Lydia Darragh Contributions

The revolutionary war had many heros. George Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin. Do you think of any women? How about Deborah Sampson, Betsy Ross, Abigail Adams, Molly Pitcher, Phillis Wheatley, Mammy Kate. All of these women are great heros. Especially Lydia Barrington Darragh. Lydia Barrington Darragh served as a spy for George Washington. Her impact on the war was huge. She had to risk her life to save thousands of others.
In the year 1765 the revolutionary war started. The American colonists were outraged about the fact that they had taxation without representation in England. All of these taxes were brought upon them in the years 1763-1787. One of these acts was the tea act which lead to the Boston Tea Party. The …show more content…
The following morning, Lydia received permission from an officer to cross British lines to get some flour at a mill. The request was not unusual for the poor were frequently given passes to purchase goods in the countryside. She dropped her bag at the mill and headed towards American headquarters. On the way she meet an American officer, Colonel Thomas Craig. She immediately told him about the attack and the message was directly relayed to Washington. The Americans were waiting for the British on the night of December 5, 1777. When the British saw them they knew they had been betrayed. However, they did not consider Lydia at the time. In Philadelphia, the British soldiers held an investigation to find out who leaked their plan. Darragh was questioned by one of the officers about whether anyone in the family was awake the night the soldiers held council in their house. Darragh replied no and the officer believed her.
In June of 1778 the British left Philadelphia and Darragh was reunited with the rest of her children. In 1783, her husband William died. Three years later, Darragh moved into a new house and ran a store until her death in

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