COURAGEOUS
WOMEN…HOW WE LOVE THEM SO…
I know those of us authors
who write about strong, courageous women in our stories feel a close kinship
with those characters. I know I do. In my current WIP Pocketful of Stars my lead female character is struggling to keep
ownership of her ranch, but has had a wagonload of lemons dumped on her and
ain’t got enough sugar to make lemonade.
With all the technology we
have today it’s fun to go explore the tough living conditions women had to face
back then. I guess that’s why I write stories of Women of the West, they had
such grit and determination and a will to survive and take all those lemons
dumped on them and make lemonade. We as authors salute them today through our
stories.
But let’s explore another
unsung heroine today.
We all remember that famous
ride that would warn the colonies that the British were coming.
The Colonel needed someone
he could trust, someone brave enough, someone who could ride a long distance
through the darkness, from 9 p.m to dawn, someone who could fight off enemy
combatants and alert the Colonial militia to the approach of British forces.
So, the Colonel chose the
"best man for the job."
He chose Sybil Ludington,
his 16-year-old daughter.
Sybil Ludington was born
on, April 5, 1761.
This month, on April 26,
1777, her father asked his young daughter to take the dangerous ride.
On the night of April 18,
1775, Revere made his famous ride and history remembers him well, because of
the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who would tell the tale, saying:
"Listen my children
and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere . . ."
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere . . ."
But, many people do not
know about the four other riders, who warned their communities of the approach
and movement of the British forces.
The five heroes (including
Paul Revere) were Samuel Prescott, Israel Bissell, William Dawes, and, the one
who I am dedicating this post to, Sybil Ludington, who at that time was only 16
years old.
On the night of April 26,
1777, Colonel Henry Ludington chose his daughter to take that famous ride in
history.
Sybil 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), riding through Kent to Farmers Mills and then returning
back home again.
During her famous ride, she
gathered her father's troops, knocked on doors and warned the countryside of
the British troops’ incoming attack - and, she fought off a highwayman with a
long 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 would later be
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 on the shore of Lake Gleneida, Carmel,
New York.
So, when you hear the tale
of Paul Revere this month, remember about the other riders, one of which was
the courageous Sybil Ludington.
Until we meet again…Happy
Trails!
amazon.com/author/juliettedouglas
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