Molly Pitcher
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Mary "Ludwig" Hays McCauley, known as "Molly Pitcher," heroine at Battle of Monmouth, is buried in Old Graveyard just east of here. In this burial ground are graves of many distinguished citizens.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Mary Hays McCauley, remembered in legend as "Molly Pitcher," became one of the Revolution's most enduring heroines for her courage at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, where women carried water to overheated soldiers and, by tradition, she took a place at the cannon. She is buried in the Old Graveyard just east of here, among many of Carlisle's distinguished early citizens.
Why it matters
Her grave anchors the memory of the countless women whose labor and bravery sustained the Continental Army, a story long overshadowed by the men who led it.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Appalachian Trail Museum12.9 mi away
- Ye Olde Sulphur Spa Historical Society13.4 mi away
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Related people
- · Mary "Molly Pitcher" Hays McCauley
Related events
- · Battle of Monmouth
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Thompson's Rifle Battalion
Carlisle, PA · est. 1986
When Congress moved to build a Continental force in June 1775, it authorized its very first battalion — nine companies of riflemen raised here in the Pennsylvania backcountry under Col. William Thompson of Carlisle. These frontier marksmen marched to join the siege of Boston, and the unit later became the First Pennsylvania Continental Regiment. Their muster placed Carlisle at the founding of the American army.
Major Andre
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
During the Revolution, Carlisle held British prisoners of war far from the fighting on the coast. For a short time in 1776, Major John Andre and Lieutenant Despard were detained in a tavern on this site. Andre was later exchanged, returned to service, and after his involvement in Benedict Arnold's treason was captured again and executed as a spy.
Blaine House
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
This site held the home of General Ephraim Blaine, who as Commissary General kept the Continental Army fed through some of the Revolution's hardest campaigns — a thankless logistical task on which victory quietly depended. Years later, in October 1794, Blaine hosted President George Washington for a week here while Washington gathered a militia army at Carlisle to march against the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. It is a rare double witness to the war for independence and the young republic's first great test of federal authority.
First Presbyterian Church
Carlisle, PA · est. 1949
Begun in 1757 and reckoned the oldest public building in Carlisle, the First Presbyterian Church grew from a congregation organized at Meeting House Springs back in 1734. Its walls witnessed history twice over: in 1774 townspeople gathered here to declare for American independence, and in 1794 President George Washington worshipped within them while rallying troops against the Whiskey Rebellion. Stone-built and enduring, it stands at the civic heart of the old frontier town.