Dicey Langston

Dicey Langston
An engraving of Dicey Langston protecting her father from Loyalists
Born
Laodicea Langston

14 May 1766
South Carolina
Died18 May 1837, Aged 71
NationalityAmerican

Laodicea Langston (14 May 1766 – 23 May 1837), also known by the nickname Dicey, was a patriot. Her acts of bravery during the period have led to her being regarded as a heroine.

During the Revolutionary War, Dicey spied on the Loyalists to assist the defense of her community of patriots. At 15, she heard that the Loyalist group 'Bloody Scouts' were preparing to attack the Elder Settlement at Little Eden, South Carolina. She traveled five miles on foot to deliver this message to her brother at the site by crossing the swollen Tyger River,[note 1] for the community to be evacuated.[1][2][3][4] Dicey also defended her disabled father, Solomon Langston, when their home was attacked by the group on another occasion, by standing between their weapons and her father. Admiring her bravery, they did not harm her or her father.[3][5][6] There are many tales of her challenging groups of Loyalists and defiantly refusing to answer their questions, reportedly saying: "Shoot me if you dare. I will not tell you".[3][5]

In 1783 she married Thomas Springfield; they had reportedly met years earlier when he had collected a musket from Dicey's home and refused to sign for it. She had then turned the gun on him and dared him to take it without signing.[5][7]


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  1. ^ Kline, Pamela. "Dicey Langston". Revolutionary War. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. ^ MacLean, Maggie (23 April 2009). "Dicey Langston". History of American Women. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Huff, Archie Vernon (1995). Greenville: The History of the City and County in the South Carolina Piedmont. Univ of South Carolina Press. pp. 28–29. ISBN 9781570030451.
  4. ^ Kelly, Brian (2011). Best Little Stories from the American Revolution: More Than 100 True Stories. Sourcebooks Inc. pp. 117–118. ISBN 9781402261817. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Casey, Susan (2015). "Dicey Langston: A Whig in a land of Tories". Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 9781613745861. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  6. ^ Horton, Tom (2012). History's Lost Moments: The Stories Your Teacher Never Told You. Trafford Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9781466929173. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  7. ^ Hunter, Ryan Anne (2013). In Disguise!: Undercover with Real Women Spies. Simon and Schuster. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9781582703831. Retrieved 18 December 2015.