Molly Pitcher was the nickname of Mary Hays McCauley who is said to have carried water to American soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, before taking over for her husband on the battlefield after he was no longer able to fight. Originally from Carlise Pennsylvania, Mary was married to William Hays who served as a gunner in the 4th Artillery of the Continental Army. Wanting to be near her husband, Mary became a camp follower and traveled with the army doing work like cooking, washing and caring for sick and wounded soldiers.
At the Battle of Monmouth, Mary brought water to the parched American troops until her husband collapsed, either from the heat or after being wounded, after which she supposedly took his place and helped operate cannon for the rest of the battle. A soldier who witnessed the action later wrote about in his diary, without referring to the woman involved by name: “While in the act of reaching a cartridge and having one of her feet as far before the other as she could step, a cannon shot from the enemy passed directly between her legs without doing any other damage than carrying away all the lower part of her petticoat.”
Following the war, Mary and her husband returned to Carlisle, where he died several years later. Mary went on to wed John McCauley. In 1822, the state of Pennsylvania awarded her an annual pension of $40 “for services rendered during the war.” Following Mary’s death in 1832, newspaper stories noted her bravery during the war but offered no details about which battle she served in. In the ensuing decades, accounts spread about Molly Pitcher, an unnamed woman who manned a cannon at the Battle of Monmouth. Mary Hays McCauley became formally linked with the Revolutionary War heroine in 1876, when residents of Carlisle decided to mark her grave as that of Molly Pitcher.
On swelting summer days like the day the Battle of Monmouth was fought, you need a refreshing shandy, a mixture of lemonade and beer best served from a pitcher carried to you on the battlefield…
Recipe Specs
- Batch Size (G): 6.1
- Total Grain (lb): 12.000
- Total Hops (oz): 2.00
- Original Gravity (OG): 1.051 (°P): 12.6
- Final Gravity (FG): 1.013 (°P): 3.3
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.01 %
- Colour (SRM): 3.6 (EBC): 7.1
- Bitterness (IBU): 30.0 (Tinseth)
- Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
- Boil Time (Minutes): 60
Grain Bill
- 12 lb American – Pale 2-Row (100%)
Hop Bill
- 1 oz Centennial Pellet (10% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.2 oz/Gal)
- 1 oz Centennial Pellet (10% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) (0.2 oz/Gal)
Misc Bill
- 32 oz Lemon Juice @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
Single step Infusion at 151°F for 60 Minutes.
Fermented at 68°F with Ale Yeast.
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 