West Point honored Revolutionary War heroine, Margaret Cochran Corbin, also referred to as "Captain Molly," for her actions during the Revolutionary War, May 1 at the Old Cadet Chapel at the West Point Cemetery.
At the age of 21, Margaret Cochran married John Corbin, who joined the Pennsylvania military three years later. Corbin wasn't interested in staying home and left with her husband for war, becoming--like many other women--a camp follower who earned money cooking, doing laundry and caring for the sick and wounded Soldiers.
On Nov. 16, 1776, Corbin dressed as a man and joined her husband in the Battle of Fort Washington on Manhattan Island. She helped him load the cannon, which is what she was doing when he was killed in action. Corbin quickly took over firing the cannon. Soldiers later started calling her Captain Molly after the incident.
Margaret Corbin died in 1800 and was believed to have been buried in Highland Falls, New York, near West Point. The Daughters of the American Revolution received permission from West Point to have Corbin's remains reinterred at the West Point Cemetery in 1926. This dedication ceremony included full military honors and the erection of a monument. A disturbance of the gravesite in the fall of 2016 during a West Point Cemetery crypt installation project revealed that the remains were not that of Margaret Corbin. Thorough forensic studies conducted by the U.S. Army concluded that the remains were that of an unidentified man who likely was alive during the 18th or early 19th century.
The Daughters of the American Revolution, who requested and fought in 1926 to have Corbin honored on the grounds of West Point the first time, did so again by hosting the rededication ceremony Tuesday in collaboration with the Army National Military Cemeteries and West Point.
The rededication celebrates the history of Corbin, who was one of the first women to serve in battle in defense of our nation as she took over her husband's cannon when he was mortally wounded during the Battle of Fort Washington, in what is now known as Fort Tyron Park in Manhattan.
"We should all take pride in patriots like Molly, who served in the past, thank those who serve today, and embrace the next generation to serve tomorrow," said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries.
Corbin was severely wounded during the battle and taken prisoner before being paroled and eventually assigned to the West Point Corps of Invalids.
"Thank you to West Point for helping us to remember and celebrate Margaret Corbin and the contribution of women to the military," Ann Turner Dillon, president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution said. Dillon came from Colorado to be at this ceremony.
"This is my very first visit to West Point and it is a pleasure to be at this historic site as we honor this very historic woman. Today, we have heard of Margaret Corbin and the efforts of people to honor her bravery.
"Since hearing of the grave site disturbance and the forensic studies last December, the Daughters of the American Revolution started planning to see what we could do in hopes that one day, we will find Corbin's burial site. Our motivation lies at the very core of our organization. The Margaret Corbin story is important to the DAR because it is through Corbin that is the very reason our organization was founded in 1890; to preserve the memories and the spirit of those who contributed to the spirit of American independence."
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