Continental line troops and when he marched away for service as a gunner, Mary marched with him, as was the custom of wives of privates in those days.

Little is known of either John Hays or his wife until the battle of Monmouth, N. J., fought on June 28, 1778. At that battle Hays' battery was stationed on rising ground between Livingston's and Varnum's brigades.

It was a terrifically hot day, the mercury rising to 96 degrees in the shade. During the fighting Mary Hays discovered a little brook running back of the hill where her husband was stationed and she began carrying water to him in a pitcher. Soon she was serving other thirsty soldiers as well and there was no more welcome sound amid the roar of the cannon than the cry "Here comes Molly with her pitcher!"

As the battle grew fiercer and her trips to the brook more frequent, the call was abbreviated into "Molly Pitcher' and thus her nickname was born. Suddenly Hays fell, seriously wounded, during a charge made by the British cavalry and infantry. As no one was competent to take Gunner Hays' place, the cannon which he was serving was ordered moved to the rear.

Thereupon Molly, dropping her pitcher, seized the rammer which her husband had been using and declared that she would carry on in his place. She proved to be a good substitute and so won the admiration of the soldiers that they told their officers about her heroic conduct. As a result next morning Gen. Nathanael Greene presented her to Gen. George Washington, the commander-in-chief, who praised her gallantry and then and there made her a sergeant in the artillery.

Later she was placed on the list of half-pay officers and for many years after the Revolution she lived at the Carlisle Barracks, cooking and washing for the soldiers. Some years after the death of Hays she was married to Sergt. George McCauley or McKolly, who seems to have been a worthless sort who lived on her earnings and abused her cruelly. In 1822 the Pennsylvania legislature voted her a gift of $40 for her services in the Revolution and $80 annually for life. She died January 22, 1823, and was buried with military honors.

A modern Molly Pitcher sells a war bond to a food store customer.

Released by Western Newspaper Union.