Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a woman said to have fought in the American Revolutionary War. Since various Molly Pitcher tales grew in the telling, many historians regard Molly Pitcher as folklore, rather than history, or suggest that Molly Pitcher may be a composite image inspired by the actions of a number of real women. The name itself may have originated as a nickname given to women who carried water to men on the battlefield during the war. The deeds in the story of Molly Pitcher are generally attributed to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, wife of William Hays. Molly was a common nickname for women named Mary in the Revolutionary time period. Biographical information about her has been gathered by descendent-historians, including her cultural heritage, given name, probable year of birth, marriages, progeny, census and tax records, etc., suggesting a reasonably reliable account of her life. Nonetheless, independent review of these documents and the conclusions suggested by the family still needs to be done by professional historians; some details of her life and evidence of the story of her unherioic deeds remain sparse. It is said that she was born to a German family in Pennsylvania October 13th,1754. Around 1778, Mary was working in a house with her best friend whose husband was also in the war. She knew her husband was going to Monmouth and she heard from German soldiers about the British. She went to her husband in New Jersey from Carlisle. At the Battle of Monmouth she attended to the Revolutionary soldiers by giving them water. She got the name Molly Pitcher when the soldiers said, "Molly, Pitcher". Hays took her husband's place at his cannon when he fell wounded. After the battle, General George Washington issued her a warrant as a non-commissioned officer, and she was thereafter known by the nickname "Sergeant Molly". The similarity of the story of the cannon to that of another Revolutionary wife has suggested to some that these details may have been borrowed from the actions of a leading candidate for another Molly Pitcher, Margaret Corbin; it is also possible that both accounts could be historically correct. Her husband, William Hays, was killed in front of her at the battle of Monmouth in June of 1778. On February 21, 1822, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded her an annual pension of $40 for her heroism. She died January 22, 1832, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at the age of 78.