Part 7 (1/2)
”I thank you in the name of the American army!”
One can fancy how Molly's heart throbbed with pride at such commendation, as she picked her way over the bodies of the dead and wounded to the spot where her husband was propped up against a tree, slowly recovering from his prostration, but able to express his adunner's place at a ht the American ar his repose without couch or pillow, on the naked ground, and with no other shelter than a tree beneath the broad canopy of heaven But this shelter was not sought, nor sleep desired, until every wounded and hungry soldier had been cared for and fed with the best food the caton found the eneone! They had stolen silently aith such rapidity as would, when their flight became known, put them beyond the chance of pursuit--and so the American army had been victorious at Monmouth, and Molly Pitcher had played an important part in that victory”
She, too, had slept that night under the stars, and whenca she had worn as cannonier, and afterhile working over the wounded Her predicaer arrived fro an intervieith her She, Molly Pitcher, to be received by the Coarb as that! How could she make herself presentable for the interview? With her usual quick wit, Molly borrowed an artilleryarments In this coat over her own petticoats, and a cocked hat with a feather, doubtless plucked fro hen, she ton as requested, and from the fact that she wore such a costume on that June day has come the oft-repeated and untrue story that she wore a ton's eyes lighted with pleasure at the sight of such a brave woman, and he received her with such honor as he would have awarded one of his gallant men Molly was almost overcome with his words of praise, and still more so when he conferred on her the brevet of Captain, from which came the title, ”Captain Molly,” which she was called by the soldiers froton also recoiven a soldier's half-pay for life, as a reward for her faithful performance of a h to make John Hays, now completely recovered from his prostration, the proudest man in the ar Molly given a tremendous ovation by the soldiers, who cheered her to the echo when they first saw her after that fateful night To cap the clireat French General Lafayette showed his appreciation of her courage by asking Washi+ngton if hisMada the A lines, bethich Captain Molly passed in her artilleryman's coat, cocked hat in hand, and while lusty cheers rang out, the hat was filled to overfloith gold crowns
And so it was that Molly Pitcher, a country girl of New Jersey, played a prominent part in the battle of Monmouth and won for herself an enviable place in American history
It is of little importance to us that when the as over, Molly with her husband and child lived quietly in Carlisle, John Hays going back to his trade, Molly doing washi+ng and enjoying her annuity of forty dollars a year froovernain, an Irishman named McCauley, and it would have been far better for her to have remained a , for her life was unhappy froe of seventy-nine
But that does not interest us Ours it is to admire the heroic deeds of Molly Pitcher on the battle-field, to thrill that there was one woman of our country whose achieve years since she was seen
loading, firing that six-pounder,--
when, as a poet has said,
Tho' like tigers fierce they fought us, to such zeal had Molly brought us That tho' struck with heat and thirsting, yet of drink we felt no lack; There she stood ae and ran, on their line[1]
At Freehold, New Jersey, at the base of the great Monmouth battle h by six in width, co scenes of that memorable battle One of these shafts is called the ”Molly Pitcher,” and shows Mary Hays using that six-pounder; her husband lies exhausted at her feet, and General Knox is seen directing the artillery Also forty-three years after her death, on July 4, 1876, the citizens of cumberland County, Pennsylvania, placed a handsorave, inscribed with the date of her death and stating that she was the heroine of Monmouth
In this, our day, we stand at the place where the old and the new in civilization and in hu woe, and desire to better the world by her existence, face backward or forward in the spirit of patriotism which animated Molly Pitcher on the battle-field of Monmouth? Ours ”not to reason why,” ours ”but to do and die,” not as women, simply, but as citizen-soldiers on a battle-field where deuns we stand shoulder to shoulder with the inspired spirits of the world
Molly Pitcher stood by her gun in 1778--our chance has co the best in achievement and in wolish
ELIZABETH VAN LEW: THE GIRL WHO RISKED ALL THAT SLAVERY MIGHT BE ABOLISHED AND THE UNION PRESERVED
I
It was the winter of 1835 Study hour was just over in one of Philadelphia'sschools” of that day, and half a dozen girls were still grouped around the big center-table piling their books up preparatory to going to their rooht
Suddenly Catherine Holloway spoke
”Listen, girls,” she said; ”Miss S Club, with officers and regular club nights, and all sorts of interesting subjects Won't it be fun? And what do you suppose the first topic is to be?”
Books were dropped on the table, and several voices exclaier question, ”What?”
”'Resolved: That Slavery be abolished' And Betty Van Lew is to take the negative side!”
There was a chorus of suppressed ”Oh-h-hs!” around the table, then so to take the other side?”