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Sybil Ludington was a typical 16 year old girl in 1777. She was the eldest of 12
children and was often responsible for taking care of her younger siblings. She was
putting the younger children to bed on the night of April 26, 1777, when word
reached her house that the British were burning the town of Danbury, Connecticut,
which was only 25 miles away. Her father was a colonel in the local militia. His men
were scattered over a wide area around the Ludington house in Fredericksburg,
New York (now Ludington). Sybil convinced her father to let her ride and summon
the men. She rode on horseback over 40 miles on dark, unmarked roads to spread
the alert. Her course took her down through Carmel, on to Mahopac, and around to
Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills and back home. She rode alone with only a stick to
prod her horse Star and to knock on the doors spreading the alert in time. The men
whom she helped to gather arrived just in time to help drive the British, under the
command of General William Tyron (who was also colonial governor of New
York), back to their ships in Long Island Sound. In this day and age a sixteen year
old girl alone on a darkened street is not safe. One can only imagine what it was like
being a 16 year old girl aiding the rebellion during war-time within such a short
distance from the fighting and alone with no one for protection. Sybil Ludington
was a true American Hero. Sybil's contribution to the war was not forgotten. Present day visitors to Putnam County New York can trace her path on that midnight ride by following markers placed along the route, and view a statue of her erected in 1961 on Route 52 beside Gleneida Lake in Carmel on the route. There is a smaller copy of the statue located in Washington, D.C. in Constitution Memorial Hall in DAR headquarters. Written by Mrs. Todd James.
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