Sybil Ludington

On April 26, 1777, British soldiers marched into Danbury, Connecticut. The American army kept food and supplies there. The British set the supplies on fire. The town burned into the night. Just across the line in New York lived Colonel Henry Ludington. He led the local militia. Militia were farmers who fought only when they were called out.

The Ludington Family

Sybil Ludington was born on April 5, 1761, in New York. She was the oldest of twelve children. Her father took the Patriot side in the war. His men lived on farms spread out across the hills.

The Story

There is a famous story about that night. It says a rider came to the Ludington house with news that Danbury was burning. The colonel's men were at home on their farms. So he told his daughter to ride and call them out. She had just turned sixteen. The story says she rode all night in the dark. She stopped at farm after farm. By morning the men stood in front of her father's house. Later tellings say she rode about 40 miles and gathered about 400 men.

What the Records Say

Historians have looked for this ride in papers from 1777. They have not found it. No letter, diary or newspaper from that year tells of it. In 1838 she asked for a pension. Her papers do not mention a ride. The first known mention is a letter from 1854. Her nephew wrote it 77 years after the raid. The story was not printed in a book until 1880. That book gave no source. A 1907 book about her father told the story in full. Her family paid for that book.

In 2015 the historian Paula D. Hunt studied the story. She found no good evidence that the ride happened. Evidence means facts or papers that prove something. Some family members say the 1854 letter shows the story was told at home for a long time. The raid on Danbury did happen. The ride may or may not have.

After the War

Sybil Ludington married Edmond Ogden in 1784. He died young. She ran an inn to support their son. She died on February 26, 1839. She was 77. In 1961 a statue of her on a horse was put up in Carmel, New York. In 1975 she was put on a postage stamp.

On April 26, 1777, British soldiers marched into Danbury, Connecticut. The Continental Army kept food, tents and other supplies in the town, and the British set them on fire. Danbury burned into the night. Across the line in New York, Colonel Henry Ludington commanded a regiment of militia, part-time soldiers who farmed at home until they were called out. The story that made his daughter famous begins on that night.

The Ludingtons of Fredericksburg

Sybil Ludington was born on April 5, 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York, in what is now Putnam County. She was the oldest of twelve children. When the Revolution came, her father took the Patriot side and led the local militia. His men lived on farms spread across the hills.

The Story

The famous version of the story goes like this. Late on April 26, a rider reached the Ludington house with news that Danbury was burning. The colonel's men were scattered on their farms, so he turned to his daughter, who had just turned sixteen, and told her to ride for the men and tell them to be at his house by daybreak. She rode through the night, stopping at farm after farm. By morning nearly the whole regiment stood in front of her father's house, and it marched for Connecticut. Later tellings added that she rode about 40 miles and that about 400 men gathered.

What the Records Show

Historians have looked for this ride in the papers of 1777 and have not found it. No militia roll, letter, diary or newspaper from that year mentions it. When she asked for a pension in 1838, based on her husband's war service, the papers she signed say nothing about a ride. The earliest known mention is a letter her nephew wrote in 1854, 77 years after the raid. The story was first printed in 1880, in a history of New York City that gave no source. In 1907 a book about her father, paid for by her family, told the ride in full and compared it to Paul Revere's.

In 2015 the historian Paula D. Hunt studied every version of the story. She found no reliable evidence, facts or documents that prove something, that the ride happened. Details such as the 40 miles were added over time. Some members of the family say the 1854 letter shows that the story was told at home long before it was printed. The raid on Danbury happened, and Colonel Ludington's regiment marched. No one wrote down a ride by his daughter until long afterward.

After the War

Sybil Ludington married Edmond Ogden in 1784. He died young, and she ran an inn in Catskill, New York, to support their son. She died on February 26, 1839, in Unadilla, New York, at the age of 77. In 1961 a statue of her on horseback was set up in Carmel, New York. In 1975 the United States put her on a postage stamp for the country's 200th birthday.

On April 26, 1777, British soldiers marched into Danbury, Connecticut. The Continental Army kept food, tents and other supplies in the town, and the British set them on fire. Danbury burned into the night. Across the New York line, Colonel Henry Ludington commanded a regiment of militia, part-time soldiers who farmed at home until they were called out. The story that made his daughter famous begins on that night.

The Ludingtons of Fredericksburg

Sybil Ludington was born on April 5, 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York, in what is now Putnam County. She was the oldest of twelve children. When the Revolution came, her father took the Patriot side and led the local militia regiment. His men lived on farms spread across the hills near the Connecticut border, and calling them out meant riding from farm to farm.

The Story

The famous version of the story goes like this. Late on April 26, a rider reached the Ludington house with news that Danbury was burning. The colonel's men were scattered on their farms, so he turned to his daughter, who had turned sixteen a few weeks earlier, and told her to take a horse, ride for the men and tell them to be at his house by daybreak. She rode through the dark, stopping at farm after farm. By morning nearly the whole regiment stood in front of her father's house, and an hour or two later it marched for Connecticut. Later tellings added that she rode about 40 miles, twice as far as Paul Revere, and that about 400 men gathered.

What the Records Show

Historians have looked for this ride in the papers of 1777 and have not found it. No militia roll, letter, diary or newspaper from that year mentions it. When Sybil Ludington Ogden applied for a pension in 1838, based on her husband's war service, the papers she signed say nothing about a ride. The earliest known mention is a letter written in 1854 by her nephew, Charles H. Ludington, 77 years after the raid. The story first appeared in print in 1880, in Martha Lamb's history of New York City, which gave no source. In 1907 a memoir of Colonel Henry Ludington, a book about his life, was printed by his grandchildren. It gave the ride two of its 300 pages, told it in full for the first time and compared it with Paul Revere's. That book spells her name "Sibyl." Her gravestone spells it "Sibbell."

In 2015 the historian Paula D. Hunt studied every version of the story and found no reliable evidence, facts or documents that prove something, that the ride happened. Details such as the 40 miles were added over time. Some members of the family point to the 1854 letter as proof that the story was told at home long before it was printed. Historians agree on this much: the raid on Danbury happened, Colonel Ludington's regiment marched, and no one wrote down a ride by his daughter until long afterward.

After the War

Sybil Ludington married Edmond Ogden in 1784. He died young, and she ran an inn in Catskill, New York, to support their son. She died on February 26, 1839, in Unadilla, New York, at the age of 77. In 1961 a statue of her on horseback was set up in Carmel, New York, and in 1975 the United States put her on a postage stamp for the country's 200th birthday.

On April 26, 1777, more than 1,800 British soldiers under William Tryon, the royal governor of New York, marched into Danbury, Connecticut. They had landed at Compo Beach on Long Island Sound the day before. The Continental Army kept food, tents and other supplies in Danbury, and the British set them on fire. Militia from Connecticut and New York gathered as the town burned, and on April 27 they fought the British column at Ridgefield as it returned to the coast. Across the New York line, Colonel Henry Ludington commanded a regiment of militia, part-time soldiers who farmed at home until they were called out. The story that made his daughter famous begins on the night Danbury burned.

The Ludingtons of Fredericksburg

Sybil Ludington was born on April 5, 1761, in Fredericksburg, New York, in what is now Putnam County. She was the oldest of twelve children. When the Revolution came, her father took the Patriot side and led the local militia regiment. His men lived on farms spread across the hills near the Connecticut border, and calling them out meant riding from farm to farm.

The Story

The best-known version of the story comes from a 1907 memoir of Colonel Ludington. Late on April 26, it says, a rider reached the Ludington house with news that Danbury was burning. The colonel's men were scattered on their farms, so he "turned to his daughter Sibyl, who, a few days before, had passed her sixteenth birthday, and bade her to take a horse, ride for the men, and tell them to be at his house by daybreak." She rode through the dark, the book says, "guiding her steed with only a hempen halter," and by daybreak "nearly the whole regiment was mustered before her father's house." Later tellings added that she rode about 40 miles, twice as far as Paul Revere, and that about 400 men gathered.

What the Records Show

Historians have looked for this ride in the papers of 1777 and have not found it. No militia roll, letter, diary or newspaper from that year mentions it. When Sybil Ludington Ogden applied for a pension in 1838, based on her husband's war service, the papers she signed say nothing about a ride. The application was denied because she could not produce a marriage certificate. The earliest known mention is a letter written in 1854 by her nephew, Charles H. Ludington, who asked that she be honored at a ceremony for Revolutionary heroes. He wrote that she had ridden "on horseback in the dead of night" through "a Country infested with Cowboys and Skinners" to carry news to General Israel Putnam. That letter came 77 years after the raid and describes a different errand from the one in the famous story.

The story first appeared in print in 1880, in Martha Lamb's history of New York City, which gave no source. In 1907 the memoir of Colonel Henry Ludington was printed by his grandchildren. It gave the ride two of its 300 pages and compared it with Paul Revere's. Its author, Willis Fletcher Johnson, wrote in the same passage that "imagination only can picture" how dangerous the roads were that night. That book spells her name "Sibyl." Records from her lifetime spell it Cybal, Sebil and Sybille, and her gravestone reads "Sibbell."

In 2015 the historian Paula D. Hunt published a study of the story in the New England Quarterly. She traced each version and found no reliable evidence, facts or documents that prove something, that the ride happened. Details such as the 40 miles were added over time. A local writer, Vincent Dacquino, defends the story and points to the 1854 letter and to an 1894 letter from Sybil's niece, who said she had heard the story from Sybil's mother. Historians agree on this much: the raid on Danbury happened, Colonel Ludington's regiment marched, and no one wrote down a ride by his daughter until long afterward.

After the War

Sybil Ludington married Edmond Ogden in 1784. He died young of yellow fever, and she ran an inn in Catskill, New York, to support their son, Henry. She died on February 26, 1839, in Unadilla, New York, at the age of 77. In 1961 a statue of her on horseback by the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington was dedicated in Carmel, New York. On March 25, 1975, the United States issued a postage stamp with her picture in a series called "Contributors to the Cause" for the country's 200th birthday.