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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02437.01591 |
| From Archive Folder | The Henry Knox Papers [0046] September 17822 |
| Title | Tench Tilghman to Samuel Shaw about Margaret Corbin who was wounded at Brandywine operating a cannon |
| Date | 9 September 1782 |
| Author | Tilghman, Tench (1744-1786) |
| Recipient | Shaw, Samuel |
| Document Type | Correspondence; Military document |
| Content Description | Written from "Head Quarters." Writes, "I would ever wish to pay proper attention to the business of Ladies, but without I am acquainted with the Resolve of the 6 July 1779 in [favor?] of Mrs. [Margaret] Corbin, I cannot tell what it is she wants - We have not the Resolves of that date with us." See GLC02437.01595 and GLC02437.01597 for related information. |
| Subjects | Battle of Brandywine (Brandywine Creek) Revolutionary War Military History Continental Army Women's History Continental Congress Congress Injury or Wound Alcohol Military Provisions |
| People | Tilghman, Tench (1744-1786) Shaw, Samuel (1754-1794) Corbin, Margaret Cochran (1751-ca. 1800) |
| Theme | The American Revolution; Women in American History; Health & Medicine |
| Sub-collection | The Henry Knox Papers |
| Additional Information | According to the American National Biography, Margaret Corbin was wounded at the Battle of Fort Washington, although Shaw notes she was wounded at Brandywine. Her husband was operating a piece of artillery when he was killed, so Corbin took command of the cannon and received grape shot in her left shoulder. She wasn't granted pension until 1779, when Congress granted her a complete suit of clothes and half the monthly pay of a soldier as long as she remained disabled. After Congress's action, she enrolled in the Invalid Corps (performing garrison duties). In 1781, the Invalid Corps became an official part of the garrison at West Point where she remained until her discharge in 1783. She remained in the West Point/Highland Falls vicinity and was buried in the town of Highland Falls. Corbin's body was exhumed in 1926 by DAR and reinterred at West Point. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Related documents | Letter from Samuel Shaw to Tench Tilghman regarding Margaret Corbin and her application to keep her ration of liquor Letter from Tench Tilghman to Samuel Shaw regarding Margaret Corbin and the issue of supplying rum to women |