Molly Pitcher was Mary McCauley Hays, (1754-1832), heroine of the American Revolution.
She earned her nickname during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, when she fetched water for her husband and his gun crew.
After her husband suffered a wound, she took over for him, helping the gun crew do its job.
After the war, she was given a yearly pension of $40 by the Pennsylvania Assembly.