Women and the Revolution

While reading this book I was struck by how few women are mentioned when talking of the American Revolution. As the soldiers of the Continental Army are mentioned, often McCullough talks of how they left farms at harvest time to serve their country. He never really goes into the women left home at those farms carrying out the harvest while raising children in a time of war without the help of fathers, husbands, sons, uncles, brothers, etc. I think those women showed as much courage and strength as the men who left them to fight. I'm very glad Abigail Adams had such an extensive correspondence with her husband which preserves her fiery patriotism, courage, and commitment. I'm sure her spirit was shared by many of the women of the time.

Now don't get me wrong. 1776 does contain excerpts about women. Margaret "Molly" Corbin is mentioned as the heroine of Fort Washington when it fell to the British. She and her husband manned a cannon until he was killed. Molly stepped into his place and continued loading and firing the cannon until she was wounded and unable to continue.

The beautiful Mrs. Loring, wife of a prominent Tory, is also mentioned rather frequently as she was the mistress of General William Howe during the war. I'm sure she had no thought of aiding the American cause, but I do believe her presence in Boston and in New York impacted some of Howe's decisions and timetables to Washington's advantage.

Last, and most certainly my favorite, is Mrs. Robert Murray who delayed the British as they followed Washington's retreating army from New York. Her story was quite romanticized. "She would be portrayed as a veritable Circe charming the gallant Britons with her feminine wiles. Possibly she did invite the officers to tea, and she may have been extremely charming, but she was also a woman in her fifties and the mother of twelve children." There you have it, no woman over fifty and having born 12 children could have ever possibly been in any shape to seduce any man, at least not before the advent of Botox and tummy tucks.