Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1859

Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth (Armytage engraving)

J. C. Armytage, after Alonzo Chappel · c. 1859

A widely reproduced 19th-century engraving after Alonzo Chappel, showing the woman soldier ramming a cannon at Monmouth.

This is the most reproduced image shaping the popular legend of the figure as 'Molly Pitcher.'

Ask Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black-and-white engraving of a woman in a long dark skirt and fitted bodice, carrying a long rod or ramrod, standing beside a large cannon. Soldiers in tricorn hats are at the gun, one lying injured in the foreground, and a horse and rider are at left.
J. C. Armytage after Alonzo Chappel, Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, c. 1859.

About this source

What it is

This engraving was made by J.C. Armytage after a painting by Alonzo Chappel, around 1859, and published in Robert Tomes' book on battles of the American Revolution. It shows a woman with a long ramrod standing beside a cannon, with soldiers and a wounded man nearby.

Why it matters

This became the most widely copied image of the figure known as 'Molly Pitcher,' fixing how generations of Americans pictured her. It shows how artists like Chappel and engravers like Armytage shaped historical memory for a 19th-century audience, often more interested in a heroic story than strict accuracy.

Look closer

  • What does the woman's clothing and posture tell you about how the artist imagined her?
  • Why do you think this image was reproduced so often?
  • What can't you learn about the real woman from a picture made decades after the battle?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) sources

Meet the AI Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) →
Black-and-white lithograph titled 'The Heroine of Monmouth' by Currier & Ives. A woman in a long skirt stands at a cannon, holding a long sponge staff. A soldier lies motionless on the ground in front of the cannon. A second gunner leans on the cannon, and an American flag flies behind.Painting

Secondary source

The Heroine on Monmouth. Molly Pitcher

Currier & Ives

Bronze statue of a woman in a long skirt and bodice holding a rammer or staff across her body, mounted on a stone monument in a cemetery. A tall American flag flies to the left, a brass cannon sits at the base, and red brick buildings and a grassy lawn with gravestones surround it under a partly cloudy sky.Sculpture

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Grave Monument, Carlisle

1876

Hand-colored lithograph titled 'The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth.' A woman in a blue bodice and red skirt holds a long sponge staff beside a gold cannon on a wheeled carriage. A man in a blue shirt with a bandaged head stands behind the cannon. A fallen soldier in blue lies in the foreground beside an overturned bucket. Smoke and troops fill the background. Two lines of verse appear below.Painting

Secondary source

The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth

Popular Graphic Arts

Color-tinted lithographic theatre poster titled Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor. A woman in a long dress and necklace stands at a cannon, holding a swab, while a soldier lies dead in the foreground beside an overturned barrel. A second soldier with a bandaged head peers from behind the gun. Smoke and troops fill the background. Text reads Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth, Avenging her Husband's Death, J. Wright & Co., New York & New Orleans.Painting

Secondary source

Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor: Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth

J. Wright & Co. · c. 1860

Black and white engraving titled 'Molly Pitcher'. A woman in a long skirt and bodice, with a flower in her hair, holds a long rammer or swab at a cannon. Several soldiers in tricorn hats with plumes stand near the cannon, one on horseback at left, and a fallen soldier lies on the ground in front.Painting

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Loading Cannon at the Battle of Monmouth

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions