Sybil Ludington
She Made a Midnight Ride to Rival that of Paul Revere
Raised in Kent near the Hudson, Ludington was a typical oldest child, doing chores, looking after her eleven younger siblings. Like most colonial Americans, she was patriotic.
On a rainy night in April 1777, Ludington was tucking in her younger brothers and sisters. Word came to the Ludington farm that British troops were attacking nearby Danbury, Connecticut.
Ludington's father, Colonel Henry Ludington, was a veteran of the French and Indian war. During the American Revolutionary War, he was commander of the 7th Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia. Colonel Ludington could not organize his men at the farm while at the same time warning his neighbors and calling them to arms. It was decided that eldest child, Sybil, would ride throughout the surrounding area to alert people to the British invasion as well as call those in the militia to meet at the Ludington farm. Although only a teenager, (she was sixteen years old), Ludington would be considered a young adult in those times.
Midnight Ride
In pouring rain, Ludington readied her trusty steed, Star. The ride began around 9:00 p.m. and encompassed around forty miles within Putnam and Dutchess counties. As she rode through the rain, it is likely the flames of Danbury, only 25 miles away, were visible against the night sky.
"The British are burning Danbury. Muster at Ludington's," Ludington shouted to inform the militiamen.
Along the way, Ludington had to avoid British troops and loyalists in the area. She was also in danger of encountering "Skinners": people who had no loyalty one way or the other.
By the time Ludington returned home around dawn, around 400 members of the colonial militia were gathered at the Ludington farm. Too late to save Danbury, these colonial troops managed to stop the British advance and force them back to their boats in the Battle of Ridgefield.
After her famous ride, Ludington married Edmond Ogden, a Catskill lawyer and had a son, Henry. After Ogden died when Henry was thirteen, Ludington became a successful tavern owner. Henry became an attorney and his son, Edmund Augustus is honored with a monument at Fort Riley, Kansas. Ludington lived in Unadilla, New York until her death February 26, 1839.
Honors
Ludington was recognized for her heroic efforts by none other than General George Washington himself. Colonel Ludington had also once been an aid for General Washington during the American War of Independence at the Battle of White Plains.
Ludington was born in Fredericksburg, now named Ludingtonville.
Historical markers in Putnam County trace the route Ludington took that night in 1777.
The annual Sybil Ludington 50-kilometer footrace is held in Carmel, New York. Its course follows an approximate route of Ludington's ride and ends near the Anna Wyatt Huntington statue depicting Sybil Ludington on horse, Star, on the shore of Lake Gleneida. A smaller replica of the statue is located on the grounds of the public library in Danbury, Connecticut and the DAR Headquarters in Washington D.C.
Ludington was also honored on an 8 cent postage stamp in 1975.
A number of books have been written about Sybil Ludington including author V.T. Dacquino’s “The Call to Arms” published by Purple Mountain Press, Ltd. (2000) and “Sybil’s Night Ride” by Karen Winnick. (Boyd’s Mill Press, 2000)
Sources:
Danbury Museum and Historical Society
Sybil Ludington postage stamp.
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Sybil Ludington gravemarker
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