Mary Ludwig was born in Trenton, New Jersey, British America. There is some dispute over her birth date, but a marker in the cemetery where she is buried lists her birth date as October 13, 1744.
[1] She had a moderately sized family which included her older brother Johann Martin; their parents were Maria Margaretha and Johann George Ludwig, who was a butcher. It is likely that she never attended school or learned to read, as education was uncommon among girls at this time.
Her father died in January 1769, and her mother married John Hays the following June. In early 1777, Molly married William Hays, a barber in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Continental Army records show that he was an artilleryman at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Dr. William Irvine organized a boycott of British goods as a protest of the Tea Act on July 12, 1774, in a meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, and William Hays' name appears on a list of people who were charged with enforcing it
In 1777, William Hays enlisted in Proctor's 4th Pennsylvania Artillery, which became Proctor's 4th Artillery of the Continental Army. During the winter of 1777, Molly Hays joined her husband at the Continental Army's winter camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She was one of a group of women, led by Martha Washington, who would wash clothes and blankets, and care for sick and dying soldiers.
In early 1778, the Continental Army trained under Baron Friedrich Wihelm Van Steuben. Hays trained as an artilleryman, and Mary and other camp followers served as water carriers, carrying water to troops who were drilling on the field. Also, artillerymen needed a supply of water to soak the sponge used to clean sparks and gunpowder out of the barrel after each shot. It was during this time that Mary probably received her nickname, as troops would shout, "Molly! Pitcher!" whenever they needed her to bring fresh water.
At the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, Mary Hays attended to the soldiers by giving them water. Just before the battle started, she found a spring to serve as her supply, and two places on the battlefield are now marked as the " Molly Pitcher Spring." She spent much of the early day carrying water to soldiers and artillerymen, often under heavy fire from British troops. Final Coordinates are N 43° 08.148' W 71° 25.470'
The weather was very hot, and William Hays collapsed during the battle, either wounded or suffering from heat exhaustion . It has often been reported that he was killed in the battle, but it is known that he survived. As he was carried off the battlefield, Mary took his place at the cannon and continued to "swab and load" the cannon using her husband's ramrod. At one point, a British musket ball or cannonball flew between her legs and tore off the bottom of her skirt. She supposedly said something to the effect of, "Well, that could have been worse," and went back to loading the cannon. After the battle, General Washington asked about the woman whom he had seen loading a cannon on the battlefield. In commemoration of her courage, he issued Mary Hays a Warrent as a Non Commissioned officer. Afterward, she was known as "Sergeant Molly," a nickname that she used for the rest of her life.
Following the end of the war, Mary Hays and her husband William returned to Carlisle Pennsylvania . During this time, Mary gave birth to a son named Johannes (or John). In late 1786, William Hays died.
In 1793, Mary Hays married John McCauley, another Revolutionary War veteran and possibly a friend of William Hays. McCauley was a stone cutter for the local Carlisle prison. However, the marriage was reportedly not a happy one, as McCauley had a violent temper. It was McCauley who was the cause of Mary's financial downfall, causing Mary to sell 200 acres (81 ha) of bounty land left to her by William Hays, for 30 dollars. Sometime between 1807 and 1810, McCauley disappeared, and it is not known what happened to him.
On February 21, 1822, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded Mary McCauley an annual pension of $40 (equivalent to $768 in 2019) for her service. Mary died January 22, 1832, in Carlisle, at the approximate age of 87. She is buried in the Old Graveyard in Carlisle under the name "Molly McCauley". A statue of "Molly Pitcher," standing alongside a cannon, is also in the cemetery.
Answer the following questions to complete the coordinates
N 43 08. AB8
W 071 25.BCD
A= First number in the year she died 1832
B= First number in her annual Pension $40
C= Year Mary married John McCauley second number 1793