Listen my children and you shall hear of
the midnight ride of . . . Sybil Ludington?
Thanks to a very famous poem, almost
everyone knows about Paul Revere. The name
of Sybil Ludington, however, is probably
unfamiliar. Yet like Revere, Ludington made an
impressive midnight ride to warn American
patriots—those fighting for independence—of
an approaching British army.
In April 1777, two years after Revere’s
famous ride, British soldiers made an assault on
Danbury, Connecticut, not too far from where
sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington lived. The
Continental Army, as the army of the Americans
was called, stored supplies in Danbury, and the
British strategy was to burn them. Once
the supplies were destroyed, the British
began to burn the homes and workplaces of
numerous patriots in Danbury. The villain in
this raid was the British general William Tryon,
who lost control of his soldiers and allowed
them to hurt innocent citizens.
A messenger quickly rode out from Danbury
with news of the attack. His destination was
the mill of Colonel Henry Ludington in nearby
New York State. Only Ludington, the leader of
about four hundred patriot volunteers, could
fight off the British. After hearing the news,
Ludington quickly agreed to help, but his
men were spread out for miles. Who would
alert them?
The messenger from Danbury did not know
his way around the area. Ludington himself
had to stay at home to assemble his soldiers as
they arrived. Perhaps that’s when Ludington’s
daughter Sybil volunteered to make the ride,
or perhaps Ludington asked her to go. Either
way, it was a shrewd choice. No one could
dispute that Sybil was a skillful rider, and she
knew the local roads well. Also, as the oldest of
twelve children, she was used to responsibility.
Sending Sybil was a decision that would be easy
to justify.
Sybil quickly mounted her horse and rode
off on her mission. It was after 9:00 P.M. and
raining when she left, and in the darkness, the
rough unmarked trails could be misleading.
Sybil never lost her way though, galloping from
farm to village and calling out the news. In all,
she rode forty miles that night, twice as far as
Paul Revere. Along the way, she had to avoid
British spies and soldiers. According to one
account, she even used a type of gun called a
musket to scare away some outlaws who preyed
on travelers at night.
Sybil had a productive ride that night!
When she arrived back home at dawn, more
than four hundred patriot volunteers were
gathering at her father’s mill. Under Colonel
Ludington, they were quickly converted into
a regular fighting force. By now, the British
had burned and abandoned Danbury and were
marching inland. Ludington’s forces, however,
stopped the British advance. Later, at the Battle
of Ridgefield, the patriots fought the British
invaders, who eventually retreated to their
boats on Long Island Sound.
In the months that followed, Sybil’s father
and the volunteers he led often praised and
thanked Sybil for her heroic ride. Even General
George Washington sent his congratulations
for a job well done. Like so many other
patriots, Sybil Ludington had come to the aid
of her country.
1. abandon (¤ ban’ d¤n)
(v.) to give up on completely; to leave with no intention of returning
The captain gave the order to __________ ship.
SYNONYMS: to desert, forsake, cease, surrender
ANTONYMS: to continue, stay, remain, occupy
2. assault (¤ sôlt’)
(n.) a violent attack
The victim was injured in the ___________ .
(v.) to attack violently or suddenly
Dad dared us to ____________ his snow fort.
SYNONYMS: (n.) an invasion, raid, mugging, beating; (v.) to besiege, storm
ANTONYMS: (v.) to protect, defend, resist
3. convert (v., k¤n vûrt’; n., kän’ vûrt)
(v.) to change from one form to another
A drop in temperature to 32˚ F will ____________ water to ice.
(n.) a person who has changed from one opinion, belief, or religion to
another
The new ____________ was introduced to the congregation.
SYNONYMS: (v.) to transform, turn, alter, switch
ANTONYMS: (v.) to maintain, conserve, remain
4. dispute (di spyüt’)
(v.) to argue, debate, quarrel over; to question or doubt the truth of
The committee did not ___________ the merits of the bill.
(n.) an argument, quarrel, debate
Why not try to resolve the _____________ peacefully?
SYNONYMS: (v.) to differ, disagree; contest, challenge; (n.) a conflict, disagreement,
controversy
ANTONYMS: (v.) to agree, harmonize; (n.) an agreement,
understanding, accord
5. impressive (im pre’ siv)
(adj.) having a strong effect, commanding attention
The skater gave an ___________ performance.
SYNONYMS: memorable, striking, stirring, thrilling, awesome, splendid
ANTONYMS: inferior, mediocre
6. justify (jus’ t¤ fì)
(v.) to show to be fair or right; to give good reasons for
Be prepared to _____________ your behavior.
SYNONYMS: to defend, explain, support, excuse
ANTONYMS: to convict, blame, accuse
7. misleading (mis lè’ diµ)
(adj.) tending to give a wrong idea, often on purpose
The lawyer called the statement ___________ .
SYNONYMS: deceptive, false, tricky, inaccurate
ANTONYMS: direct, honest, true, accurate, straightforward
8. numerous (nüm’ r¤s)
(adj.) many or very many
_______________ aunts and uncles came to our family reunion.
SYNONYMS: several, plenty, plentiful
ANTONYM: few
9. productive (pr¤ duk’ tiv)
(adj.) making or capable of making large amounts of; giving good
results
With care, it may become a __________ orchard.
SYNONYMS: energetic, effective, fruitful, efficient, worthwhile
ANTONYMS: unproductive, idle, useless, inactive
10. shrewd (shrüd)
(adj.) showing clever judgment and practical understanding
My aunt is a _____________ businesswoman.
SYNONYMS: artful, wise, sharp, crafty, wily, cunning
ANTONYMS: slow, stupid, dull-witted
11. strategy (stra’ t¤ jè)
(n.) a carefully made plan or plot; a plan of military operations
Our teacher suggested a test-taking ______________ .
SYNONYMS: an approach, design, method, scheme
12. villain (vi’ l¤n)
(n.) an evil or wicked person or character,
especially in a story or play
In old movies, the _______________ often wore a black hat.
SYNONYMS: a scoundrel, rascal, outlaw, criminal
ANTONYMS: a hero, heroine, champion
For each item below, choose the word whose meaning is suggested by
the clue given. Then write the word in the space provided.
1. A violent or sudden attack is called a(n) .
a. convert b. assault c. strategy d. villain
2. When I carefully make a plan, I am preparing my .
a. strategy b. dispute c. villain d. convert
3. People who change their religion are to the new religion.
a. disputes b. converts c. strategies d. villains
4. To give reasons for what you do is to your actions.
a. justify b. abandon c. assault d. convert
5. Some advertisements can be if they leave out
key details or make false claims.
a. misleading b. numerous c. productive d. impressive
6. The most wicked character in the story is the .
a. assault b. strategy c. villain d. dispute
7. A vegetarian cookbook might give recipes for rice
dishes and fruit salads.
a. productive b. shrewd c. misleading d. numerous
8. To give up on something is to it.
a. assault b. abandon c. convert d. justify
9. Another word for an argument or quarrel is a .
a. convert b. strategy c. villain d. dispute
10. A(n) person is one who gets a lot done.
a. productive b. shrewd c. misleading d. impressive
11. The Grand Canyon is a(n) sight.
a. shrewd b. misleading c. impressive d. numerous
12. To be clever and practical is to be .
a. misleading b. shrewd c. productive d. numerous
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