Sometimes called the female Paul Revere, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington’s bold exploits and bravery during the chaos of the Revolutionary War deserve to be remembered.
On the night of April 26, 1777, young Sybil, in response to the British attack on the town of Danbury, Connecticut, mounted her horse Star and set off on a mission to muster the local militia troops. Riding all night through the rain, Sybil returned home at dawn having successfully given the order to assemble nearly 400 Colonial troops. Following the battle, it is reported that Sybil was personally thanked by George Washington for her service and her bravery.
Sybil was born on April 5, 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York (now the city of Kent). She was the oldest child of Colonel Henry Ludington, a respected militia officer who commanded the 7th Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia, a volunteer regiment during the Revolutionary War. Colonel Ludington later became an aide to General George Washington.
On April 25, 1777, a British force of 2000 men command- ed by General William Tryon landed near the mouth of the
Saugatuck River, at Fairfield, Connecticut. The next day they moved north into Danbury, where the Continental Army had a supply depot. Colonel Ludington’s militia had disbanded for the planting season, leaving the town of Danbury unprotected.
In Danbury, the British troops began a search for the Continen- tal Army's supplies. The British soon discovered stores of flour, beef, pork, wheat, corn, sugar, molasses, rice, and coffee, along with several hundred cases of wine and rum. The soldiers de cided to consume the rum, discipline soon broke down, and much of the town was set on fire.
A messenger was dispatched from Danbury and sent to Colonel Ludington’s farm, arriving at approximately 9 p.m. Colonel Ludington began to organize the militia, but most of his men were scattered in their homes throughout the county. It was feared that the messenger, exhausted and unfamiliar with the area, would be unable to find and alert the mi litia. Sybil, who had just turned 16, was familiar with the area and willing to sound the alarm.
Sybil left her home that night, traveling over 40 miles (twice the distance traveled by Paul Revere on his famous ride). She rode from her home, in what is now the town of Kent, south to Mahopac, and then north to the town of Stormville. Riding through the night in heavy rain, Sybil had to avoid British soldiers along with British loyalists and outlaws who were called “Skinners.” Sybil carried a stick she used to bang on farmhouse shutters, shouting “the British are burning Danbury!” By the time she returned home at dawn, most of the militia were assembled and ready to fight.
Colonel Ludington’s men were not able to save Danbury, but they met the British along with other Continental troops at the Battle of Ridgefield the following day. The American
forces spanked the British and
drove General Tryon's forces back to the British fleet at Long Island Sound, protecting more towns and halting the redcoat’s advance.After the war, in 1785, Sybil married Edmond Ogden.
They had one son, named Henry, after Sybil’s father. Henry Ogden became a lawyer and would go on to be elected to the New York State Assembly.
Sybil Ludington lived to the age of 77, passing away on Febru- ary 26, 1839. She is buried next
to her father in Patterson, New York.
In 1935, the state of New York erected a series of historic markers outlining the route that Sybil rode. In 1961, a bronze statue of her by renowned sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington was erected in Carmel, New York. The stat ue depicts young Sybil atop her horse Star, waving her stick and shouting the alarm. In 1975 Syb il was honored with her likeness on a U.S. Bicentennial postage stamp. It shows her riding hard on that rainy night in 1777. And, since 1975, the Sybil Ludington 50K ultramarathon has been run each year, following the route she traveled that fateful night.
It should be noted that some contemporary historians have questioned the authenticity of Sybil’s story, citing a lack of recent scholarship and multiple sources of evidence. The ear - liest known record of the 1777 ride came from Sybil’s nephew, Charles H. Ludington, in 1854.
Sybil’s story was included in an 1880 book about New York City written by historian Martha Lamb. Another reference ap- peared in the 1907 memoirs of Sybil’s father, written by Willis Fletcher Johnson, and published privately by his grandchildren. Personally, I believe this story is true and consider Sybil Ludington an American hero.
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