Margaret Corbin

Margaret Corbin (born Margaret Cochran, November 12, 1751 – January 16, 1800) was a woman who fought in the American Revolutionary War She and her husband John Corbin were both from Philadelphia. On November 16, 1776, they were part of 600 American soldiers defending Fort Washington in northern Manhattan. The fort was being attacked by about 4,000 Hessian troops under British command. John and Margaret worked one of the two cannons at the fort. When her husband died, Margaret took his place at his cannon. She kept firing until she was badly hurt. She later became the first woman in U.S. history to get a pension from Congress for military service.