Margaret "Molly" Cochran Corbin was an American heroine who was probably the first woman wounded in action while fighting as a soldier in the American Revolution. [1] She was born in what is now Franklin County, Pennsylvania in 1751 to Robert Cochran. [1] The Texas State DAR Captain Molly Corbin chapter states in her biography that Molly's father was named Robert. [2] Wikipedia states her mother was Sarah but this is not substantiated. [3]
Molly was said to have been orphaned when she was about 5 when her parents were taken during an Indian raid. Her father was killed during the raid and her mother was never seen nor heard from again. This left Molly and her brother John orphaned at a very young age. [1] Wikipedia states that she was raised by a maternal uncle after that. [1]
In 1772 Molly married John Corbin, a farmer who hailed from Virginia. [1] John enlisted with the First Artillery of Pennsylvania which was soon turned over to the Continental army. [1] Molly followed her husband and his unit as he fought during the Revolutionary War, performing such service as cooking, cleaning and tending to sick and injured soldiers. On 16 November 1776 her husband's unit was at Fort Washington in New York when British troops attacked. [1] Her husband, John Corbin, was manning the cannons along with another man. Both were killed during the battle. [1] Despite her grief, Molly insisted that she be allowed to fire her husband's gun, stating, "I know all about it, Jack has shown me." [1] She continued firing for several hours until she, herself was injured her in the shoulder, leaving her without the use of her left arm. [1] This injury proved to be a permanent disability. [1]
The battle of Fort Washington was lost to the British. However, Molly's great heroism earned her the tremendous honor of being the first woman in the American Revolutionary War to receive a pension for her heroic deeds and she had earned the respect of every man in her husband's unit. [1] She was also the first woman believed to have been injured while fighting in war. [1]
Due to Molly's injuries she was sent to the Invalid Regiment at West Point, New York. After the War ended the War Department engaged in a series of dialogues aimed at compensating Molly for her heroic actions. It was eventually decided by the Continental Congress "That Margaret Corbin, who was wounded and disabled in the attack on Fort Washington, whilst she heroically filled the post of her husband, who was killed by her side serving a piece of artillery, do receive, during her natural life, or the continuance of the said disability, the one-half of the monthly pay drawn by a soldier in the service of these states; and that she now receive out of the public stores, one complete suit of cloaths, or, the value thereof in money." [1] She stayed nearly two years with the invalid Regiment at West Point. [1] The government paid for her food and lodging from 1785 until her death in 1800. [1] There is a monument at Fort Tryon inscribed with the message:
Molly Cochran Corbin was a true heroine.
Burial: United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, Orange County, New York, USA. Plot: Section 11, Row A, Grave 01.[4]
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C > Cochran | C > Corbin > Margaret (Cochran) Corbin
Categories: United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, New York | 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, Continental Army, American Revolution | NSSAR Patriot Ancestors | Wounded in Action, United States of America, American Revolution
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5671355/Wheres-Capt-Molly-Search-Revolutionary-hero-grave.html#ixzz5EBkNRZXN PUBLISHED: 11:34 EDT, 29 April 2018 / UPDATED: 20:45 EDT, 29 April 2018
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON, DC Of the many Revolutionary War patriots celebrated by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the story of Margaret Corbin is one in which the DAR has played a significant role in honoring her legacy and telling her story. It is a story that now has a new chapter. Following a construction disturbance at the Margaret Corbin gravesite at West Point, an extensive archeological and forensic study by the U.S. Army has revealed that the remains interred at West Point in 1926 are in fact not those of Margaret Corbin but rather an unidentifiable man from the colonial era.
1) Booth, Sally Smith` "The Women of '76" (1973) 2) De Paux, Linda Gray. "Founding Mothers" (1975) 3) En gle, Paul. "The Women in the American Revolution" (1976) 4) Hall, Edward. "Margaret Corbin" (1932) 5) John B.B. Trussell Jr. "The Pennsylvania Line" (1977)