Molly Pitcher

Marshall Rumbaugh painted sculpture

Marshall Rumbaugh painted sculpture



Marshall Rumbaugh (b. 1948)

2022

carved and painted lindenwood

Ht. 31”, W. 31”, D. 5 ½”

Signed and dated “Marshall D. Rumbaugh 2022”

$8,500

Artist Statement:

Molly Pitcher was the nickname given to Mary Ludwig Hays who joined her artilleryman husband in the Revolutionary War as a camp follower.  She typically carried pitchers or buckets of water necessary to operate her husband’s cannon during battle.  At the Battle of Monmouth, NJ, when her husband collapsed, she took his place and continued to man the cannon even though an enemy cannon ball passed directly between her legs carrying away the lower part of her petticoat.  After the war, she was honored for her service by the Pennsylvania Legislature and received an annual commission for the rest of her life.

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