I’m sure we have all heard of the “hero”, Paul Revere, and his 20-mile horse ride that warned citizens that in just a few moments they were going to be under attack. What most people don’t know is that while Paul Revere stopped after 20 miles, a young 16-year-old girl rode from 9 pm till dawn to rally other troops. Sybil Ludington was the eldest of twelve children; her parents Henry and Abigail were farmers. Her father was a war veteran who ended up serving 60 years in the military, including the French and Indian war. Her family was loyal to the British until her father decided that they had had enough of the tyranny and switched sides. Not long after the initial switch, he was promoted to Colonel of his local regiment. This route spanned the area between Connecticut and Long Island Sound; everything in his route was vulnerable to attack.
On April 26, 1777, Colonel Ludington received word that the nearby town Danbury was under attack, and the British were pushing forward into his territory. During April, the regiment disbanded for planting season, they were all farmers and could not afford to miss planting their crops; all of the men were miles apart, and without a modern-day telephone, they had no hope. Sybil heard of this and rose to the occasion, she took off on horseback into the rainy night. She alerted the men of the danger, riding almost 40-miles. Sadly, this effort was too late, when she arrived home, the British had already gotten to the town.
After the war, she married Edward Ogden in 1784. Unlike her mother, Sybil had only one child; a boy which they named Henry, after her father. Less than 15 years later, her husband died due to yellow fever. So, Sybil decided to purchase a tavern (pub) and help her son become a lawyer. A few years after owning the tavern, Sybil decided enough is enough and sold the tavern. She earned about three times as much money as she had paid for the land originally. With her son being a rookie lawyer and not making enough money to purchase a home, she once again stepped up and bought a home for his family and herself. She later applied for a Revolutionary War pension, since her husband served in the military, although she was denied due to “inadequate proof of marriage.” At the age of 77, Sybil Ludington died in poverty.
She has a statue by Lake Gleneida in New York, a postal stamp, and historical markings along her path she took to remind people of her historical importance to this country. Overall, Sybil Ludington was a powerhouse of a person, she cared about everyone and everything and made sure that people around her were happy and well taken care of.
https://www.lostpine.com/home/passions/patriots/sybil-ludington/