Why is she not as famous as Paul Revere?

On April 26, 1777, the British were attacking Danbury, Connecticut. A messenger was dispatched from Danbury to Colonel Henry Ludington, commander of the local militia of the Kent/Patterson area of New York, with the news of the attack. Col. Ludington began to organize the militia, but the men were scattered throughout the area. It was well into the night, and the messenger was exhausted and not being familiar with the area would not be able to find all of the militia volunteers.

The Colonel’s daughter, Sybil, 16 years old, the oldest of twelve children, was very familiar with the area and volunteered to warn the countryside of the attack. She rode some 40 miles through the towns of Carmel, Mahopac, and Stormville, in the middle of the night, in a rainstorm, warning all she could find that the British were burning Danbury and the militia was assembling at Ludington’s. She not only had to avoid British soldiers in the area but also British loyalists.

When Sybil Ludington returned home, near dawn the next day, 400 or so militia troops were ready to march. They were not able to save the supplies and the town at Danbury, but they stopped the British advance and pushed them back to their boats.

Sybil’s ride helped stop the advance of the British and gave the American militia time to organize and resist. She was recognized for her midnight ride not only by her neighbors but by General George Washington himself.

Sybil Ludington continued to help with the Revolutionary War effort befittingly, as a messenger. Her hometown of Fredericksburg was renamed Ludingtonville in honor of her heroic ride. There is a statue of her, by sculptor Anna Wyatt Huntington, outside the Danbury Library.

Sybil is now known as “the female Paul Revere.” Maybe he should be known as “the male Sybil Ludington,” since she rode about twice as far as he did on his famous ride.