Provided by RELIC
In the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, Molly Pitcher, a camp follower for her husband, artilleryman William Hays, took his place as an artilleryman and loaded cannons when her husband was wounded in battle. She was not only one of the few documented cases of women taking up arms in the War, but she also became a representation of the fighting spirit of women who, throughout the 18th century, took up arms to fight as soldiers or to defend their homes from the enemy.
Thousands of women followed loved ones who were soldiers in the army and performed day-to-day chores such as cooking, mending, laundry, acquiring supplies, and other tasks. Women of high social status, such as Martha Washington, used their status to fundraise for the troops. Hundreds of women became farmers and businesswomen to support their families, troops, and properties. Several women chose to support the war effort through chronicling the war or writing on the social injustices of the time, for example, Phyllis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren, and Judith Sargent Murray. There were many examples of women, even in battle, who were recognized for their contributions to the war effort.
March is Women’s History Month; let’s celebrate the contributions of women, seen and unseen, who support and take charge of the chaos that is the modern family, businesswomen who established businesses on local, national, and global levels, educators who support the intellectual growth of our country, politicians at all levels of government, government workers who support our societies, philanthropist and volunteers who support their communities, civic leaders and supporters who fought and died for equal rights and freedom from oppression, and those who fought and sacrificed for the right to defend their country in the military on all levels of support and command. Women have risen and defied the constraints of society for generations in our country, earning the right to be included as those who contributed to the fight for an independent nation as we mark our nation’s 250th anniversary.
Please check the Explore magazine online at pwcva.gov/library and in your local library for RELIC’s monthly lecture and workshop series “Perspective of a Revolution VA250” beginning in March.
