Margaret Cochran Corbin
She was the first woman to get a pension (It is like a
retirement fund if you didn't know.) from the United States government as a disabled
soldier. Her husband died in battle and she took over his job without even thinking about
her husband. She was Margaret Cochran Corbin.
 Margaret
Cochran Corbin was born on Nov. 12, 1751. She was born close to a town called
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. When she was five (in 1756) both her parents died and she
became an orphan but was raised by some of her relatives.
In 1772 when she was twenty-one she married John Corbin who soon joined the Continental
Army. The wives of the soldiers often went with their husbands to take care of them and
other soldiers. That is why Margaret went with her husband.
Fascinating
Fact
She was the first American woman wounded in
the American Revolution. |
On Nov. 1776 when Margaret (twenty-five at the time) was with her
husband at fort Washington (Which was or is in New York.) was attacked by British and
Hessian troops. Margaret's husband John was helping a gunner. But soon the gunner was
killed so John took over. Now John was working with the cannon and Margaret was helping
him. Soon after the gunner was killed, John was killed too. But Margaret had no time to
cry or worry about her dead husband. She just kept loading and firing the cannon, until
she was wounded by grapeshot. It tore her shoulder, mangled her chest, and lacerated her
jaw. And soon some other soldiers came and moved her where she could get medical
attention. Margaret never fully recovered from her wound. She could not use her left arm
for the rest of her life, because of the wound.
In 1779 when Margaret Corbin was twenty-eight the government at the time gave her a
pension, it was half the pay of a soldier in service at that time.
In 1800 Margaret Cochran Corbin died before her fiftieth birthday.
In 1926, Margaret's remains were moved (the Daughters of the American Revolution had
her remains moved) to a grave site where other soldiers were buried. The daughters of the
American Revolution also had a monument erected for her. A bronze plaque says, "The
first American woman to take a soldier's part in the war for Liberty."
D
Sources:
Links:
Margaret Cochran Corbin: DistinguishedWomen of Past and Present
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/corbin.html
Liberty's Kids: Margaret "Molly" Corbin
http://pbskids.org/libertyskids/arch_who_mcorbin.html
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