Res 0568-2018

By Council Members Rosenthal and Borelli Whereas, Throughout human history, from Joan of Arc to Florence Nightingale, women have made extraordinary contributions during times of war; and Whereas, Born in 1751, Margaret Corbin is one of the great unsung heroes of the American Revolution; and Whereas, At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, she supported the troops by cooking for them and washing their clothes at military camps; and Whereas, However, in November of 1776, her husband was killed during a battle with Hessian mercenaries, at what is now known as Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan; and Whereas, Despite her shock and grief, she immediately took charge of his unmanned cannon and started firing at the enemy with extraordinary vigor and force; and Whereas, She continued to fire until munitions struck her, bruising her chest, lacerating her jaw, and nearly severing her left arm, which she was unable to use for the rest of her life; and Whereas, She subsequently entered the Invalid Regiment at West Point, where she cared for other wounded soldiers; and Whereas, According to the United States Military Academy, she struggled both emotionally and financially in her later years; and Whereas, On July 6, 1779, she received a lifetime disability pension of one-half pay, which made her the first woman to receive a pension from the government; and Whereas, She died in 1800, at the age of 48; and Whereas, There are commemorative markers dedicated to her at Fort Tryon Park and at Holyrood Church on West 179th Street; and Whereas, In recognition of her unique legacy of physical bravery and service to others, the Veterans Administration should rename its Manhattan hospital after her; and Whereas, This would renew interest in her memory and inspire both men and women to serve in uniform in the future; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the Veterans Administration to name its hospital in Manhattan after the American Revolutionary War heroine Margaret Corbin, who survived a battle that occurred in Manhattan and became the first female to receive a military pension. LS#6614 10/12/18 MK 1