Molly Pitcher

Molly Pitcher bringing water to soldiers (http://www.walrus.com/~gibralto/ acorn/molly.html)

My Hero, Molly Pitcher (1754-1832)

There are many different kinds of heroes, and many different qualities that heroes can have. My hero's qualities are: bravery, helpfulness, and perseverance. My hero is Mary Hays, but she was known as Molly. A real hero is someone who stands up for what she believes in, doesn't care what other people think, and does what she can to help. If heroes do something amazing, it teaches us that we can help and do the same. Mary Hays is my hero because, in her life, she lived the qualities that make a hero and used them to save numerous soldiers wounded in battle. We definitely have her to thank for saving soldiers' lives, and we can consider her a true hero.

Mary Hays first showed that she was a hero through her bravery. Mary Hays was brave when she had to fight in her husband’s place when she was only 19 years old, in the year 1763. It wasn’t just that, because seeing him fall to the ground must have broken her heart. Time was important. She didn’t even help him up, but went right to his cannon and started blasting. She proved that not only men can fight, but women can fight, too. Also, she was really brave when she had to run through the battlefield to get pitchers of water to take to the hot and thirsty soldiers. She could have been shot, but when she heard those soldiers shout, “Molly-Pitcher,” she just couldn’t resist. From that day on, they knew her as Molly Pitcher. In just one day, many soldiers had been saved because of her. She was brave even when going to the stream to fill the pitcher up with water because the enemies on the other side were hiding in bushes, waiting to attack. Molly was lucky and survived, but she deserved to live after all she had done and all the soldiers she had helped.

Molly Pitcher was not only brave, she was also very helpful. Molly was helpful in many ways. She was helpful when she was bringing water to the soldiers. She definitely helped them to survive the heat, as well as the war. She felt that they deserved to live, especially after they had risked their lives to fight in the war. When she saw soldiers lying on the ground in 98-degree weather, she would pull them into the nice, cool shade, which is one of the reasons why they lived. Later, she helped a dying soldier out of the line of fire. If she had arrived just a few moments later, the soldier would have been killed. Thanks to Molly Pitcher, many wounded soldiers lived.

Molly Pitcher had many fine qualities, but one of her strongest ones was perseverance. As I said, Molly Pitcher liked to help the soldiers. Bringing water to them was one way. I can’t imagine running back and forth from the stream to the battlefield in 98-degree weather, especially in a long skirt and a blouse. Many soldiers got heatstroke and died, but Molly, in her boiling hot outfit, never gave up. Another time she didn't give up was when she was firing her husband’s cannon and an enemy cannonball almost hit her. She was lucky and it just ripped her skirt. She was fearless and she knew she could do it. She fought for her country with dignity. At night, the soldiers would stop fighting and would continue the next day. Molly woke up every few hours just to make sure the enemy soldiers weren’t around. She did that every night. Another thing that she did for the soldiers was when the soldiers were hurt, she would check on them every night to see if they were okay. She encouraged them not to worry, but to rest, and try to heal as soon as they could, so the next day they could fight again.

Unfortunately, Molly died at the age of 78 in the year 1832, but she still remains a hero. Her three great qualities are: bravery, helpfulness, and perseverance. That’s what makes a true hero. A hero is a great person to look up to and a great person to get advice from. Molly Pitcher is my hero. Even though my hero is now dead, I will always remember brave and helpful Molly Pitcher.