Memorial Continental Hall: illuminating and honoring our Patriots
- Cactusflower
- Mar 31
- 9 min read
(Note: This is a work of fiction, based upon the life of Margaret Cochran Corbin.)
Olivia Hannon, known as “Liv” to her friends and family, gasped when she saw the stunning moonlit view of the Washington Monument. The 20-year-old West Point cadet was attending a family wedding at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Memorial Continental Hall, and the balmy evening reception on the portico felt like a dream come true. She tried to hide her reaction from her older brother Henry, the groom, who lived in Washington and was accustomed to such sights. He often teased her about her “tourist” reactions when visiting.
“Not a bad view, is it, Liv?” Henry asked as he walked over, noticing his little sister gazing in wonder at the Washington Monument. The reception line had finished, and guests were moving toward dinner. His bride, Eileen, had stepped away to link up with both mothers. “Those DAR ladies sure knew how to pick a piece of real estate. Just ask Grandma; she can tell you all about it!” he added wryly as he spotted their grandmother approaching.
“I certainly can, and they certainly did,” their grandmother, a longtime DAR member, replied as she joined her grandchildren. “The Daughters and patriotism go hand in hand, and this building is a result of that pairing. The DAR was established in 1890 during the Colonial Revival, a period filled with patriotism and interest in everything related to the Revolutionary War and our ancestors. The group immediately passed a resolution to build a meeting place to also serve as a museum for Revolutionary War artifacts and records of the Society.”
Liv said, “So, it has always been more than a venue for weddings and such.”
“Oh, much more,” her grandmother answered. “Changing historical exhibits, a world-class genealogical library, and thirty-plus period rooms, for starters.”
“It’s more than just another pretty face, you’re saying,” Henry smiled.
“It’s a reflection of a pretty face,” she said, “a reflection of all those who gave us the country we have today. Memorial Continental Hall illuminates and honors them.”
“OK!” Henry said, “Let’s eat! You can tell us about the beautiful dining room!”
“Well, that’s actually the O’Byrne Gallery,” she explained. “It’s a room with deep roots and a lot of history!”
Liv’s family hailed from a small town in North Carolina with deep roots in American history. They were ecstatic when she was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point a few years ago—a great school with a rich history! Liv dreamed of becoming an environmental engineer and was well on her way to achieving that goal. Many female family members, including her grandmother, had belonged to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Liv knew she would eventually follow in their footsteps, but joining wasn’t at the top of her priorities at the moment. As a cadet, she barely had time to sleep.
Unbeknownst to her grandmother, Liv had already developed an interest in the DAR since becoming a West Point cadet. This interest was inspired by a Revolutionary War hero named Margaret Cochran Corbin—also known as “Captain Molly Corbin”—who, during the Battle of Fort Washington on November 16, 1776, took her husband’s place at the cannon when he was killed in action and fought bravely until she herself was grievously wounded. She later became the first woman to receive a lifelong pension from Congress for her military service. Until 2017, it was believed that she was buried at West Point, her grave marked by the beautiful Margaret Corbin Monument. Its inscription recounted Corbin’s actions during the Battle of Fort Washington. It also stated that her burial there in 1926 and the monument were “In appreciation of her deeds for the cause of Liberty and that her heroism may not be forgotten.” The DAR and West Point held a Remembrance Ceremony at the monument every May. Liv had not attended a ceremony, but she had visited the monument.
(Images above courtesy Tracy Sugg https://www.tracyhsugg.com/#Historic)
In 2017, the gravesite of Margaret Corbin was accidentally disturbed during a construction project, leading to the shocking discovery that the remains were not hers but belonged to a man from the same era.
In the years that followed, Liv and other cadets often discussed the question: Where is Margaret Cochran Corbin? Historical records highlight her heroic deeds. The records also indicate that she lived near West Point from 1780 onward, when she was transferred to the Corps of Invalids. She died in 1800 and was likely buried in a pauper’s grave in a small community cemetery in Highland Falls (then called Buttermilk Falls), a few miles from West Point.
Liv appreciated the DAR's efforts in 1926 to locate Margaret Corbin’s remains and arrange her honorable burial at West Point. Their aim was not to bring prestige to the DAR but to shine a light on a Revolutionary War patriot—one who was a woman, a camp follower, and a wife.
After returning to West Point following her brother’s wedding, Liv shared her thoughts with her grandmother during a long phone call.
“I know about Margaret Corbin,” her grandmother said. “She was such a brave woman—the very definition of courage under fire. And she suffered from her injuries throughout her life. The paintings and sculptures inspired by her actions depict her bravery but not the agony she endured. Did you know that the DAR has a Margaret Cochran Corbin Award? It’s given to a distinguished woman in military service.”
Liv was pleased to learn that.
“I read that Margaret Corbin was disfigured by her combat injuries and suffered terrible pain. She couldn’t take care of herself, and she drank too much rum—provided by the government—smoked a pipe, and was usually quite unkempt.
“There’s a story that the Philadelphia Society of Women considered erecting a monument in her honor since she fought in a Pennsylvania unit. But when representatives of the Society met her, they changed their minds based on her appearance and behavior.
Her grandmother had heard that story as well.
“Our Founders were a different breed of women,” she said. “They were committed to honoring all who fought for independence in our country. That never would have been their reaction. I’ll send you some information about the dedication of Memorial Continental Hall, where Henry and Eileen were married. I think it will tell you a lot about the DAR.”
“As for Margaret Corbin, remember this: she was only a year older than you when she married John Corbin, and just 25 when he was killed. The death of John left her completely alone in the world. Also, she was just a child when she lost both parents to an Indian raid. And she and John had no children of their own.
“She took control of that cannon not only to avenge John's death but also for a way of life—a free and independent America, which her parents had crossed an ocean for and which she and John had left their home to fight for.
“That's why the search for her will always continue, whether by the DAR or by patriots who understand the sacrifices she made for this country and the suffering she endured throughout her life.”
Washington, DC, April 19, 1904— “Daughters of the American Revolution and friends, upon this date of historical memories, we gather with patriotic thought, with reverent spirit, and with almost boundless gratitude to the men and women of the revolution—the founders of this republic who left us the priceless heritage of home and country.”
Liv was reading through a packet of information her grandmother had sent her about Memorial Continental Hall. A newspaper clipping from the Washington Evening Star on April 19, 1904, caught her eye. It was about the official ceremony to lay the cornerstone for Memorial Continental Hall.
It was a festive event, but profound and historic too. The DAR leaders were dedicated to their role in preserving the history of the American Revolution and enshrining the values and principles that American ancestors fought for. They painstakingly chose every detail to reflect on that history. The date itself: April 19, the 129th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, when the Minute Men had put the British soldiers to flight, and the American Revolution was born. They used the same gavel that George Washington used when he took part in laying the cornerstone of the US Capitol Building on September 18, 1793.
“Our country’s history is like a canvas,” Liv thought, “and the DAR threads the needle and makes the most beautiful tapestry.”
She returned to the article and read part of the speech by the DAR’s President General at the time, Mrs. Charles W. Fairbanks:
“Daughters of the American Revolution and Friends: On this historic date, we gather to pay reverent homage to the memory of the men and women who gained and bequeathed to us the priceless heritage of home and country. In laying the cornerstone of this memorial, dedicated to those who loved freedom better than wealth or power, we perform a grateful and pleasing duty…
"It is not alone erected to the great statesmen who laid the groundwork of our liberties; not only to the generals who planned our armies…not alone to the great sea captains who organized our infant Navy; not alone to Rebecca Mott, who burned her own home to clear the way for liberty's army; not alone to Molly Pitcher, who, when death claimed her husband, took up the work he was carrying on; but to all brave men of the line, to all the women of the spinning wheel…”
Something was stuck in her mind about the speech by the President General. She went back to it. There it was: Molly Pitcher. When death claimed her husband, she took up the work he was carrying on. That sounded like Margaret Cochran Corbin, also known as “Captain Molly Corbin.” It was time to call her grandmother.
“Liv, I’m not sure exactly who the President General meant in 1904 when she named Molly Pitcher,” her grandmother said, “but does it really matter? Margaret Corbin's actions and her pension were well documented, and many people called her Captain Molly.
“There was another woman named Mary Hays Ludwig in Pennsylvania who supposedly took over a cannon when her husband was wounded,” her grandmother continued. “Many called her ‘Molly Pitcher.’ Over the years, the two stories have become co-mingled.”
Liv pondered this for a moment. “I guess I was hoping she was referring to Captain Molly Corbin; it would have been monumental if Corbin had been singled out at the cornerstone ceremony!”
Her grandmother replied, “Ah, but Memorial Continental Hall is a backdrop, a living stage to illuminate our Revolutionary War ancestors and all that they sacrificed for us. Even when it is a venue, like your brother’s wedding, all of it—the décor, the contents, the location— all evoke our Revolutionary War history.
“Patriots like Margaret Corbin are iconic and eternal,” she continued. “She might not have a portrait or a statue in the DAR’s Memorial Continental Hall, but rest assured that she is precisely the kind of Revolutionary War hero to whom the President General was dedicating that building. And think about this: her story is still alive today. She is written about, talked about, Googled, and held up as an example of courage and love of country more now than she was almost 250 years ago! That’s some staying power!”
Buttermilk Falls, New York, January 16, 1800
The woman with faded red hair and a lined face was dreaming. Her dream was vivid and abrupt, calming and beautiful. It was like a kaleidoscope, constantly shifting: She was a toddler, snuggling with a homemade doll as her mother prepared a meal. Then she was in a ferocious battle, overwhelmed by a cacophony of screams, cries, and cannons. The vision shifted again. It was her wedding day. Her long, curling red hair and the green eyes of her Scottish Cochran forebears caught the sun as she gazed into the face of her handsome Virginia farmer husband, John Corbin. She could feel the sparkle of that day, full of excitement and the endless possibilities of stepping into a new life together.
The kaleidoscope shifted once more, and the battle raged on. John called her name. He was on the ground, bloodied, screaming, then silent. Pure shock and anger drove her at the cannon until an unimaginable and crushing pain hit her, forever destroying the person she had been.
“Captain Molly, are you awake?”
Mrs. Randall poked her head into the small room to check on her. “It’s been snowing all night. I’ve been trying to keep the room warm, but truth be told, I’ve been worried about you. Your sleep has been uneasy.”
Captain Molly Corbin could barely speak but acknowledged Mrs. Randall.
“Aye, I am awake,” she replied gruffly. “Thank you. I am warm but very tired.”
She was drifting back to sleep and thought, “The fig tree blooms soon. I shall see John’s face again.”
US Military Academy, West Point, New York, Current Day
Liv replayed the Engineering Student Group voicemail just to make sure it was real.
“Hi, we’re looking for engineering cadets to assist with a special project involving the search for the gravesite of Revolutionary War soldier Margaret Cochran Corbin. We are using ground-penetrating radar to detect structural anomalies in an area south of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Highland Falls near Rose Drive. This is a joint project with West Point and the New York State DAR. If interested, please call us back ASAP.”
(Maps show the area where Margaret Cochran's pauper's grave might be located.)
Liv sat in stunned silence for a moment, not believing the chance that fate had given her.
“What an opportunity to be a small part of history,” she thought. “Grandma was right. The DAR provides the backdrop to illuminate our patriots--through its buildings and its actions."
She picked up the phone and quickly called them back.
Read about a project to locate the burial site of Margaret Corbin here:
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