She has been referred to as the 'female Paul Revere.' RIDE THE DARK WIND is a historical novel depicting the real life events of Sybil Ludington, a sixteen year old American hero in the Spring of 1777 during the American Revolutionary War. On the night of April 26,1777 she rode 40 miles through the New York countryside alerting the local militia to the burning of Danbury, Conn., by the British.