I felt compelled to mention Sibyl again because she deserves it.
Does her name sound familiar? Probably not, historians weren't all that good at giving credit to women back then. Now a person we have heard of is Paul Revere and his famous ride to warn people the British were coming. He got a famous poem written about him by Longfellow.
The thing is, they used four riders that night and Sibyl was the only female. Her father was a Colonel, and he believed his daughter could ride a horse as good as or even better than, any of the young men he had reporting to him. Sybil was just 16 years old at the time.
She set out at 9 p.m. that night in the rain to warn the colonists at Danbury, Connecticut of the approach of the British. She would make a journey double to that of Revere (totaling 40 miles). During her heroic and patriotic ride, she gathered her father's troops, knocked on doors and warned the countryside of the British troops’ incoming attack. At one point a stranger attempted to apprehend her, and she literally beat him off with a stick. By dawn, she was exhausted, damp from the rain, but had accomplished her mission warning the colonists and bringing together 400 soldiers ready to march and drive the enemy troops from the area.
She was later commended by George Washington for her heroism. Each April since 1979, the Sybil Ludington 50-kilometer footrace has been held in Carmel, New York. The course of this hilly road race approximates Sybil's historic ride and finishes near the statue which was erected in her honor.
Her legacy continues and so does the bravery of women.
Does her name sound familiar? Probably not, historians weren't all that good at giving credit to women back then. Now a person we have heard of is Paul Revere and his famous ride to warn people the British were coming. He got a famous poem written about him by Longfellow.
The thing is, they used four riders that night and Sibyl was the only female. Her father was a Colonel, and he believed his daughter could ride a horse as good as or even better than, any of the young men he had reporting to him. Sybil was just 16 years old at the time.
She set out at 9 p.m. that night in the rain to warn the colonists at Danbury, Connecticut of the approach of the British. She would make a journey double to that of Revere (totaling 40 miles). During her heroic and patriotic ride, she gathered her father's troops, knocked on doors and warned the countryside of the British troops’ incoming attack. At one point a stranger attempted to apprehend her, and she literally beat him off with a stick. By dawn, she was exhausted, damp from the rain, but had accomplished her mission warning the colonists and bringing together 400 soldiers ready to march and drive the enemy troops from the area.
She was later commended by George Washington for her heroism. Each April since 1979, the Sybil Ludington 50-kilometer footrace has been held in Carmel, New York. The course of this hilly road race approximates Sybil's historic ride and finishes near the statue which was erected in her honor.
Her legacy continues and so does the bravery of women.
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