Teenage Girl, Like Paul Revere, Rode to Warn About British Invasion

Sybil Ludington was the oldest child of Colonel Henry Ludington, a commander of colonial militia men in rural New York State during the American Revolution. On the evening of April 26, 1777, the sixteen-year-old girl rode into a pitch dark night to warn citizens of surrounding towns that British soldiers were attacking a nearby city. Her trek was just days after the second anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride to warn his community of the beginning of war with England. 

In April, 1777, the war against England was two years old. The battles consisted of scattered skirmishes between well-equipped British troops and the often poorly-supplied Colonial Army. Militia troops were volunteers outside the ranks of the U.S. Army.

Known as citizen soldiers, the men consisted of farmers and merchants who were ready to fight against British invasions. Militia volunteers risked being charged with treason and given a death sentence if they were captured. They were poorly equipped and usually carried black powder muskets passed down from fathers and grandfathers. 

Colonel Ludington, Sybil’s father, was a New York militia officer and leader of a local group called The Committee of Safety. He operated a farm with his family of 13 children in Paterson, NY. Volunteers made up the group of 400 civilian fighters who stayed ready to defend against an invasion from England and domination by King James III.

On April 25, 1777, British General William Tryon landed a raiding party on the shore of Fairfield, Connecticut, and marched to the city of Danbury the next day. Danbury was a major supply center of the Continental Army in the Hudson River Valley. Supplies included thousands of barrels of salt pork, flour, molasses, rice and rum. Non-perishable items included cots, tents and shoes. These items were supplies the Colonial Army needed for the war.

The Brits marched into Danbury and drove off members of a small garrison of colonists stationed there to guard the supplies. Dressed in their red uniforms and armed with long-barreled muskets, they looked fearless to the local community. British soldiers started destroying the warehoused goods. The invaders found dozens of barrels of rum that the soldiers broke open. They quickly became drunk and went wild throughout the city. General Tryon was unable to control the drunk soldiers who vandalized Danbury and set fires throughout the town.

Several colonial riders spread out across the area late that afternoon to alert the local militias that Danbury was under attack. One of those riders went to the Ludington farm that was about 25 miles from Danbury. The rider arrived at the household’s front door after dark to inform Ludington about the attack. The messenger and his horse were exhausted from the hard ride, and they were unable to continue contacting the local residents.

Colonel Ludington needed to get word to the local militia fighters who were scattered among several rural towns. It was his duty to get things organized so his 400 patriots could attack the invading British soldiers. That meant that he must stay at the farm to establish a headquarters for the impending fight. Someone had to ride to the local communities and tell them that Danbury was under siege.

Sybil told her father she would ride to the local towns to spread the word. The colonel knew his daughter would be riding through dangerous territory at night. After only a brief consideration, he agreed to let Sybil make the ride. He convinced his wife that their daughter was the only choice they had to prevent a surprise attack against the local citizens.

Armed with one of her father’s muskets, Sybil mounted Star, her favorite horse, and started her mission. The young girl was an expert rider, and she and Star knew the surrounding area. She left the farm at about 9 p.m. and carried a long stick to use as a knocker to bang on the doors of the residents. That way she could stay on her horse and get the attention of the residents by yelling the news about the impending invasion.

At least one encounter on the trail nearly ended her quest when a would-be thief demanded money from her. Sibyl pointed the musket at him and yelled that she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. The man ran off. Outlaws were only one possible threat to the young girl. Deserters from both sides and loyalists to the British Crown sought safety and victims in the woods.

Her ride included wooded areas with primitive trails. There was no artificial lighting; so the teenager traveled in darkness all the way with only moonlight to help her see. She could see the orange glow from the fires in Danbury as it burned. How she made the trek without getting lost is astonishing.

Sybil rode all night and arrived back home near dawn. She rode 40 miles to alert residents of the towns of Carmel, Mahopac, Kent Cliffs, Stormville and Peckville. That was twice the distance Paul Revere rode.

Colonel Ludington’s patriots rallied at his farm the morning of April 27, 1777, within hours after Sybil spread the warning. More militia groups joined them, and they drove the British soldiers back towards the coast. They used a hodgepodge of weapons, most of which were antique muskets handed down from father to son. It was considered a military victory for the militia fighters, but they were too late to save Danbury before most of the city burned.

Following her historic ride, Sybil remained at her parents’ farm to help raise her brothers and sisters until she married at 23. Her husband was Edmund Ogden, a Revolutionary War soldier. They worked his family farm and also ran a Catskill, NY, inn. After her husband died, Sybil continued to run the inn for several years. She died at 78 in Unadilla, NY, where she lived with her only child, Henry.

A statue depicting the teenage heroine stands in a park inside her home town of Paterson. Her descendants hold an annual celebration at the statue to honor their brave ancestor and her amazing ride. The statue raised a point of conjecture for several years. Sybil is depicted riding sidesaddle, which was considered the gentile way for women to ride. However, the girl’s hard, 40 mile ride could hardly be accomplished staying on her horse sidesaddle as she held a musket and stick, some historians say. Being accustomed to hard work on her father’s farm, the teenage heroine most likely used one of her work dresses and straddled the horse.

Thanks for reading this blog. Look in this space in a few weeks for another interesting subject. Read my web site at www.joevlatino.com. That’s where you can get information about my book of short stories, “The Device.”