She’s Not Paul

In school, many of us read the classic poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  It’s a good poem, full of patriotism, courage, determination, and excitement.

Revere’s famous ride was made on April 18, 1775.  Longfellow was born in 1807.  Had he actually been of age at the time Revere made his famous ride, Longfellow’s poem may have been more like this, “Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of…Sybil Ludington.”

What?  Who was Sybil Ludington?

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Now, I’m not trying to minimize the exploits of Mr. Revere. 

The American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution is probably best known for his nighttime ride to alert the colonial militia by yelling, “The British are coming!”  His warning may have prevented the battles of Lexington and Concord from being much worse for the American rebels.  It was that ride that was immortalized in the famous poem by Longfellow.

Thanks to the poem, the day that brought fame to Paul Revere has been widely known.  Since that time, the exploits of other men who made similar warning rides have come to light as well.  But, unless you live near the former Fredericksburg, New York, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Sybil Ludington.

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In papers still existing from the time, Sybil’s name was spelled no less than six different ways, but Sybil is the common spelling today, so I went with that for familiarity and consistency.

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Sybil was born on April 5, 1761, the first of 12 children born to Henry and Abigail Ludington.  

As the eldest, Sybil naturally fell into her role of pseudo-parent to, and leader of, her younger siblings.  She automatically helped feed, bathe, and dress her younger brothers and sisters.  At night she helped tuck them safely under the warm covers.

Something else that came naturally to her was a deep, abiding love of her family.  Large families are often close-knit, and hers certainly was.  Her family also had a love the idea of founding a new country, one that would come to be named the United States of America.

Sybil’s father, Henry, had fought in the French and Indian War, and he volunteered to head the local militia during the American Revolution. Sybil had to move from town to town following her father and, in the process, played an important role in the success of the colonies.  They eventually settled on a farm in Dutchess County, New York, just across the state line from Danbury, Connecticut.

The young lady proved herself to be a sharp thinker on numerous occasions.  One stands out as a prime example.

As a colonel, Henry was a valuable target for those loyal to the British Crown.  One night, a man named Ichobod Prosser, along with 50 other Loyalists surrounded the home in an attempt to capture Colonel Ludington.  Quick thinking Sybil lit candles around the house and organized her little brothers and sisters to walk around between the lights and the windows in military fashion, to give the Loyalist the impression that troops were guarding the house.

The Loyalists beat a quick getaway.

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Roughly one year after Revere’s ride, on April 26, 1777, a messenger approached Colonel Ludington’s house.  He bore news that British General William Tryon and 2000 troops had attacked Danbury, where the Continental Army had a supply depot.  The British had destroyed businesses and burned precious supplies and ammunition.

The messenger collapsed from exhaustion after his hazardous ride to notify Colonel Ludington.

Unfortunately, the colonel’s militiamen were on furlough and had all gone home to get their spring planting done.  With the attack, it was imperative that the men be notified and called to action.  The colonel had to stay close to plan a response and the messenger who had warned him was unfamiliar with the area.

Somebody had to make the ride to alert the colonel’s troops, which were spread out over many miles.

Whether the colonel asked or she volunteered, it was Sybil who saddled her horse, Star, and left home at 9 p.m.  It was a rainy, moonless night and the area was known to hide more than a few highwaymen.  Yet the girl willingly took on the task.

Sybil rode Star hard, using a stick at times to prod him into more speed on the narrow, muddy, rutted roads.  She rode from farm to farm and house to house, banging on doors and windows while yelling, “The British are burning Danbury!”

The girl and her horse went from Carmel to Mahopac, then on to Kent Cliffs and Farmer’s Mills before reaching home again around daybreak, exhausted, bedraggled, and cold…but successful.

More than 400 of the colonel’s men gathered to go help the residents of Danbury and defend the surrounding area.

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Fortunately for the militia, the redcoats had been so excited by their looting that many of them scrounged up what alcohol they could find, and proceeded to drink…a lot.

The militia arrived too late to save Danbury, but they were able to drive General Tryon and his men to Long Island Sound and thus protect residents of the area around Danbury from more destruction and, possibly, death.

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Sybil Ludington had ridden a total of 40 miles (64 km) through cold, rainy, darkness.  For the record, that’s about twice the distance covered by Paul Revere.  Along the way, she was accosted by a highwayman who intended no good for her.  Sybil was able to fend him off with her father’s pistol, and continue with her ride, undaunted.

Not bad for 16-year-old girl.

Yes, I said Sybil was only 16 when she made her incredible ride.

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Over 100 years later, Colonel Henry Ludington’s memoir had this to say about Sybil’s ride, “One who even now rides from Carmel to Cold Spring will find rugged and dangerous roads, with lonely stretches.  Imagination only can picture what it was a century and a quarter ago, on a dark night, with reckless bands of ‘Cowboys’ and ‘Skinners’ abroad in the land.  But the child performed her task, clinging to a man’s saddle, and guiding her steed with only a hempen halter, as she rode through the night, bearing the news of the sack of Danbury.  There is no extravagance in comparing her ride with that of Paul Revere and its midnight message.  Nor was her errand less efficient than his.  By daybreak, thanks to her daring, nearly the whole regiment was mustered before her father’s house at Fredericksburgh.”

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Sybil Ludington was lauded for her heroism by friends and neighbors and later by General George Washington himself for her contribution to the revolution.

But there’s more.

According to Wikipedia, “In 1935, New York State erected a number of historic markers along Ludington’s route.  A commemorative statue sculpted by Anna Hyatt Huntington was erected near Carmel, New York, in 1961.  Smaller versions of the statue were erected on the grounds of the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters in Washington, D.C., on the grounds of the public library in Danbury, Connecticut, and in the Elliot and Rosemary Offner museum at Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.  In 1975, Ludington was honored with a postage stamp in the ‘Contributors to the Cause’ United States Bicentennial series.

“The Sybil Ludington 50k Run has been held in Carmel, New York each April since 1979, a 50-kilometre (31 mi) foot race.  The course of the race approximates her historic ride, and finishes near her statue on the shore of Lake Gleneida, Carmel.  In 1993, composer Ludmila Ulehla wrote the chamber opera Sybil of the American Revolution based on the story of Ludington’s ride.  In 2014, she was featured on the American Heroes Channel documentary American Revolution: Patriots Rising.”

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Oh, do you remember in the sixth paragraph, when I said, “But, unless you live near the former Fredericksburg, New York, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Sybil Ludington.”

Yes, I said, “the former Fredericksburg, New York.”  It is now named Ludington, New York.

Not bad for a 16-year-old girl.

Not bad at all.

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