Boys of Old Monmouth: A Story of Washington's Campaign in New Jersey in 1778

by John Henry Goldfrap

  CHAPTER XXII

  A SOLDIER WOMAN

  "WHY, Molly, you aren't going to keep us out here in the rain, are you?"

  Tom looked up in surprise as he heard the young lieutenant's words; andwhile his fears were somewhat relieved by the assurance that hiscompanion evidently had recognized the peculiar being before them, hisconfusion was not diminished by the reply which the strangely clad womanquickly made.

  "Sure, and it's me bye! It's me beautiful bye! Come in, me darlint! Whatfor should ye be standin' out there in the storm?"

  The two dripping young soldiers speedily accepted the invitation, andentered the barn, leading their horses with them. To their surprise theynow discovered that several men were also in the building, and thatother horses were stalled in the barn.

  The appearance of Tom's horse was greeted by a shout of delight, and theperson whom Lieutenant Gordon had addressed as "Molly" approached, and,after critically examining the poor beast for a moment, said:--

  "And where in the world did ye be after findin' that? It's a pity, it isindade, to be after compellin' such poor bastes as that to be fightin'the Dootch butchers! Sure, and it's the surgeon the poor thing is afterneedin'."

  Molly's hair was of a bright red color, her face was covered withfreckles, which were like great blotches upon the skin, and her eyeswere so faded as to be almost colorless; but her expression was soevidently one of good nature that Tom was compelled to join in the laughwhich her words raised among the half dozen men who quickly assembled topass judgment upon the steed which had been led into the barn.

  "Oh, that's something we bought back here to carry my friend as far asthe army."

  "It's lucky, it is, that ye haven't very far to go, thin," laughedMolly.

  "Perhaps you're right, Molly," replied the lieutenant. "How far back isthe army now?"

  "About a mile, I'm thinkin'."

  "What? What's that you say? Only a mile from here?"

  "That's what I'm tellin' yez. The army's been marchin' in the night; butthis rain will be after compellin' it to halt right in--in Gooseberry,as I'm told they call it."

  "Cranberry," laughed the lieutenant.

  "Cranberry or Gooseberry is all one and the same thing to me. Now, mebye, ye'll be after wantin' some breakfast, I'm thinkin'. Jest say theword and I'll be fixin' ye out, and have a bit left over for yer poorbaste, which doesn't look as if he'd been livin' any too high of late."

  "No, no, Molly," protested the lieutenant quickly, and, as Tom thought,with an eagerness he could not understand. "We're not hungry, for we hadsome breakfast before we started this morning. We did indeed," he added,as he noted the woman's apparent unbelief. "We're not hungry, but it'skind of you to think of us, and we thank you just the same as if you hadfed us."

  In the course of the conversation between the young lieutenant and themen in the barn, Tom learned that the main body of the army was now lessthan a mile away. The little band had been one of the advance parties,and the storm had compelled them to seek the shelter of the barn by theroadside.

  Meanwhile, the rain continued to fall, and long after the thunder ceasedthe storm showed no signs of abating. The water almost covered the roadand penetrated the roof of the barn, which was far from being in a goodstate of repair. The heavy downpour, however, did not seem to cool theair, and the men and horses were in a sad plight. Just why they shouldhave sought the shelter, which virtually was no shelter at all, Tomcould not understand; but he asked no questions, and busied himself inlistening to the conversation of the men, and watching the intrepidMolly, who to all appearances was not aware of the fact that she was notas much of a true soldier as any of the men.

  After a half hour had passed the lieutenant approached the boy, who wasstanding before the open door, looking out upon the storm.

  "Who is she? What is she?" inquired Tom, indicating by a glance of hiseyes the strange woman whom his friend had addressed as "Molly."

  "She? Oh, she's the wife of one of the cannoneers. She's been in thearmy for a long time. She's from New Jersey, too, I understand, thoughher husband's home is in Pennsylvania."

  "I didn't know there were women in the army."

  "Oh yes, there have always been some. Why, even on that expedition ofArnold's to Quebec there were several women who marched all the way withtheir husbands, and they say they stood the long tramps and the coldbetter than a good many of the men did."

  "Why did you call this woman 'Molly'? Is that her name?"

  "Oh, in the army, or at least in this army, the women have been the onesto bring us water on the warm days, and so we call each one Molly'Pitcher.' They've been kept busy during this hot spell, too. Thiswoman's name I believe is really Molly, though,--Molly McCauley. Thenyou didn't expect to see women with their husbands in the army?" laughedthe lieutenant, as he noticed that Tom was regarding Mistress McCauleycuriously.

  "No, I didn't. I don't think I like it."

  "You'll find all sorts and kinds of people in the ranks. Some of thewomen have been worth more than the men. There was one up at FortClinton. She was very much such a looking woman as Captain Molly here,only she was a good deal more careless. They used to call her 'DirtyKate,' because she wasn't always very neat in her personal appearance.But she was brave as a lion, and such a fighter! Why, she fired the lastcannon at the British, as they came scrambling over the ramparts, whichhappened to be about the same time our men were leaving. Well, Kate'shusband was a cannoneer, just as Molly's here is, and he was holding thematch in his hand ready to fire the gun when he saw the redcoats coming,and the sight suddenly reminded him that he had some work to do outsidethe fort which demanded his immediate attention. Well, Kate just pickedup the match her husband had dropped, touched off the cannon, and thenscampered away after the men. She was a brave woman, and so is CaptainMolly, here. She'd do as well as Kate did, if she had the chance, andperhaps she will before the end comes. I shouldn't want to have herfight me, I can tell you!"[2]

  Tom turned and looked again at the woman. She stood talking with herhusband now, and her strange garb served to intensify her peculiarities.Her great size and evident strength were plainly to be seen, but herface beamed with good nature, and her enjoyment of the life she wasliving was indicated by her every word and action.

  Tom thought of Sarah, and the contrast between her gentleness and therough appearance and masculine manners of Captain Molly aroused withinhim a feeling which was not altogether in favor of the soldier woman. Itis true that the name of Sarah is unknown to-day, while that of CaptainMolly Pitcher is recorded in all our school histories; but, after all,notoriety may not be the most valuable quality in life, and while thenames of many men and women who lived quiet, faithful, honest lives mayhave been forgotten by their descendants, they may not have been of theless value to the world because of that fact. A good name is sometimesbetter than a notorious one, and an honest man, though he may be soonforgotten, may be greater than a dishonest man whose name is frequentlymentioned. Few of us would desire to be like Benedict Arnold, althoughhis name is a very familiar one to all.

  "I don't see any use in staying here," said Tom at last. "It's wetinside the barn, and it can't be much worse outside. Why don't we starton?"

  Now that he was so near to the American army, the lad was eager to goforward. All his dreams and visions of the forces which were fightingagainst the redcoats came back to him, and his impatience to proceedincreased each moment. Perhaps the sight and presence of Captain Molly,as well as the account the young lieutenant had given of her, hadcreated a still greater desire in Tom's heart to quit the place; but, bethat as it may, he was ready to go, and apparently his companion sharedin his feeling.

  "If you think your horse will stand up for a mile, we might do as yousay," replied the lieutenant. "I think we'll be going on," he added,turning to the men as he spoke. "I've some important information to givethe general, and as I don't see any signs of the rain stopping, I thinkwe ought not to delay longer. We can't be much worse off than we arenow."


  "Sure, and ye'll not be after goin' out in such a storm as this!"protested Molly. "It would be a shame to take that poor baste out intothe rain now. He has all he can do to stand up in the barn, to saynothin' of havin' to be carryin' a load. It's the last drop that'll beafter breakin' of his back, yez know."

  The men all laughed at the woman's words, but the lieutenant was not tobe deterred, and accordingly the horses were brought forth and the twomen speedily mounted. Tom's horse was limping painfully when he started,and as the lad glanced backward he could see Captain Molly standing inthe doorway, her hands resting upon her hips, and her broad, freckledface beaming with delight over the sorry spectacle he was well awarethat he presented.

  A feeling of disgust arose in his heart as he watched her. Surely shemust be lacking in all the qualities which he had most honored in thewomen he knew. Coarseness was in place of delicacy, boldness instead ofmodesty, and her entire bearing was such that Tom never afterwards couldhear her name mentioned without expressing his disgust. Not even thebravery of the deed which Captain Molly Pitcher did not many hours afterthis time, and which Tom Coward himself witnessed, entirely banished theprejudice which he entertained against the coarse, good-natured, manly,unwomanly woman.

  The storm had ceased when, after a short ride, Tom and his companionfirst came within sight of the American army. All the long pent-up hopesof the lad were now about to be fulfilled, and for the first time in hislife he was to look upon the men whose names and deeds had long beenfamiliar to him. His eagerness brought a smile to his companion's face,but while he watched the lad he did not speak.

  Molly Pitcher had spoken truly, and the American army had halted after abrief march from Kingston in the preceding night, and now were compelledto remain during the entire day in Cranberry. Only the advance corps hadmoved forward, and at that time were holding a position on the road toMonmouth Court House and within five miles of the rear of the British.

  In spite of his own excitement, and that which was apparent among themen in the camp when Tom and the lieutenant entered, the lad's firstfeeling was one of keen disappointment. Were these the men of whom hehad heard so much and from whom so much was expected? Mud-stained, wornby their recent exertions, plainly showing the effects of the intenseheat, many of them without uniforms, some hatless and coatless, to thevision of Tom Coward they presented far more the appearance of a mobthan of the orderly and well-trained soldiers he had expected to see.

  The young lieutenant had left him as soon as they entered the camp,leading the two horses away with him,--a fact over which Tom did notlong lament, we may be sure. An hour passed before the young officerreturned, for he was to make a report of all that he had learned, andTom's hopes were not strengthened as he watched the men about him duringhis companion's absence.

  Lieutenant Gordon noticed the expression upon Tom's face when herejoined him, but, attributing it to the fear which he supposed the ladfelt, he did not refer to it, and in the labors which soon followed noopportunity to explain was given by either.

  General Dickinson, with the New Jersey militia, was not with the mainbody, as we already know, and Tom found that he could not be assigned tothem. Through the lieutenant's influence, he was to be retained with themain body, and to assist in serving as a guide for the army, an officewhich Tom was well fitted to hold, although it was not just in accordwith the plans he had formed in his own mind.

  Reports came into the camp during the day which clearly indicated thatthe advance corps was too far away to be properly supported at once inthe present condition of the roads. But on Saturday morning Lafayette,with his troops, was ordered to file off by his left towardsEnglishtown, and in the same day the main body, under GeneralWashington, marched out from Cranberry and encamped within three milesof the place.

  This brought the two opposing armies now within eight miles of eachother, while General Lee's forces, five thousand strong, withoutMorgan's dragoons or the New Jersey militia, were three miles nearer theBritish.

  Such was the condition of affairs on that night of Saturday, June 27(1778), and Tom Coward, as well as many of the men in Washington's army,slept but little, with the knowledge that on the morrow the long delayedbattle would doubtless be begun.

  FOOTNOTE:

  [2] In many of our histories the "Captain Molly" of Monmouth has beenconfounded with "Dirty Kate" of Fort Clinton. They were, however, twowomen,--not one. Lossing, in the first edition of his _Field Book of theAmerican Revolution_, referred to them as if they were identical, butthe correction was to have been made for his second edition, and was intype, but through an oversight was omitted.