QUEBEC-RESEARCH-L Archives
Archiver > QUEBEC-RESEARCH > 2004-04 > 1081877308
From:
Subject: Excerpt Of History
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 13:28:41 EDT
"Mary Hays made her reputation at the battle of Monmouth in June , 1778.
The daughter of a dairy farmer, she went to work as a domestic at the age of
thirteen and married a barber named William Hays the same year. William enlisted
as a gunner in the Pennsylvania artillery when the war began and Mary
eventually joined him at camp in New Jersey. The legend describes her as taking over
her husbands position at the Battle of Monmouth after he was wounded. The one
contemporary eyewitness, however, describes both husband and wife as working
together, "A woman whose husband belonged to the artillery and who was then
attached to a piece(gun) in the engagement, attended with her husband at the piece
the whole time. While in the act of reaching a cartridge and having one of
her feet as far before the other as she could, a canon shot from the enemy
passed directly between her legs without doing any other damage than carrying away
all the lower part of her petticoat. Looking at it with apparent unconcern,
she observed that it was lucky it did not pass a little higher, for in that case
it might have carried away something else, and continued her occupation." It
is noteworthy that this observer is struck by Mrs. Hays coolness under fire
rather than by her presence on the battlefield.
After the Revolution Mary and her husband returned to Pennsylvania. After
his death she married John McCauley, another veteran of the Revolution. She
continued to work as a domestic for private families and as a charwoman in the
Carlisle Courthouse. In 1822 she was awarded a pension by the Pennsylvania
legislature. Like Margaret Corbin, however, she received no special recognition for
her military activity during the Revolution until long after her death. A
special marker was not placed on her grave until 1876."
This thread: