6. Not Much Rhymes With “Ludington”
Sybil Ludington volunteered (or was ordered by her father – accounts differ) to deliver the order for an immediate militia muster, and to rouse the countryside. In either case, the sixteen-year-old girl rode her horse, Star, throughout a rainy night on a forty-mile careen around the region. She traveled over unfamiliar roads, prodding the horse with a stick that she also used to knock on doors. The stick also came in handy to defend herself when a robber tried to waylay her in the dark.
By the time Sybil returned home, exhausted and soaked to the bone, most of the region’s 400 militia were ready to march to Danbury. They beat governor Tryon and his men, forcing the British to retreat. Sybil was praised by her neighbors, and even by George Washington. Unfortunately for her, no great poet took an interest in her exploits – or perhaps none could find anything good to rhyme with “Ludington”. Whatever the case, Sybil never garnered as much attention as Paul Revere, and her heroics were largely forgotten.
