Vincent T. Dacquino - Patriot Hero of the Hudson Valley: The Life and Ride of Sybil Ludington

Sybil road marker in Red Mills Park at intersection of 6N and Hill Street in Mahopac Falls, New York.

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Vincent T. Dacquino

All rights reserved

Cover images, front: courtesy Putnam County Historians Office; medal: Franklin Mint.
All images from the authors collection unless otherwise noted.

First published 2019

Originally Published as Sybil Ludington: The Call to Arms
Purple Mountain Press, 2000

e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.655.5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018963667

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.051.5

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To my mother, who taught me love
To June, Januarie, Vinny, Christian and Cadence for giving me all the love I need

Sybil Ludington was not only shaped by events in her time, she was also an actor who shaped the events. Some of the history of the Hudson Valley region can be traced in the story of this one individual. Vin Dacquino shows she was a strong woman, a single mother, an entrepreneur whose example of courage and whose accomplishments should be celebrated, in addition to the ride for which she is honored.

Ron Taylor, president, Patterson Historical Society

CONTENTS

On March 25, 1975, the Daughters of the American Revolution, in collaboration with the United States Postal Service, held a ceremony in Carmel, New York, to celebrate the first-day issue of a stamp that honored Sybil Ludington and proclaimed her a Contributor to the Cause. Nationwide, seventy-five thousand stamps were sold that day.

Note that on the dark night of April 26, 1777 16-year-old Sybil rode her horse Star alone through the New York countryside rallying her fathers militia to repel a raid by British on Danbury, Connecticut.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A research project cannot go forward without the cooperation and combined knowledge of many people. It is with heartfelt appreciation that I recognize and thank the following people for their contributions to this project:

J. Banks Smither, commissioning editor, The History Press, for his constant support.

Hilary Parrish, senior editor, The History Press.

Wray Rominger of Purple Mountain Press for believing in Sybil and me enough to publish Sybil Ludington: The Call to Arms.

David Hayden for his hard work, patience and editing skills with Sybil Ludington: The Call to Arms.

Andrew Campbell, former technical clerk of the Mahopac Public Library, for his continued hard work, strong support and assistance throughout the project.

Ron and Gwen Ludington and the members of the Ludington (Luddington) family for their support.

Kelly Turner and Samuel Abbot, direct descendants of Sybil Ludington, for their correspondence and cooperation.

Paula D. Hunt for her generous time and information in our telephone and e-mail conversations.

Amy Schapiro, technical support staff, Mahopac Library.

Janus Adams, renowned author, editor and advisor.

Staff of the New-York Historical Society for their assistance with the Ludington Family Papers, in particular Ted OReilly, head of the Manuscript Department.

Jane Ross Ludington and Charles Townsend Ludington Jr. for their amazing and generous donation of the Ludington Family Papers.

The members of the weekly writing group at the Mahopac Public Library for their support, comments and suggestions.

Karl Milde, proofreader, critic and supporter.

Mia Brecht, proofreader, critic and supporter.

Tom Jordan, Amy Carlin and the teachers and PTO of Fulmar Road Elementary School for their continued commitment to educating the children of Mahopac about Sybil and her journey.

Stacey Chryssikos and the Arts in Education PNW BOCES for co-sponsoring my lectures and bus tours.

Mariel Carter, adult services reference librarian, Stephenson Public Library, Marinette, Wisconsin.

Kevin White, member of Danburys Masons Union Lodge 40.

Putnam County historian Sarah Johnson (201418), deputy historian Sallie Sypher (1996present) and aide-to-historian Jennifer Cassidy (2015 present).

Clark Darling, president of Kent Historical Society; Betty Behr, longtime resident of Putnam County; and Kathy Wargas, Elaine Otto, Jacqueline Rohrig Strickland, Jim See, Jim Hoffman and Brian Flood for their support and commitment to local history and Sybil.

Dick Muscarella (19962003), Reggie White (200116), Katherine Wargas (200015) and Christine Mucciolo (19952015) of the Putnam County Historians Office for their help with The Call to Arms.

Ron Taylor, president, Patterson Historical Society, for his help with historic facts and the generous use of the 1854 map that includes Ludingtonville.

Karl Rohde, director, Putnam County Veterans Service Agency.

John Bourges, program coordinator of the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Vet2Vet Program of Putnam County.

Jim McCarthy, curator, Putnam County Veterans Museum, 201718.

Jennifer Pollack, chapter regent (201619), Enoch Crosby Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

James Walsh, Eagle Scout, for his work on the Sybil Ludington road signs.

Elizabeth Killian, museum and collections manager, the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution Museum for their generous use of the photo of the Sybil Ludington exhibit.

George Robinson for his help with notes and bibliography.

Edward Lanyon Woodyard for his contribution of essential information on the Ogden-Connecticut connection.

Everett J. Lee, former historian for the Town of East Fishkill, New York, for his generous gift of four Sybil Ludington stamps and for sharing his personal file on Sybil for The Call to Arms.

Raymond Beecher, historian and volunteer librarian at the Greene County Historical Societys Vedder Memorial Research Center in Coxsackie, New York, for the excellent articles by Mabel Parker Smith. Also to Shirley McGrath and staff for their assistance.

Andrew Dancer III, former director of the Catskill Public Library, Catskill, New York, for his help with Sybils Catskill years.

Wayne Wright at the New York State Historical Association in Cooperstown, New York, for his research assistance.

Tod Butler at the National Archives Research Center in Washington, D.C., for his assistance with the Richard and Edmund Ogden files.