According to Ray Paphael, the story of Molly Pitcher, who fired her husband's cannon after he was killed, is a myth. However, as Rafael states, there were women on the battlefield who could have fired cannons.
At the Battle of Monmouth, amid scorching temperatures, thirty-seven soldiers died from heat stroke. This accounted for more than 1/3 of the battlefield casualties. (Despite lasting for over 5 years, the American Revolution actually killed very few soldiers, compared with the wars that were to come.)
Several hundred women were either on the battlefield or close at hand. These were "camp followers", women who followed the army and assisted in the logistics of everyday living. On normal days they cooked, washed, and hauled things about, during battles, they nursed the wounded and carried supplies to and from the lines. Undoubtedly, some of these women tended to thirsty, sweltering soldiers. Very likely, some helped in the firing of cannons.
(At Fort WAshington on November 16, 1776, Margaret Corbin stood in for her husband John,who had just been killed. Margaret herself was wounded by three grapeshot during the battle, and lost the use of one arm for the rest of her life.
Camp followers (from Wikipedia):
Camp-follower is a term used to identify civilians who follow in the wake of armies or service their needs whilst encamped, in order to sell goods or services that the military does not supply. These can include cooking, laundering, liquor, nursing, sutlery, and even sexual services. From the beginning of organised warfare until the end of 19th century camp-followers were a vital part of an army's system of support and before sutler services were militarised even military goods were often provided. Camp-followers usually accompanied the baggage train and they often outnumbered the army itself, adding to its logistic problems.
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Bibliography
FOunding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past, by Ray Raphael, 2004
