Margaret Corbin

Margaret Cochran was born in 1751 on the Pennsylvania frontier, and her childhood was shaped by the violence of the colonial backcountry — her father was killed in a Native American raid and her mother was taken captive, leaving Margaret to be raised by an uncle. She married John Corbin, an artilleryman, and when he enlisted in the Continental Army and joined the garrison defending the Hudson River highlands, Margaret followed him to camp as one of the women who performed essential support roles for the army: cooking, laundering, and nursing the sick and wounded.

On November 16, 1776, the British assault on Fort Washington on the northern tip of Manhattan brought the most desperate fighting of the New York campaign to the position where John Corbin served his cannon. When John was killed at his gun during the battle, Margaret stepped forward to take his place, loading and firing the artillery piece alongside the surviving members of the crew. She continued at the cannon until she was herself struck by grapeshot that shattered her arm and chest, leaving her with wounds so severe that she never fully regained the use of her left arm. The fort fell that same day, and nearly the entire garrison — including Margaret — was captured.

Margarets's actions at Fort Washington were recognized within the war itself: the Executive Council of Pennsylvania provided her relief in 1779, and the Continental Congress in 1779 awarded her a pension for life, making her the first woman to receive such recognition from the national government. She spent her later years at West Point, where she was known as Captain Molly to the soldiers there, and was buried on the grounds. Her remains were later reinterred at the West Point Cemetery with full military honors — a belated but enduring acknowledgment of her service.