This timeline reframes American military history through the lens of military spouses and families. Rather than focusing only on battles and commanders, it highlights the home-front systems—formal and informal—that sustained military operations across eras. From camp followers to digital organizers, spouses adapted as the structure and demands of the U.S. military evolved.

Margaret Corbin is often remembered as “Molly Pitcher,” but congressional records tell a deeper story. In 1779, she received a federal military disability pension and was incorporated into the Invalid establishment. Her case reveals how a military wife moved beyond informal wartime labor into formal Revolutionary Army structures through documented institutional recognition.