Mary Hays McCauley - Carlisle’s Molly Pitcher

The story of Molly Pitcher is complex. It is a story that is part fact, part myth, and partly the combination of stories of multiple women during the Revolutionary War.¹ Myths were built up and repeated without documented evidence to support the story. The name “Molly Pitcher” is derived from the women carrying water to the soldiers. Molly was a common nickname for the names Mary and Margaret. Carlisle’s “Molly Pitcher,” Mary Hays McCauley, was born c. 1754. Mary, like other women, followed her husband during the war. These women were said to “follow the drum.” Today these women are referred to as “Camp Followers.” They worked hard and were very important to the troops they supported. In addition to walking the same great distances as the soldiers, these women cooked, laundered clothing, sewed, cared for the sick, and did many other important jobs. Mary’s husband, William Hays, had enlisted in Thomas Proctor’s Artillery in May of 1777 as a gunner.² This Artillery Unit was engaged at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey on June 28, 1778.

The story states that Molly Pitcher’s husband was wounded and she took his place at the cannon. There is no documented evidence that Mary Hays ever manned a cannon. On February 22 1822, the legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did award her a pension – “An Act For the relief of Molly M’Kolly, for her services during the Revolutionary War.”³ It was never stated exactly for what services the pension was given. Her pension was for $40 a year. In a 1903 deposition given by Mary McCauley’s great great granddaughter, Mary E. Wilson, she stated, “My grandmother often told me about her grandmother Molly McKolly alias ‘Molly Pitcher’ telling her about being in the army and about carrying water to the wounded and dying.”⁴ From Mary Wilson, the Cumberland County Historical Society was able to obtain a pitcher once owned by Molly Pitcher. This pitcher was not the one used by her in battle but can often be seen on exhibit in the Historical Society’s Museum.⁵

After the war, William, Mary, and their son, John, settled in Carlisle on South Street. William worked as a barber.⁶ Sometime in 1786, Mary became a widow. She had to sell some of their assets to cover William’s debts.⁷ Sometime before 1793, Mary remarried a John McCalla (various spellings).⁸ If John McCalla deserted the family or died is unknown, he was no longer living with Mary by 1810.⁹ She supported herself in a variety of ways including caring for the sick and performing labor including cleaning the Cumberland County Court House and other public buildings.¹⁰ Mary McCauley died on January 22, 1832. At the time of her death, she was living with her son on the corner of North and Bedford Streets. Two Carlisle newspapers ran an obituary for her. The American Volunteer said on January 26, 1832, “She lived during the days of the American Revolution, shared its hardships, and witnessed many a scene of ‘Blood and carnage.’ To the sick and wounded she was an efficient aid, for which; and being the widow of an American hero, she received during the latter years of her life an annuity from the government.”¹¹ Neither obituary made any mention of her firing a cannon.

Today, Molly Pitcher’s burial site is one of the most visible in Carlisle’s Old Graveyard. That was not always the case. A proper tombstone was provided for her on July 4, 1876. The cannon, flagstaff, and flag were added in 1905. The large Molly Pitcher statue was not added to the plot until 1916.¹² While all of the facts surrounding the life of Mary Hays McCauley may never be known, it is known that she was an American Patriot.