Sybil Ludington
Unsung Heroine of the American Revolution
Our story today begins with a very young couple in love in America. Henry Ludington had joined the British Colonial Army at 17 years old and was a lover of all things military. While marching to Quebec, during the French and Indian War, he made a pitstop at his uncle’s house to pay his regards and met Abigail — his 14 year old cousin. They fell in love, married in 1760 when Henry returned from war, and had their first of twelve children, Sybil, in 1761.
Henry (pictured below) was a career military man. After moving to Fredericksburg, New York (later renamed to Kent), Henry was promoted to lieutenant — a position he kept until the beginning of the American Revolution when he resigned from his post, during what I imagine to have been an identity crisis. He had sworn an oath to serve and protect the King and to execute the enemies of the crown. At the same time, he was an American patriot. What was a man to do?
Following his desertion, the Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York commissioned Henry to serve as the Colonel of Dutchess County. He was assigned a regimen of 400 men and was in charge of keeping the peace and protecting the county from skinners (also known as loyalists). Because of this, Henry had a price on his head and was constantly at risk of being captured.
Around the same time, Sybil had grown into a young woman of 15. As the eldest of 12, she often helped her mother with house and farm chores, but at the same time accompanied her father on patrol. She loved her father dearly. When she heard that Ichabod Prosser, a Tory of New York, had set out with fifty loyalists to capture her father, she tasked her siblings with standing guard at the house. The night of Ichabod’s arrival, in a true Home Alone fashion, Sybil lit candles all around the windows of the house, dressed her siblings as soldiers, handed them guns, and asked them to march in front of the candles so that their shadows resembled soldiers patrolling the house. Seeing this, Prosser assumed the Ludington house was heavily guarded and, fearing a bloody battle, retreated.
Fast forward to April of 1777 to a town in Connecticut by the name of Danbury which was used by the Connecticut army as a depot and rest stop. Understandably, the British Colonial Army decided to march on the town and burn it down. The task was handed to General Tyron, Henry Ludington’s old boss, along with an army of 2,000 men. Soon after their departure, rumors spread of his pillage and violence in towns along the way. It was said that he murdered all boys that crossed his path so they would not grow up to fight against the crown.
Tyron and his regimen arrived in Danbury on a cold rainy night. They attempted to burn down the town but, exhausted from their journey and sopping wet, they halted their attack after burning only three buildings and decided to camp until day break. While they were resting, a scout escaped from Danbury and headed towards the Ludington home. He arrived at 9 p.m. the next day and broke the news to Colonel Ludington.
Concerned and outraged, Henry asked the messenger to visit the homes of the 400 members of his regimen to alert them. However, the messenger and his horse were exhausted from the day-long journey to Fredericksburg. Realizing that her father had to stay home to organize the members of his regimen as they arrived, Sybil offered to ride across the county and alert everyone. She had gone through the path many times with her father and was confident in her ability to be swift. She promised to be back by day break, got on her horse, and started riding in the pouring rain.
Along the way she passed a loyalist who, upon realizing she was alone, attempted to take her belongings and horse. But Sybil was a girl with a mission — she took out her stick and proceeded to beat the crap out of the assailant before continuing on her way.
That night, Sybil covered over 40 miles from Mahopac to Stormville, banging on 400 doors and alerting everyone to the situation in Danbury. By the time she arrived home, all 400 men had arrived and were ready to march to Danbury.
Although Sybil was successful in her mission, her father’s army didn’t reach Danbury in time. But they were able to join an American army coming from Bethel in Ridgefield and drive the British back to their ships. Sybil’s efforts were recognized not only by her father and his regiment, but also by George Washington. After the war, Sybil married Edmond Ogden at the age of 23, and named her first son Henry in honor of her father.
So, why isn’t she as revered as Paul Revere (pun intended) ? For one, there is no poem dedicated to her heroism. But more importantly, her story was largely unknown until 1880 when Martha Lamb included it in her book: History of the City of New York: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress. As with all undocumented stories, there are doubts about the accuracy of the events described above. For example, it is more likely that Sybil notified a few members of her father’s army per town and asked them to assemble the rest of their fellow soldiers in the area.
But doubts aside, Sybil’s achievements have since been recognized by many. In 1961, Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington erected a sculpture of Sybil on her horse (pictured above) in Carmel, NY. In 1971 her image was captured on U.S. postage stamps. And for those looking to live through the experience of her 40-mile journey, the annual Sybil Ludington 50k Run has been held in Carmel since April 1979, following the course of her historic ride.
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