Sybil Ludington was born April 5, 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York. She was the oldest daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, who commanded a military regiment there.
On the rainy evening of April 26, 1777, a messenger brought news that General William Tryon, leading a troop of 2000 British soldiers, had launched a surprise attack on Danbury, Connecticut. Danbury was site of a revolutionary army storage facility that contained key supplies of ammunition, food, medicine, and clothes.
Since the messenger and his horse were too exhausted to reach anyone else and Colonel Ludington had to stay to organize the American soldiers, 16-year old Sybil volunteered to go out and warn the members of her father's regiment. She rode all night on her horse Star, alerting the American soldiers, "The British are burning Danbury. Muster at Ludington's!" In comparison with Paul Revere's ride, Sybil's was longer and more treacherous: Over forty miles on dark and wet unpaved roads.
When Sybil arrived home at sunrise, more than 400 soldiers had gathered, and marched for Danbury. General Tryon decided to retreat when he heard that the American troops were coming. His troops had discovered a supply of rum during the previous night's battle, and many of his men were too drunk to fight. Colonel Ludington's regiment and another group led by General Wooster drove the British back to their ships in Long Island Sound.
Sybil married Edward Ogden on October 12, 1784, and they moved to the town of Unadilla, NY. She died February 26, 1839, and was buried near her father in Patterson, New York.
A statue showing Sybil on her horse Star was erected in 1961 beside Gleneida Lake in Carmel, New York. In 1975, The United States Postal Service issued a Sybil Ludington Commemorative stamp.
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