Molly Pitcher blackline from Our Patriots, The Men & Women who Achieved American Independence, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2021. Valley News/Courtesy image
Cindy GreerSpecial to Valley NewsTwo hundred forty-six years ago, on June 28, 1778, the longest land battle of the American Revolution took place near Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The conflict, known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, saw the lengthy confrontation between General George Washington’s combatants and Britain’s Henry Clinton’s red coats. “It was at Monmouth that the tactics and training from Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben developed at Valley Forge during the winter encampment were first implemented on a large scale.”At the Battle of Monmouth was William “John” Hays, soldier, and his wife Mary Ludwig Hays – known in history as Molly Pitcher. “Mary Ludwig, the daughter of German immigrants, had married William Hays, a barbe
