It
is said that behind every great man, there is a woman shaking her head. Though
the sarcasm may be false, many great men in history were aided
by their female companions. Never was this a more poignant topic than during
the Revolutionary War. In the coming weeks, a series of “Women of the
Revolution” blogs will bring the heroic stories of the sometimes little known
game changers of our past.
Margaret Cochran Corbin is the first up to bat. Her early
years prepared her for harsh times as she was orphaned at five years old and
raised by relatives. In 1772, as the American campaign for freedom started
brewing, she married John Corbin. Once the Revolution took hold, John joined
the Continental Army and Margaret followed. Although it was a typical practice
for many women to become camp followers, she went above and beyond the call of
womanly duty.
When stationed at Fort Washington, NY in the winter of
1776, the troops were attacked by British and Hessian troops. John Corbin was
struck down while doing his artillery duties and Margaret stepped in to
continue her husbands’ work loading and firing the cannon by herself. She was
badly injured in this show of heroics and her fellow soldiers moved her to the
rear of the field. The fort was overrun and taken by the British. Thankfully,
the wounded Americans were paroled and ferried across the river to Fort Lee
then to Philadelphia.
Margaret Corbin loads the cannon to victory!
Margaret never fully recovered and had to do without out
the use of her left arm, but for her troubles, the Continental Congress granted
her a pension in 1779. She was the first woman to ever receive a pension for
her active duty in the war effort. She passed away near West Point, NY just shy
of her 50th birthday. She now resides with other soldiers behind the
Old Cadet Chapel at West Point near a monument to honor her bravery. The bronze
plaque reads, "the first American woman to take a soldier's part in
the War for Liberty"
A state and revolutionary hero!
Margaret Corbin's plaque.
