Margaret Corbin
Margaret Corbin , née Cochran , (born November 12, 1751 near Chambersburg , today Franklin County , Province of Pennsylvania , British Empire , now the United States ; † January 16, 1800 in Highland Falls , New York , USA ) is the first recognized and one of the few soldiers known by name from the American War of Independence .
Life
On November 16, 1776 Margaret Corbin and her husband John Corbin, both from Philadelphia , along with 600 other American soldiers, defended Fort Washington in northern Manhattan against 4,000-strong Hessian troops under British command. Margaret and John operated one of the two cannons the defenders had at their disposal. After her husband was killed, Margaret took over alone. She cleaned, reloaded, and fired the cannon. Although badly wounded, she survived the battle. However, Corbin never fully recovered from her injuries; her left arm remained paralyzed.
Eventually she was given a grave site in West Point Cemetery .
A plaque commemorating their heroism was placed in Fort Tryon Park near the site of the battle in 1909 . The park entrance is named in her honor "Margaret Corbin Circle". A large Art Deco - fresco depicting the battle, graces the lobby of the nearby building 720 Fort Washington Avenue.
Your actions during the battle may have contributed to the legend of " Molly Pitcher ".
literature
- Corbin, Margaret . In: James Grant Wilson, John Fiske (Eds.): Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography . tape 1 : Aaron - Crandall . D. Appleton and Company, New York 1887, p. 736 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
Web links
- Biography at Pennsylvania People
- Margaret Corbin. Find-A-Grave
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Corbin, Margaret |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cochran, Margaret (maiden name); Captain Molly |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Revolutionary War soldier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 12, 1751 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | near Chambersburg , York County (now Franklin County ), Province of Pennsylvania , British Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 16, 1800 |
| Place of death | Highland Falls , New York, United States |