MOLLY PITCHER OF THE SOUTH! AN UNKNOWN HEROINE FROM HISTORY!

She’s been called “The Molly Pitcher of the South”, and she’s a Revolutionary War Hero, but hardly anyone has heard of her. She braved the bullets to bring water to the Patriots, that were her family members and her neighbors, and her efforts were critical for the American victory in a battle that crushed the British morale and sent them into a tailspin that would eventually end in defeat in Yorktown.

Recently I was building a family tree for a client I found this wild story about his 7th Great-Grandmother Elizabeth Scharrman. The more that I discovered about her, the more I knew that I wanted to share her story with all of you.

Many of us know about the famous heroine named Mary Ludwig Hays McCauly that has become known as “Molly Pitcher”. It is said that her husband was an artilleryman and was at the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth. During the battle, Molly carried water to cool the canons of her husband’s battery, and to refresh the soldiers. Over time she has become a legend and her images have been seen in paintings, statues, books, and more. 

Now let me tell you the story of another woman, who was just as heroic, but as fate would have it, she didn’t get famous. Her name is Elizabeth Sibylla Scharrman, and it is reported that she was born in 1716, in a German speaking community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Now, I want to go on record here, I’m a little skeptical that she was born in 1716. The reason that I am skeptical is because she married Andreas Frantz Countryman about 1750, likely in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We know what year Andreas was born in, fourteen years after Elizabeth. I mean, I guess it’s possible that Elizabeth was thirty-six, and married a young buck about twenty years old, but if that’s true, we may have discovered one of the first cougars in American history. Also, not to jump ahead, but Elizabeth died in 1834, and if that’s correct, she would have been more than 118 years old. Once again, that’s possible but not common at all. For these reasons, I suspect that Elizabeth was born about twenty years after she is said to have been born, but, I don’t have any proof of that assumption. Now let’s get back to her story REAL story. 

Like so many German and Scots-Irish families in the back country of the mid 1700s, she moved with her family to the frontier of the western Carolinas. Elizabeth had several children that married into other early German and Scots-Irish families on the frontier. Her husband passed away young in 1773, and just as the embers of revolution were beginning to glow hot. 

Soon, “the shot heard around the world” was fired and the American Revolutionary War had begun. Like most men in Elizabeth’s community, two of her son’s, as well as her son-in-law James Bryson and his five brothers enlisted in the South Carolina Militia. As fate would have it, the war found its way to Elizabeth’s neighborhood and on 17 January 1781 she found herself right in the middle of the Battle of the Cowpens. 

It is unknown why Elizabeth was there that day, we know that after the Battle of Kings Mountain, General Morgan faked a retreat in order to draw British Colonel Banastre Tarleton further, and further away from his protective flank of General Lord Cornwallis’ army. Perhaps she knew that the Patriots were so close to home, and she rushed out to see so many of her family members not knowing that they would soon be in such an important battle. 

For decades after that day Elizabeth shared the story with her grandchildren and many who would come visit her to hear the story. She would tell them that she remembered General Morgan’s men were on the hill, and General Andrew Pickens’ men were at the foot of the slope at Cowpens when Colonel Tarleton launched his attack. Her family members stood there with their long rifles ready for the battle. She remembered how cold it was that morning when she left her home with a wooden bucket and a gourd. 

When the battle commenced, she braved the bullets and went among the soldiers and gave them water. She told about how she had heard that General Pickens had instructed that every third man should fire when the enemy got within one hundred and fifty yards from them, and to aim at the officers in their bright regalia. Elizabeth stated that she didn’t know how many trips that she made back and forth to the spring to bring water to the patriots, but she remembered that she didn’t stop until late afternoon when the British had been sent fleeing. 

After the battle was over Elizabeth and her daughter walked all over the battlefield to see if any of their family members had been killed or wounded. She said they looked at the faces of the dead and was relieved to see that none of their family was among them. She didn’t get to say goodbye to her family because they were in the middle of the battle and quickly left the field with hundreds of prisoners and moved into North Carolina, eventually fighting again at the Battle of Guilford Court House. 

Now let’s think about this a minute. Take a moment to really grasp this story. What possessed Elizabeth to brave the bullets and the blood and do her part to bring victory to the Patriots? What bravery she must have possessed. It’s hard to imagine. I’ve been to combat, and I just can’t imagine my own mother running among us and tending to our needs. Whatever her reason was, Elizabeth is a true Patriot, a heroine, and definitely needs to be remembered. 

Elizabeth’s sons and family members received land grants for their service, and in 1801, they left the South Carolina settlements for the deep wilderness and mountains of western North Carolina. There were no roads back then, it was a dirt path, or animal trail at best, and they carried all of their possessions on horseback. It’s said that Granny Countryman walked most of the way, and if her age is correct, she would have been about 85 years old. What a tough woman. 

The family made it to their land and immediately started setting up their homestead. It is said that Granny Countryman was right there helping in any way she could. The house that they built eventually became the first courthouse in Jackson County, North Carolina, but Granny didn’t live to see that. 

Elizabeth died in 1834, and if her date of birth is correct, she was 118 years old. She is buried in what would become Dills Cemetery #1, in Sylva, Jackson County, North Carolina. Her stone appears to have the wrong battle listed on it.

Wow, now we know the story of Elisabeth Scharrman Countryman, the “Molly Pitcher of the South”. What are your thoughts? Were you shocked by this story? How would it affect you if you discovered a story like this about one of your ancestors? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. And I wonder what stories like this could be hiding in your family tree.

When we discover stories about our ancestors, especially like this one, history becomes tremendously more real. The events and locations that we read about or drive by, begin to have a different impact on us and we are bestowed with a deeper enlightened understanding. Discovering and preserving stories like this is a passion of ours and we are proud to discover this one, share it with their descendants, and all of you. Be sure to see our video about her below.

-Col. Russ Carson, Jr., Founder, Family Tree Nuts