Today’s #stampoftheday manages to simultaneously diminish both a notable woman and the state of New Jersey.
Issued in 1928, the stamp was issued to mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth, particularly the role played by Molly Pitcher at that battle. But as you can see, it does so by printing the name “Molly Pitcher” over a regular 2-cent stamp picturing George Washington. (That same year, the Post Office did the same for a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the “discovery ” of Hawaii by Captain James Cook.)

So who was Molly Pitcher, what happened at the battle of Monmouth, and why couldn’t Molly get her very own stamp?
In the summer of 1778, recognizing that the American Army was getting stronger and that the American’s new alliance with the French was a problem, the British decided to move 15,000 troops who had taken Philadelphia a year earlier, back to New York City, which was now vulnerable to an attack by the French Navy. On June 18, the troop began their 100-mile march in temperatures over 100 degrees. The colonial army shadowed and harassed them as they went, and while some officers did not think it wise to mount an attack on such a large force, George Washington judged that it was politically and perhaps militarily important not to let them retreat unscathed.

Washington finally ordered an attack in Monmouth on June 28th. The British initially repulsed the Americans and threatened to break through their lines. But the American vanguard held on long enough to give Washington time to deploy the main body of his soldiers in a strong defensive position that stymied the British counterattack. The infantry battle gave way to a two-hour artillery duel, during which the British began to disengage, particularly after a Continental brigade established an artillery position on a hill overlooking the British lines.

During the battle, Mary Ludwig Hays, the wife of an American artilleryman who had been with her husband at Valley Forge, supposedly brought water pitchers to swab the cannons and quench the men’s thirst. The men, supposedly, took to calling her Molly Pitcher as they kept calling for more water. Moreover, when her husband was hurt and unable to man his cannon, Mary reportedly dropped her water pitcher and took his place until the battle ended (more or less in a draw). According to some accounts of that fight, Mary was nearly hit by a musket or cannonball that sped between her legs and ripped her dress. She is said to have responded, “Well, that could have been worse.”

Supposedly Washington had seen her action on the field, and after the British unexpectedly retreated, he made Mary Hays a non-commissioned officer. Mary apparently began calling herself “Sergeant Molly” from that day forward. After the war she and her husband returned to Carlisle, PA, where she worked as a servant a domestic servant, with a reputation for being hard-working, eccentric and coarse. At some point after her husband died, she petitioned for a pension based on her Revolutionary War service, and on February 18, 1822, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized an annual pension of $40 “for services rendered,” which was paid until she died in 1832.

Historians have questioned whether some or all of the above is true and have suggested instead that “Molly Pitcher” was a collective term (similar to G.I. Joe) used to describe the many now anonymous women who, like Molly, not only aided soldiers but sometimes fought alongside them as well. Regardless, Molly Pitcher – as a person or a caricature – seems like a worthy person to portray on a stamp. In fact, as the anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth approached, New Jersey residents requested that a stamp be issued honoring the fabled heroine Molly Pitcher. However, the Post Office Department claimed it had issued its quota of commemorative stamp and couldn’t issue the stamp they wanted. Finally, after intense lobbying, the Post Office Department agreed to issue an overprinted stamp, as they had done with the Discovery of Hawaii stamp. This overprint not only disappointed many who wanted a real stamp, it also caused confusion because the stamp was often were mistaken for canceled regular issues stamps.

Over the years, Molly did get honored in other ways. A Liberty Ship launched during World War II was named after her. The State of Tennessee’s special license plate for women veterans has an image. And, the New Jersey Turnpike’s rest area in Cranbury is named after her.

Were Molly still around, those honors, particularly the rest step, might well have led to her paraphrase Steve Martin’s character from The Jerk and say: “I’m somebody now! Millions of people [will stop here] everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity…that makes people….Things are going to start happening to me now.”

Be well, stay safe, fight for justice and work for peace!