You know, history is filled with stories about everyday people who suddenly find themselves doing remarkable things. Paul Revere was just a forty year old silversmith in Boston when he wrote across the countryside to warn local militia in Massachusetts about the arrival of British troops in seventeen seventy five. But there's a lesser known story about a similar ride warning Connecticut militia in seventeen seventy seven. However, this individual was a sixteen year old girl. I'm Patti Steele the
Midnight Ride of Sybil Luddington. Next on the backstory, We're back with the backstory. This episode, by the way, inspired by backstory fan James Davy of Verona, New Jersey. Thank you, James. So. Paul Revere was a forty year old silversmith in the lead up to the Revolutionary War. A devoted member of the Sons of Liberty, he organized an intelligence and alarm system up an eye on British troops. In seventeen seventy five,
the drive toward independence was getting really hot. The Sons of Liberty found out that the British had plans to crack down on anybody supporting the revolutionary cause. They kept an eye on British troop movements, but there was no way to warn any militia members across Massachusetts other than in person, so they set up a plan. Late on the night of April eighteenth, seventeen seventy five, they put
everything into motion. The sexton at Boston's Old North Church had been told to put one lantern in the steeple if the British were attacking by land, too if they were arriving on water. In this case, the British were trying to quietly slip in via the Charles River. While the two lanterns were only hung for about a minute, they did the trick. Paul Revere then set out with several others on the ride that readied the Continental troops,
telling forty more riders along the way to spread the word. Ultimately, because they were ready, the Colonists beat the British at Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolution. It
was a shock to the arrogant British military commanders. So Paul Revere went on to fame and fortune as a silversmith, a military leader, and an industrialist, and of course his ride was forever remembered in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Paul Revere's Ride, also known as the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. But there was another ride during the Revolution a couple
of years later in Connecticut. Though pretty much undocumented historically except in family writings, it's the story of sixteen year old Sybil Luttington, and it was given enough credence that there were statues, historical plaques, and commemorative postage stamps created in her honor. The story wasn't printed until one hundred and forty years after the fact by the Luddington family as they published the Memoirs of Sybil's father. It's April
twenty sixth, seventeen seventy seven. The British had attacked Danbury, Connecticut, and they began to burn the city, where the Continental Army had a supply depot. Sibyll's family lived nearby in Fredericksburg, New York, but her father, Colonel Henry Luddington, was forty miles away commanding four hundred militiamen. Once again, the only way to warn the troops was in person. The story
goes that Sybil made an all night horseback ride. She traveled twice as far as Paul Revere did, forty miles on dirt roads in the pouring rain, facing attacks by outlaws and capture by the British. Her ride through Putnam County, New York was to rally militia forces in neighboring towns after the burning of Danbury, Connecticut by the British. The alerted troops from New York and Connecticut were ready for the British the next day and took them on in
the Battle of Ridgefield. The British were forced to retreat. But here's the question, did it really happen? History is filled with undocumented story, largely because there weren't many ways to document events for most of history. Right well as far as Sibyl's ride goes, there are arguments on both sides.
Sybil herself never wrote about it, but she was known as a modest, hard working woman who lost her husband early in life and worked very hard as an innkeeper in Catskill, New York to raise her son as a single mother. Her son went on to become a prominent lawyer and a New York State assemblyman. The first mention of her heroic ride didn't come until eighteen fifty four.
It was from her nephew, Charles, who wanted his aunt to be recognized as a hero for her Now, as I mentioned later, in nineteen oh seven, there was a brief ride up of her ride that was published by descendants as part of Sibyl's father's memoirs, And there's even word from other sources that she was congratulated for her heroism by General George Washington and by Alexander Hamilton. Now, those that dispute her story base it on a lack
of heard eva evidence. They say it never became a story until decades after her death in eighteen thirty nine. But here's the thing, a lot of similar stories about the Revolution didn't really take off until the eighteen seventies, when the United States was celebrating its centennial. Even Paul Revere's ride got no traction until the release of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, written in eighteen sixty and heavily publicized
in the mid eighteen seventies. In fact, when Paul Revere died in eighteen eighteen, there was no mention of his midnight ride in his obituaries. The other argument about whether Sybyl's ride took place comes from historians who say, along with no hard proof, they also think the story, the monuments, the plaques, and postage stamps commemorating her all arrived simply thanks to New York and Connecticut pr types anxious to
encourage tourism. Her story really took off around World War II, when New York State placed those histories road markers in spots where they believe she likely visited on her ride. Sybil's myth grew, More statues were built in her honor, books were written about her, and of course, there was the United States Bicentennial postage stamp, which was released March twenty fifth, nineteen seventy five. It shows Sybil galloping on her horse, shouting to militia on a rainy night, with
fires burning in the background. It was part of Contributors to the Cause, a set of four stamps from the Postal Service recognizing unsung heroes. Did she do what some say she did or was she a perfect subject for a twenty century pr person working to beef up tourism? Well, the bottom line is we all want to believe in possibilities. The thought of a sixteen year old girl risking her
life to deliver an existential message inspires us. And when you study the Founding fathers, you discover they weren't all that much older than Sybil herself. James Monroe and the Marquis de Lafayette were just eighteen in seventeen seventy six. Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were twenty and twenty one, James Madison just twenty five, Thomas Jefferson was only thirty two. All making folks in their early forties like John Adams,
George Washington, and Paul Revere looked positively ancient. And then there was a guy who was everybody thought pretty ancient, Ben Franklin. He was seventy years old that year. Sybil Luddington's story tells us about courage, and what all these people teach us is that having the guts to stand up for what you believe in isn't about age or even gender. It's about passion and determination. Again, I want to thank our backstory listener, James Davy of Verona, New Jersey,
for suggesting this story. I hope you like the backstory with Patty Steele. I would love it if you would say. Subscribe or follow for free to get new episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to DM me like James did if you have a story you would like me to cover. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer
is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know.