In the midst of a bloody war, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington will risk everything for the country she loves.
Learning Objective: to summarize the events of a play in the form of a newspaper article
Prologue
H1: The year is 1777. It’s a dangerous and violent time: America is at war with Great Britain.
H2: The American colonists fighting for independence are called Patriots.
H1: The colonists who remain loyal to Britain’s King George III are called Loyalists.
H2: Our story begins with 16-year-old Sybil Ludington, the eldest daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, a much-respected commander of a Patriot militia.
Scene 1
March 1777, Hudson Highlands, New York
SD1: On a damp, moonless night, a mysterious traveler in a dark cloak knocks on the Ludingtons’ door.
SD2: Sybil cracks the door open. Her mother and 11 siblings stand behind her, tense with fear.
Sybil: Yes, what is it?
SD1: The man speaks in a hoarse whisper. Thick locks of hair obscure his eyes.
Crosby: Have you lodgings for the night?
Sybil: We do. Who are you, sir?
Crosby: Have you any guests here tonight?
Sybil: No. But know this: We are well armed in this house.
Crosby: And the colonel? Is he here?
Sybil: What do you know of my father?
Crosby: I know he swore an oath to the Crown, yet he commands the local militia against King George.
Sybil: I demand to know who you are at once.
SD2: The man throws aside his cloak, brushes the hair away from his eyes, and grins.
Sybil: Mr. Crosby!
SD1: Sybil flings open the door.
Sybil: Why did you not announce yourself?
Crosby: I did not recognize the horse out front. I didn’t know who might be here.
Sybil: That’s my new horse, Star. I’ve been patrolling our land.
Crosby: Of course you have, brave Miss Sybil. I suspect not even an army of Redcoats could frighten you.
Sybil: One cannot be brave if one is fearless, Mr. Crosby.
Mary: Are you really a spy?
Crosby: I couldn’t say so if I were, now could I, Miss Mary? But whatever you’ve heard, you mustn’t repeat it. Make no mistake, we are at war. The threats are real.
Sybil: That’s why we need every capable person to join in this fight. Tell me, Mr. Crosby, do you think it fair that women cannot join the militia?
Abigail: Sybil, leave poor Mr.Crosby alone.
Sybil: Oh, Mother! You know I am as capable as any boy.
Crosby: No one doubts that, Miss Sybil. The colonel tells me of your skill with a musket. But listen, I have urgent news: The British are offering a reward for your father’s capture. You must warn him.
Jim McMahon/Mapman®
The 13 Colonies
During the American Revolution, Great Britain controlled 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. These colonies became the first 13 American states.
Scene 2
Late at night, April 6
SD2: Sybil, musket in hand, is standing guard in front of her house. Rebecca runs up.
Rebecca: Men on horseback are coming! One of them is that rat Mr. Prosser.
Sybil: Loyalist scoundrel! He must be after the reward for Father. If they find out Father isn’t here, they will be bolder. They will loot the house—maybe even set it on fire.
SD1: Sybil goes inside and wakes up her siblings.
Sybil: Everyone! Light candles and walk back and forth in front of the windows. We must make it look like this house is full of men.
SD2: Prosser’s men approach and take positions behind the trees. They see figures pacing behind the windows.
Prosser: The colonel is well guarded tonight.
Henchman 1: It looks like there’s half a regiment in there.
Henchman 2: Too many to fight.
Prosser: Hold your positions. We’ll attack when they leave.
SD1: Hours pass and still the “men” pace.
Prosser (frustrated): Let’s move out. We will return another night.
Allan Davey
Roots of the Revolution
For many years, the British government largely left its North American colonies to run themselves. Things began to change after the costly French and Indian War ended in 1763. Britain tightened its control of the colonies, forcing them to help pay Britain’s debts. After Britain imposed a series of extremely unpopular laws and taxes (fees) on the colonies, tensions grew. Protests broke out, including the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773, in which a group of Bostonians protested a tax on tea by dumping more than 92,000 pounds of it into Boston Harbor.
Inset: George III, king of Britain and Ireland from 1760-1820
Scene 3
Evening, April 26
SD2: The family is preparing for bed when there’s a pounding on the door. Sybil’s father answers.
Messenger (sweating, out of breath): Colonel Ludington! Danbury is under siege. You must call up the militia.
Colonel: But my men are scattered over many miles. It will take all night to alert them!
SD1: The messenger collapses on a bench, exhausted.
Messenger: General Wooster says to march to Danbury at once. We have vital supplies there that must be protected: food, clothing, tents—plus muskets and gunpowder.
Colonel: Ride on and tell my men to muster here. I will organize them as they arrive.
Messenger: I can go no farther, sir. I’ve ridden 20 miles, and I am utterly spent.
Sybil: I will go, Father.
Messenger: You? You’re just a girl.
Sybil: I know these roads like no one else.
Messenger: Then you know that while the Highlands are Patriot territory, the woods are thick with Loyalist bandits.
Abigail: And don’t forget Mr. Prosser.
Sybil: Father, you know I can do it.
Colonel: Take a long stick. Bang on each house as you ride past. Do not stop.
SD2: Sybil saddles up Star and hoists herself onto the horse’s back. The sky glows orange from the fire in Danbury.
Sybil: Hiya!
SD1: Sybil rides off.
Messenger: You have sent her to her doom.
Colonel: You do not know my Sybil.
Scene 4
Later that night in the Highlands
SD2: The wind howls as Sybil races along the road.
SD1: She arrives at a house and bangs on the shutters.
Sybil: The British are attacking Danbury! To arms!
SD2: Mr. Hopkins, dressed in his pajamas, opens the house’s front door.
Mr. Hopkins: We cannot let Danbury fall!
Sybil: Tell your neighbors: Muster at Ludington’s.
SD1: Drops of rain begin to fall. Sybil rides on to Carmel.
Mr. Scribner: Who goes there? Friend or foe?
Sybil: Sybil Ludington, sir.
Scribner: What news?
Sybil: The British are sacking Danbury! Muster at Ludington’s!
Scribner: I shall spread the word!
SD2: The storm worsens, and Sybil’s clothes are soon soaked through.
SD1: She speeds through Mahopac.
SD2: Fatigue sets in. Her legs ache, and her neck stiffens.
SD1: She leans out to bang on the shutters of a cottage and slips, falling into the mud.
SD2: She clutches her ankle in agony as a woman appears in the doorway.
Mrs. Shaw: Why, Miss Sybil, what are you doing here?
Sybil: Calling up the militia.
Shaw (helping Sybil up): A little thing like you shouldn’t be out riding in the middle of the night.
Sybil: People are depending on me.
Shaw: Let the menfolk worry about the fighting. Come warm yourself in front of the hearth, dear.
Sybil: If the Redcoats sack Danbury, they will press on. They will burn our homes. They will capture and kill my father. Our dream of freedom will be as dead as ash.
SD1: Sybil breaks away and hobbles back to her horse.
Sybil: I must continue on. Lives hang in the balance.
SD2: Sybil rides off, her voice echoing in the night.
Sybil: To arms! To arms!
Allan Davey; Declaration of Independence Illustration by Randy Pollak
The War for Independence
By the spring of 1775, anger at the British government had exploded into war. As the fighting raged on, more and more colonists became convinced they would be better off breaking away from Britain and forming a new nation. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. But it wasn’t until 1783 that a peace treaty was signed and Britain acknowledged America’s independence.
Scene 5
Near dawn, April 27
SD1: Sybil and Star continue down the road.
SD2: Suddenly, Sybil sees shadowy figures in the distance.
Sybil: Whoa, boy.
SD1: A group of Loyalist bandits step out in front of her. They surround her, grabbing Star’s reins.
Sybil: Get back, you thieves! How dare you!
Loyalist Bandit 1: Now, now, miss. Just give us your purse.
Loyalist Bandit 2: And your horse.
Sybil: I’d die before I’d see a Loyalist on my horse.
Loyalist Bandit 1: That can be arranged.
SD2: Sybil feels herself being pulled down. Star rears up on his hind legs, kicking. Sybil hits the ground—hard.
Sybil (staring up): So you’ve joined the bandits now, Mr. Prosser? You have truly lost all honor.
Prosser: Silence, traitor!
Sybil (standing): If you think you will get away with this, you are gravely mistaken.
SD1: Sybil jabs wildly at the bandits with her stick. They step back, surprised, giving her just enough time to get up on Star.
Sybil (as she races off): You shall pay for your actions!
Scene 6
A little later that morning
SD2: Sybil, slumped forward in Star’s saddle, emerges from the trees to see her home bathed in morning light.
SD1: In front of her house stand some 400 men: the militia.
SD2: The colonel is calling out directions. Sybil’s mother and sisters are carrying food, and Sybil’s little brothers are hauling water.
SD1: One of the men sees Sybil.
Hopkins: Sybil Ludington the Brave! You have done it!
Scribner: Because of you, the Highlands will be defended this day!
All: Cheers for Sybil the Brave! Cheers for Sybil! Hooray!
SD2: The men clap and cheer.
Colonel (beaming): I knew you could do it, Sybil.
Allan Davey
Women in Wartime
Even though women were not allowed to enlist, they were a major part of the war effort. Women cooked for the army, ran into battle carrying water to soldiers, sewed military clothes, and fed and cared for the wounded. Women also helped make gunpowder and cannonballs. There were even women who disguised themselves as men to be able to fight. Women who stayed behind often had to defend their homes while their fathers, husbands, and sons were away fighting.
Scene 7
May 1777
SD1: Sybil is mending a saddle when Mary rushes over.
Mary: Come quick! Continental soldiers are marching up the road!
SD2: Sybil follows Mary out to see General George Washington and an army of men standing solemnly.
Colonel: General Washington would like a word.
SD1: Sybil curtsies. The general extends his hand.
Washington: I want to shake the hand of the person who mustered our troops to defend Danbury.
Sybil: Thank you, sir. But I understand we were too late, and Danbury was destroyed.
Washington: We may not have saved our supplies, but the British paid a heavy toll for coming near the Highlands. I’d wager they won’t attempt such an incursion again.
SD2: Sybil smiles.
Washington: Forty miles in the dead of night! It was a feat worthy of my best men.
Sybil: I am honored to have served our cause. And I hope I have shown you that it is not only the best men who can fight for freedom.
Allan Davey
The Legend of Sybil Ludington
Though Americans have long celebrated Sybil Ludington’s heroism, many modern historians question whether Sybil actually made her famous ride. She was certainly a real person; records show she was indeed the daughter of Henry Ludington, a New York militia officer.
But no records of her ride have been found from her lifetime. The earliest account appeared in a history book published more than a century later. Its author said she got her information from the Ludington family.
Still, there’s no proof that Sybil didn’t make her legendary ride—and there likely never will be. What is certain is that generations of Americans have been inspired by the story of the brave young woman who gave her all for her nation. Over the years, Sybil has come to represent the strength and courage of the average American in hard times as well as a symbol for American women fighting for equality.
Sybil’s story captures our imagination because it is thrilling and heroic. And whether or not it really happened, it reflects the important ways that everyday people helped in the founding of our nation.
Writing Prompt
It’s May 1777, and you are a reporter for The Patriot Gazette. Write an article about what Sybil Ludington did, the outcome, and what was special about her actions.
This play was originally published in the March 2024 issue.
Essential Questions: What does it mean to be underestimated? What makes someone courageous? What does it take to change long-held ideas?
1. PREPARE TO READ (25 MINUTES)
Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)
Watch a Video (15 minutes)
2. READ AND DISCUSS (55 MINUTES)
Invite a volunteer to read aloud the As You Read box on page 22 or at the top of the digital story page.
Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class.
Close-Reading Questions (25 minutes)
In the prologue, 1777 is described as “a dangerous and violent time.” How is this statement supported in Scene 1? (author’s craft) This statement is supported by the mood of Scene 1, which is tense and fearful. A mysterious traveler appears on a “damp, moonless night,” creating an ominous feeling. When Sybil hears a knock, her need for caution is apparent from the way she “cracks” the door open. Her family is “tense with fear.” Crosby is slow to reveal his identity, and when he does, he reminds the family that the dangers of the war are real. The characters’ behavior shows that they are living in “a dangerous and violent” time.
In Scene 1, Sybil says, “One cannot be brave if one is fearless, Mr. Crosby.” What does she mean? (interpreting text) Mr. Crosby implied that Sybil was brave because she wasn’t afraid of anything. Sybil is making the point that bravery means overcoming fear, not being fearless. She’s letting Crosby know that she is afraid, but that it won’t stop her from protecting her family.
Why does the Colonel agree to let Sybil raise the militia? (character) He seems to agree for two reasons. First, the militia must be raised, and there isn’t anyone else who can do it. Second, he has faith in Sybil. When the messenger says, “You have sent her to her doom,” the Colonel responds, “You do not know my Sybil,” implying that he is confident in her abilities.
Which events in the play show that Sybil is both mentally and physically tough? (character) Sybil shows her mental toughness in Scene 2, when Prosser shows up; she’s in danger but quickly thinks of a plan to keep her family safe. In Scene 4, she shows physical toughness when she keeps going even after hurting her ankle. And in Scene 5, her courage helps her escape from the bandits.
As a class, discuss the following questions.
Critical-Thinking Questions (5 minutes)
What can be learned from the story of Sybil Ludington? Sybil’s story highlights the importance of not judging or underestimating someone based on their gender or age. When Sybil wanted to help protect her country, Sybil was met with resistance because she was a teenage girl. Ultimately, she proved to those who doubted her that she was just as capable as any boy, as she stated to her mother in Scene 1. Students may also say that Sybil’s story highlights the importance of courage, bravery, and standing up for what you believe in.
3. WRITE ABOUT IT: SUMMARIZING (45 MINUTES)
It’s May 1777, and you are a reporter for The Patriot Gazette. Write an article about what Sybil Ludington did, the outcome, and what was special about her actions.
CONNECTED READING
