Sybil Ludington

Sybil Ludington
Born(1761-04-05)April 5, 1761
DiedFebruary 26, 1839(1839-02-26) (aged 77)
Unadilla, New York
Spouse
Edmond Ogden
​
​
(m. 1784; died 1799)​

Sybil (or Sibbell) Ludington (April 5, 1761 – February 26, 1839) was an American woman who made an alleged ride during the American Revolutionary War, though modern accounts dispute this. On April 26, 1777, at age 16, Ludington, the daughter of a Colonel Henry Ludington, was claimed to have made an all-night horseback ride 40 miles (64 km) to rally American militiamen in neighboring towns after British forces raided and burnt Danbury, Connecticut.

Accounts of Ludington's ride are based on a brief mention in 1907 memoirs about her father, published privately by his grandchildren. A 2015 report in The New England Quarterly says there is little evidence backing the story,[1] and whether the ride occurred has been questioned[2][3][4][5] since at least 1956.[6]

Relatively unknown through the 1870s, Ludington's story gained recognition around the time of World War II, after New York State was convinced to place historic roadmarkers in locations she was speculated to have visited on her ride. The myth grew thereafter, from memorial statues honoring her, to books being written about her, culminating with being honored on a United States Bicentennial postage stamp that was released on March 25, 1975, which depicts her on a horse.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hunt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Tucker, Abigail (March 2022). "Did the Midnight Ride of Sibyl Ludington Ever Happen?". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eschner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lewis, Jone Johnson (August 15, 2019). "Sybil Ludington, Possible Female Paul Revere". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pollak was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hunt220 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).