Everyone knows the name Paul Revere – the rider who warned the American militia of the British advance in April 1775 – but who has heard of Sybil Ludington? The ‘Girl Revere’ aged only sixteen, who rode more than three times as far?

Paul Revere set off in darkness on a 12 mile ride to alert the American militia that the British forces were approaching in 1775. Revere and his two comrades were captured after raising the alarm. His ‘Midnight Ride’ became legendary, and a permanent addition to the history syllabus around the world.

Less famous is Sybil Ludington, the sixteen year old daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, who prepared for battle and sent his daughter on a 40 mile ride through driving rain to alert the local militia at the town of Danbury – where munitions and supplies were stored – in April 1777. She used a stick to bang on the shutters of people’s homes, as she rode through town mustering the Colonel’s men.

There’s another story of her lighting candles around the family home and marching her siblings in front of the windows, to give the illusion that the house was well-guarded. These stories may be patriotic folk legends, but Sybil’s nephew certainly believed them in 1854 when he asked that his aunt be recognised at a ceremony for Revolutionary heroes, and the ride was recorded by historian Martha Lamb in 1880.

Heroine or not, Sybil Ludington died 26th February 1839 aged 77 in poverty, after she was denied a widow’s pension due to insufficient proof of marriage.

Images: Statue of Sybil Ludington by Anna Hyatt Huntington, via Wikimedia Commons. Sybil Ludington stamp, issued in 1975, via Wikimedia Commons.