Some Women of the American Revolution
Sybil Ludington
Sybil Ludington has been celebrated as the female Paul Revere because
of her ride through Putnam and Dutchess Counties to warn the militia
that British troops
were burning Danbury, Connecticut.
Col. Henry Ludington was in charge of the local militia in the Kent/Patterson area. A messenger was dispatched from Danbury to Col. Ludington with the
news of an attack, and he reached the Ludington home at
approximately 9 PM. Col. Ludington began to organize the militia, but
the men were scattered throughout the area in their homes.
The messenger was exhausted and not
familiar with the area so, 16 year old Sybil Ludington left to sound the alarm.
Sybil left for her now-famous ride into the
rainy night, traveling 40 miles from her home before
returning home near dawn the next day. Sybil not
only had to avoid British soldiers in the area, but also British
loyalists.
Lydia Darragh
When the Darragh house was taken over by the top British officers Lydia would listen in on the meetings and then warn the American soldiers of what she found out.
She gathered enough information to save Washington's troops from a terrible defeat; which caused her to be interrogated by the British.
Nancy Hart
The Tories (British) forced themselves into her home demanding to be fed the turkey they shot from her yard. They also found some homemade whiskey in her pantry and were drinking it and bragging about killing Nancy's neighbor, Colonel John Dooley.
She grabbed her "Brown Bess" musket and threatened to shoot any of them who moved. Not believing the threat, one Tory lunged at her only to be shot and wounded. Another Tory rushed for his weapon but, she shot and killed him. Nancy and her daughter then held the surviving captives until her husband arrived with others of the militia.
They suggested shooting them all because they killed Colonel John Dooley, but Nancy disagreed. She said "No, a thousand times, no!" Then yelled; "...Shooting is too good for them!" The captive Tories were hanged while Nancy sang Yankee Doodle.
Later in the war Nancy learned that the Patriots needed information about what was happening in Augusta. She built a raft by tying logs together with grapevine and forded the Savannah River dressed as a crazy man. She wandered through enemy camp gathering the information needed to retake Augusta.
Margaret
Corbin
On November 16, 1776 Margaret
Corbin and her husband were
defending Fort Washington in northern Manhattan from 4,000 attacking Hessian
troops (under British command) with just 600 American other soldiers. After her husband was killed, Margaret took over firing his
cannon until she was seriously wounded.
During an assault by the Hessians, John was
killed, leaving his cannon unmanned. Margaret had been with her husband on the
battlefield the entire time, and, after witnessing his death, she immediately
took his place at the cannon. She fired away until her arm, chest, and jaw were
hit by enemy fire.
On July 6, 1779 Congress’s Board of War impressed with her service and bravery,
granted her half the monthly pay of a soldier in the Continental Army. With this act, Congress made Margaret
the first woman in the United States to receive a pension from Congress. After
Congress’s decision, Margaret was included on military rolls until the end of
the war.
