Margaret Corbin ~ American Revolutionary War heroine whose valour and sacrifice were recognized by the new United States government. Her story has sometimes been confused with that of Mary McCauley, “Molly Pitcher” . Margaret Corbin neé Cochran, was born 12 November 1751 in western Pennsylvania (now Franklin County, Pennsylvania) Her parents were Robert Cochran, a Scots-Irish immigrant, and his wife, Sarah. In 1756, when Margaret was five years old, her parents were attacked by Native Americans. Her father was killed, and her mother was kidnapped, never to be seen again — Margaret and her brother, John, escaped the raid because they were not at home. Margaret lived with her uncle for the rest of her childhood. In 1772, she married John Corbin, a Virginia farmer. When he enlisted in the First Company of Pennsylvania Artillery for service in the American Revolution, she followed him east. (According to some historians, she held a paid position as an enlisted soldier.) On 16 November 1776, John Corbin was manning a gun on a ridge near Fort Washington, New York, when he was killed during a Hessian advance. Observing from nearby, Margaret immediately leaped to the gun and continued to serve in her husband’s stead until she was felled by grapeshot wounds. Upon the surrender of the American position she was not taken among the prisoners. She made her way to Philadelphia and there, completely disabled, came to the attention of the state’s Executive Council, by which she was granted temporary relief. On 29 June 29 1779, the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, the decision-making body of the executive branch, allocated Margaret a $30 stipend to relieve her present necessities and recommended that the Board of War give her a pension. Congress received a letter from the Board of War supporting the Executive Councils recommendation. Congress immediately authorized that Margaret receive, for life, one-half of the monthly pay allotted to soldiers and as a one-time allocation, a complete outfit of clothing. Margaret Corbin was the first woman in U.S. history to receive a pension from Congress for military. She was thereafter included on military rolls and in April 1783 was formally mustered out of the Continental Army. She died in Buttermilk Falls ( today Highland Falls), New York, on 16 January 1800, at the age of 48 just prior to her birthday, and was buried in the highlands above the Hudson River. On 14 April 1926 Margaret’s overgrown grave was found and her body was exhumed. Her remains were re-interred with full military honors at the cemetery of the United States Military Academy at West Point behind the Old Cadet Chapel and erected the Margaret Corbin Monument in the West Point Cemetery, making her one of only two Revolutionary War soldiers to be buried there ~ Legacy~ In 1926, the New York State Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution verified Margarets records and recognized her heroism and service to the United States through the papers of General Henry Knox. Margaret’s overgrown grave was located, and her body was exhumed. A West Point surgeon confirmed the skeleton was that of Margaret Corbin by comparison with a post-mortem which showed the left side of the face, chest and upper arm and left shoulder were badly damaged. Thus, on 14 April 1926 her remains were re-interred with full military honors at the cemetery of the United States Military Academy at West Point behind the Old Cadet Chapel and erected the Margaret Corbin Monument in the West Point Cemetery, making her one of only two Revolutionary War soldiers to be buried there. The other soldier is Dominick Trant. A tablet commemorating her heroism was erected in 1909 in New York Citys Fort Tryon Park, near the scene of her service, and the entrance to the park is named Margaret Corbin Circle in her honor. A large Art Deco mural depicting the battle scene decorates the lobby of a nearby building at 720 Fort Washington Avenue ~
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 23:56:27 +0000
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