Margaret Cochran Corbin is remembered for taking over a cannon after her husband was killed at the Battle of Fort Washington. Born in 1751 and believed to have died around 1800, she survived serious combat wounds and received a military pension authorized by the Continental Congress in 1779. Her story also shows why even familiar accounts need to be revisited when new evidence appears.
Browse all Genealogy Gold Podcast EpisodesMargaret Corbin and the American Revolution
Family and life with the army
Accounts of Corbin’s childhood place her birth in western Pennsylvania, in the area now called Franklin County. They describe her father being killed and her mother taken captive during a raid in 1756. Her mother’s later fate is uncertain.
Margaret and her brother were reportedly raised by an uncle after the loss of their parents. In 1772, she married John Corbin. When John entered military service, she accompanied him, joining the many women whose work helped keep army camps functioning.
Women accompanying the army cooked, washed clothing, nursed the sick, and performed other essential work. Such women were often called camp followers, a broad description rather than a military rank. Their reasons for accompanying soldiers varied and should not be reduced to a presumed fear for a husband’s safety.
Captain Molly and the Battle of Fort Washington
Corbin became known as “Captain Molly.” She is sometimes discussed alongside the “Molly Pitcher” tradition, but that name is also associated with other women and with later patriotic storytelling. It should not be used as proof that all the stories describe the same person or that every woman carrying water received that nickname.
On November 16, 1776, British and Hessian forces attacked Fort Washington on Manhattan. John Corbin served with a Pennsylvania artillery crew on the defensive heights in the area now associated with Fort Tryon Park. Margaret assisted at the gun. When John was killed, she took his place and continued serving the cannon until she was seriously wounded.
Corbin suffered wounds to her left arm, jaw, and chest. The injuries left lasting disabilities. The fort fell, and she was captured and subsequently paroled into American care. Her service was later recognized in congressional action, providing documentary evidence beyond the details supplied by commemorative accounts.
Corbin’s pension and later life
On July 6, 1779, the Continental Congress authorized a pension equal to half the monthly pay of a soldier, together with clothing support. This made Corbin the first woman granted a military pension by Congress. Accounts also record a second marriage to a wounded soldier in 1782.
Corbin was associated with the Corps of Invalids and with the military community around West Point. She was discharged in 1783 and continued receiving support. Her later life was difficult, and surviving records do not justify every exact date or personal detail in later retellings.
What changed in the West Point burial story
In 1926, the Daughters of the American Revolution arranged for remains believed to be Corbin’s to be moved to West Point and honored with a monument. A later investigation, announced in 2017 after the grave was disturbed during construction, established that the remains belonged to an unidentified man, not Corbin. The monument continues to honor her service, while the location of her own remains remains unknown.
Learn More
Margaret Cochran Corbin — National Women’s History Museum
Discovery at West Point — Daughters of the American Revolution
Using DAR Application Papers to Discover Your Ancestors
Who’s Who in the American Revolution — Free eBook
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence — Carol Berkin
