Revolutionary Heroes
Central issue, problem, or question: Why did George Washington and Molly
Pitcher become the pre-eminent male and female heroes of the American
Revolution?
Significance: This lesson, which focuses on George Washington and Molly
Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, requires students to think creatively and
historically about the creation of a national mythology in the aftermath of the
American Revolution.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies:
Standard 6.4 (United States and New Jersey History). Middle School: E-2
(Discuss the major events and personalities of the American Revolution); E-4
(Explain New Jersey’s critical role in the American Revolution). High School:
E-1 (Discuss the social, political, and religious aspects of the American
Revolution); E-5 (Analyze New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution).
Objectives: After examining eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century
works of art, poetry, and literature, students will be able to:
• Analyze how George Washington and Molly Pitcher were represented by
different artists and writers.
• Discuss the reasons why George Washington and Molly Pitcher became
national heroes during and after the Revolutionary War.
• Compare and contrast actual events to artistic depictions of the Battle of
Monmouth.
• Speculate about the reasons why Americans were eager for heroes in the
aftermath of the revolution.
Abstract: This lesson teaches students to analyze heroic images of the
American Revolution for what they tell us about American ideals. The middle
school lesson focuses on Molly Pitcher. After evaluating her image, students will
compose a poem or design a stamp that requires them to explore the meaning of
this legend. The high school lesson focuses on the origins of legends about the
Battle of Monmouth and requires students to analyze the differences between
female and male heroism.
Duration: Two 45-minute class periods.
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Sources
Secondary Sources
Marc Mappen and David Martin, "Good Golly Miss Molly: In Search of the
Real Molly Pitcher," New Jersey Heritage 2 (Spring 2003), 22-29.
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/
heroesAndHeroines/njHeritageArticles/mollyPitcher.pdf
Mark Lender, "The Politics of Battle: Washington, Lee, and the Monmouth
Campaign," New Jersey Heritage 2 (Spring 2003), 10-21.
http://nj-history.org /americanRevolution/
heroesAndHeroines/njHeritageArticles/BattleOfMonmouth.pdf
Primary Sources
Thomas Dunn English, "Battle of Monmouth.”
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/heroesAndHeroines/
documents/heroesDoc2.pdf
Parson Weems' Account of the Battle of Monmouth, 1809.
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/heroesAndHeroines/
documents/heroesDoc3.pdf
The following are works of art which can be viewed on the New Jersey
History Partnership Project website, http://nj-history.org, in the “Heroes”
section:
• Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives, The Heroine of
Monmouth, 1876.
• Gerald Foster, Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth, 1935.
• Emmanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Washington at the Battle of Monmouth,
1857
• Dennis Malone Carter, Molly Pitcher Being Presented to George
Washington, 1858.
Background: The Battle of Monmouth was important less from the standpoint of
military strategy than of legend. The outcome of the battle was at best a partial
victory for the Continental Army; both British and American forces could claim
some manner of success. On the one hand, the British Army experienced
greater losses than the Continentals and retreated from the field; on the other,
the British were able to continue their march through enemy territory relatively
unscathed. Nevertheless, the events of the Battle of Monmouth secured General
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George Washington's reputation as the United State's foremost hero and
provided the stage for a new national heroine, Molly Pitcher.
The disastrous fall of forts Washington and Lee in November 1776 opened
Washington to criticism from several sources, including his own second-incommand, General Charles Lee. Although the victories at Trenton and Princeton
bolstered Washington's reputation, the loss of Philadelphia less than a year later
sparked renewed criticism. There was even talk of replacing Washington with
General Horatio Gates, whose victory at Saratoga secured an alliance with
France.
In the summer of 1778, a battlefield confrontation between Washington and Lee
provided Washington's defenders with the opportunity to enhance the
commanding general's reputation and to quiet his detractors. According to their
version of the event, Monmouth was an important victory; but for Lee's failure of
leadership, American forces would have destroyed the British Army under
General Henry Clinton. To defend his reputation, Lee demanded a court martial
trial. The tribunal found against him, even though most historians now agree that
Lee's conduct on the battlefield was quite proper. Lee disputed the verdict and
disparaged Washington's leadership. However, according to historian Mark
Lender, the verdict was less a condemnation of Lee's behavior than a vote of
confidence in Washington's command.
The most famous of all campfollowers who served the Continental Army as
cooks, laundresses, or nurses, Molly Pitcher is a woman whose true history is
enveloped by legend. The first account of her exploits did not appear in print
until 1837 when the New Brunswick Times told the story of a nameless
cannonier's wife who replaced her dead husband on the battlefield at Monmouth.
According to the Times, George Washington rewarded the valiant woman with a
lieutenant's commission; afterwards she was known as "Captain Molly."
Although there is little evidence that such an event occurred, the legend is
important, because it reflects the values of a later generation of Americans.
Keywords:
Legend
Campfollower
Hero/Heroism
Court-martial
Middle School Procedures
This lesson focuses on Molly Pitcher. It should begin with a discussion of
heroism:
• What other heroes—especially female heroes—have we studied?
• Why were these heroes admired?
• How does a hero reflect the values of her or his culture?
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The teacher will then lecture briefly on women's roles during the Revolutionary
War, focusing on Molly Pitcher, the legendary campfollower. Use the article by
Marc Mappen and David Martin as background for the lecture; this article is
available online at:
http://nj-history.org /americanRevolution/
heroesAndHeroines/njHeritageArticles/mollyPitcher.pdf
Afterwards, the teacher will distribute an excerpt from Thomas Dunn English’s
1885 poem, “Battle of Monmouth,”
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/heroesAndHeroines/
documents/heroesDoc1.pdf
The teacher should ask the students to analyze the poem by answering the
following questions:
• Who was the woman mentioned in the poem?
• Was she identified as Molly Pitcher? If not, what name was she given?
• What was she doing when her husband was killed?
• What was her reaction to his death, and what action did she take?
• How did the soldiers respond to her behavior?
The teacher should then show the students 3 different depictions of Molly Pitcher
at the Battle of Monmouth (all available online in the “Heroes” section of the New
Jersey History Partnership Project website):
• Gerald Foster, Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth.
• Dennis Malone Carter, Molly Pitcher Being Presented to George
Washington.
• Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives, The Heroine of Monmouth.
As the students examine the works of art, the teacher should ask them to
describe how each artist depicted Molly Pitcher and to explain how the depictions
differ. The teacher will then ask students to suggest adjectives that describe
Molly Pitcher.
Individually, or in cooperative groups, students will compose their own poem that
features Molly Pitcher's exploits at the Battle of Monmouth and describes how
American women contributed to the revolutionary cause. An alternate
assignment would require students to create a new postage stamp or coin
featuring Molly Pitcher, along with a press release that explains why she
deserves the honor.
High School Procedures
The teacher should introduce the topic of legend and reality at the Battle of
Monmouth by dividing the class in half and assigning each half to read as
homework one or the other of the following two articles (both available online):
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•
•
Mark Lender, "The Politics of Battle: Washington, Lee, and the Monmouth
Campaign."
http://nj-history.org /americanRevolution/
heroesAndHeroines/njHeritageArticles/BattleOfMonmouth.pdf
Marc Mappen and David Martin, "Good Golly Miss Molly: In Search of the
Real Molly Pitcher."
http://nj-history.org /americanRevolution/
heroesAndHeroines/njHeritageArticles/mollyPitcher.pdf
Students will use this background information to interpret the following artistic
and literary depictions of the Battle of Monmouth (the images are available online
in the “Heroes” section of the New Jersey History Partnership Project website):
• Mason Locke Weems' Account of the Battle of Monmouth (historical
narrative),
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/heroesAndHeroines/
documents/heroesDoc3.pdf
• Emmanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Washington at the Battle of Monmouth
(painting).
• Thomas Dunn English, "Battle of Monmouth” (poem),
http://nj-history.org/americanRevolution/heroesAndHeroines/
documents/heroesDoc2.pdf
• Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives, The Heroine of Monmouth
(print).
• Dennis Malone Carter, Molly Pitcher Being Presented to George
Washington (painting).
The teacher should ask students to describe these depictions of George
Washington and Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth and to explain how they
differ from the more factual accounts provided by the articles they read as
homework.
On the following day, the teacher should place students in cooperative groups;
each group should include students who read the George Washington article and
those who read the Molly Pitcher article. In these groups, students will list the
admirable qualities these two heroes embodied and explore the reasons why, in
the decades following the Revolutionary War, Americans wished to promote and
emulate these virtues. Each group will present its findings to the class.
Each student will then write an essay about the legends surrounding George
Washington and Molly Pitcher that focuses on the reasons why these two
became the nation's pre-eminent heroes in the decades following the American
Revolution. The essay might also compare and contrast the two legends,
exploring differences between male and female heroism. An alternate
assignment might focus on the topic of women and the American Revolution.
Students would write an essay comparing and contrasting Molly Pitcher and
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Abigail Adams (or Annis Boudinot Stockton, see Ann Pfau's online lecture,
available on the New Jersey History Partnership Project website,
http://nj-history.org, in the “Women” section) and focusing on the question of why
this legendary camp follower came to overshadow her more genteel compatriot.
Connections: This lesson could stand alone or be part of a series of lessons
exploring the creation of a new national culture in the aftermath of the
Revolutionary War. It could also be part of a world history lesson on
revolutions in Europe and the Americas; for example, students might be asked
to compare depictions of Molly Pitcher (particularly the Currier & Ives
lithograph) to Eugene Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1830) which
celebrated the July Revolution that overthrew France's Charles X.
Comments and Suggestions: Teachers might also use this case study to
explore the creation of heroes in the aftermath of a national crisis, for example
the current celebration of the World War II generation as the "greatest."
Instructional Technology: To learn more about the conflict between George
Washington and Charles Lee, students might wish to consult transcripts of the
two men’s correspondence, available online courtesy of the Papers of George
Washington at http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/revolution/lee/lee1.html.
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