The fire that backfired: the British torching of Danbury, Connecticut, did not produce the desired effect--thanks in part to the midnight ride of 16-year-old Sybil Ludington.
The New American › May 03, 2004
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The fire that backfired: the British torching of Danbury, Connecticut, did not produce the desired effect--thanks in part to the midnight ride of 16-year-old Sybil Ludington.
From the deck of the H.M.S. Senegal, Major General William Tryon surveyed the peaceful beach outside Fairfield, Connecticut, at sunset, on April 25, 1777. In the dying rays of the sun, the pastoral scene at the mouth of the Saugatuck River seemed at odds with the arrival of his 26 ships, carrying 2,000 of England's best soldiers and six pieces of artillery. There was no sign that the rebels intended to offer any resistance. Nonetheless, he intended to give Connecticut a lesson it wouldn't soon forget. He had, in fact, carried a grudge against the rebellious colony ever since Connecticut patriot Captain Isaac Sears descended upon New York with 75 dragoons, entered Tory publisher James Rivington's office, destroyed his press and--with unforgivable audacity--converted the iron type into bullets.
Tryon, the royal governor of New York, now commanded the invasion of C...See the full content of this document
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