A story of a Revelutionary War hero, Sybil Ludington (The Girl who Outrode Paul Revere)

        A community can be a group of people big or small, a million miles apart or just next-door, but all having some aspects in common. These communities can be drastically altered by an event that changes or threatens the function of these communities.  In the American Revolutionary War the American settlers were trying to gain their independence from Britain, which affected the community of the American colonists. On April 26, 1777 when the British army marched into Danbury, Connecticut and started to burn the city, the people that lived in Danbury and the Hudson Valley were in danger of being destroyed (Danbury Historic Society).  One of the members in the community was Sybil Ludington, who stood up to save her community from being destroyed.  The community of American Patriots, and Sybil Ludington’s bravery directly aided in saving the Hudson Valley and Danbury from the British in 1777. Still to this day, one can learn from this community’s patriotism.

            The residents that lived in the southeastern part of the Hudson Valley, New York, into Danbury, Connecticut felt strongly about their country and community breaking free from the British rule. The Southeastern Hudson Valley, especially the counties of Dutchess, Putnam and the Danbury area in the seventeen hundreds was an area of small towns that were interconnected by trade and easily accessible to each other.  The interconnections of the towns meant that the townspeople in the community knew and relied on each other. The article “Sybil Ludington” by the Patterson historic society, describes the Hudson Valley area as a home to the Seventh Dutchess County Militia. This militia had four hundred volunteers and was under the instruction of Col. Henry Ludington. The volunteers were scattered throughout the Hudson valley (Historic Society of Patterson). The militia demonstrated the values of the community, since many of its residents were volunteers.

This area was a key part in the American Revolution. In the book Glory, Passion and Principle by historian Melissa Bohrer points out that the southeastern Hudson valley was the “most direct route between Connecticut and the long Island Sound” (Bohrer6).  This demonstrates that this area was crucial for the Continental Army. “It was the most dangerous to defend: sandwiched on both sides of deep woods” (Bohrer6). The topography was very rural, rugged, densely covered with trees, and very difficult to navigate. The article “American Revolution in Danbury” by the Danbury Museum and Historical Society explains to readers that the many goods needed by the continental army were stored in Danbury. “There were about 3000 barrels of pork, more than 1000 barrels of flour, several hundred barrels of beef, 1600 tent, 2000 bushels of grain, besides many other valuable articles” (Danbury Museum and Historical Society). The surplus of goods made the community an asset for the Continental Army. The British army also had knowledge of the wealth of this community, and as a result this lead to the British’s attack on Danbury.

When the British army threatened the area, Sybil took lead to help her community to fight back. On April 26, 1777 the British forces of two-thousand men marched into Danbury to burn the town down and destroy the military stores. This was done as a way to prevent the Continental army from using the supplies (Danbury Museum and Historical Society).  Fear spread throughout the community. When a messenger rode to Col. Henry Ludington’s house in the Hudson Valley and told him the news that the British were invading Danbury, Col. Ludington’s oldest daughter Sybil volunteered herself to take the perilous journey to warn the community. Sybil, who was only sixteen, went out on horseback to round her father’s men who were scattered in the southeastern Hudson Valley, to save Danbury. Sybil rode on her horse for forty miles around the area sounding the alarm (Historic Paterson, New York). According to Sybil Ludington a Call to Arms by V.T Dacquino, a local historian, “Key people in each village heard her banging on their shutters and, in turn, alerted the local contingent while she rode on to compete her mission” (Dacquino 30). Dacquino explains that she rode on rough terrain at night in the pouring rain and at one point in her journey she needed to hide from British loyalists who were crossing her path (Dacquino 30).  One can see that the community had to work together to sound the alarm and to gather together the Seventh Dutchess County Militia to meet at Col. Henry Ludington’s headquarters.

The British tried hard, but the Community of American Patriots in the Hudson Valley and Danbury would not let anyone destroy their community and their dream. After Sybil Ludington completed her mission, the Seventh Dutchess County Militia gathered and marched into Danbury. Dacquino described them as, “A motley company, some without arms, some half-dressed, but all filled with a certain berserk rage. They were short of ammunition and outnumber three to one” (Dacquino 30). Even though this community was unequipped they fought with a will that came from within.  According to Dacquino, they fought the British by firing behind trees, fences, and stone walls from all angles. The Continental troops of Bethel, Connecticut, and Peekskill, New York, who had been alerted of the burning of Danbury by other dispatchers from the Continental Army, together with the Col. Ludington’s troops forced the British to retreat and abandoning their plains of invading Dutchess, and Putnam County (Dacquino 32). With the help of Sybil Ludington and troops from Bethel and Peekskill the Seventh Dutchess County Militia was able to keep the British from destroying Danbury.

Sybil Ludington’s passion for her community can teach people how just one person’s actions can make a difference in a community.  Sybil was raised in this community seeing her father fight in what he believed in; the right to have a free country. With the attitude of believing in the need to be free constantly around her, she felt that it was her duty to protect what her community believed in. What Sybil Ludington did was dangerous, but in the end she knew that she could not let the British destroy her community and her community’s dream of freedom. Sybil was only a sixteen year old girl, but her age did not stop her from saving her community. Anyone can do this, stand up for what they and their community believe in. One does not need to go so far as to risk their lives, like Sybil Ludington did; all they need is to be advocates for their community and stand up to obstacles that will challenge or threaten what their community believes in.

Together as one, the bravery of the American Patriots, like Sybil Ludington, were able to overcome the forces of the British. This community acted together to shape and secure their future so they could evolve into the community that it is today. Community brings people together in hard times and in good times; people of a community will be there for each other in times of need. When ones passion comes from within one will do anything to be certain that their community will survive. Community does not shape the dreams of its people; it is the dreams of its people that shape the community.