When Was Lydia Darragh Born

Lydia Darragh (1729 – December 28, 1789) was an American woman said to have crossed British lines during the British occupation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War, delivering information to George Washington and the Continental Army that warned them of a pending British assault. Contemporary sources claim Darragh's uncorroborated story is historically unsubstantiated.

==Early life==

Lydia Barrington Darragh was born in 1729 in Dublin, Ireland to John Barrington and his wife. On November 2, 1753, she married the family tutor, William Darragh, the son of a chaplain. A few years later, they immigrated to Philadelphia, where William worked as a tutor and Lydia as a midwife. She gave birth to v children: Charles (born 1755), Ann (born 1757), John (born 1763), William (built-in 1766), Susannah (born 1768), and four others who died in infancy.

==American Revolutionary War==

As Quakers, the Darraghs were pacifists. However, their oldest son Charles served with the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army.

On September 26, 1777, British troops occupied Philadelphia. Full general William Howe moved across the street from the Darraghs, in a house formerly belonging to John Cadwalader. Darragh began regularly providing her son Charles with data regarding the enemy's plans, gathered by eavesdropping in her home and around town. She would oft write this information in elementary lawmaking on pieces of scrap paper, which she hid in large buttons that she and the messengers wore. In late fall of 1777, British troops (i of whom was a afar relative of the Darraghs from Ireland) requested use of the Darraghs' domicile for meetings. Lydia told them that they had already sent away their 2 youngest children to alive with relatives in another city, but that they had nowhere else to go and would like to stay in their dwelling. They were permitted to remain, as Quakers were known to exist unsupportive of the war, fifty-fifty on the side of the colonies, and therefore posed no credible run a risk to the British ground forces.

On December 2nd, 1777, Lydia received a request that she and her family unit retire early, by eight o'clock. She was told that she would be awakened when the soldiers were finished then she could let them out. Lydia pretended to get to slumber, but instead listened to the soldiers through the door. She learned that British troops were being ordered to leave the city on December fourth to make a surprise attack on the Continental army camped at Whitemarsh, led past George Washington. Lydia sneaked dorsum to bed and pretended to be comatose until the officeholder, Major John André, knocked three times at her door to awaken her to follow them out and extinguish the candles.

Lydia decided not to share this data with her husband. The following morning time she was given permission by Full general Howe to cantankerous British lines in society to go to Frankford to go flour. Lydia dropped off her empty bag at the mill and and so headed toward the American camp. Along the style she met an American officer, Colonel Craig of the Light Horse, and told him about the impending British attack so that he might warn Washington. Later on the warning, Lydia made her way back to the mill, picked upwards her flour and started her journey home. After the British troops attempted their assail and realized that the Americans were waiting for them, the officeholder questioned Lydia and asked if anyone was awake on the nighttime of the meeting, because it was obvious that someone had betrayed them. Lydia denied any knowledge of this and was not further questioned.

==First Hand Account==

Elias Boudinot's Journal relates the following:

"In the Autumn of 1777 the American Army lay some fourth dimension at White Marsh. I was then Commissary Genl of Prisoners, and managed the Intelligence of the Army. — I was reconoitering forth the Lines near the Metropolis of Philadelphia. — I dined at a minor Post at the rising Lord's day abt three miles from the City. — Afterwards Dinner a little poor looking insignificant Former Woman came in & solicited leave to get into the Country to buy some flour — While we were asking some Questions, she walked up to me and put into my hands a dingy old needlebook, with various small pockets in it. surprised at this, I told her to return, she should have an answer — On Opening the needlebook, I could not detect any thing till I got to the last Pocket, Where I found a piece of Paper rolled upwardly into the form of a Pipe Shank. — on unrolling it I found information that Genl Howe was coming out the next forenoon with 5000 Men — 13 pieces of Cannon — Baggage Waggons, and 11 Boats on Waggon Wheels. On comparing this with other data I found it true, and immediately rode Post to caput Quarters —" chir

A contemporary account of Lydia Darrah highlights several grist mills on the Frankford Creek; also a tavern named the Rising Sun next to Frankford's main grist mill. This was not the same Rising Sunday Tavern mentioned in Boudinot's Journal.

British Intelligence agents became enlightened of the "handbag of flour" fox bit besides late. On December half dozen, 1777, later the British returned from Whitemarsh, a message was published in the Philadelphia newspaper about "a poor woman, whom nosotros both know" traveling to the Frankford Manufactory:

"The following letter was constitute in a bag of Indian meal, which was picked up on Sabbatum the fourteenth of concluding month, was supposed to have been dropped by some of the women who were coming into town, when the skirmish happened between the pickets."

==Later life==

In June 1778, British troops left Philadelphia, and Darragh's children returned to their family abode. William Darrgah died on June eight, 1783. Charles lost his membership to the Society of Friends on Apr 27, 1781. Lydia lost her membership on August 29, 1783. In 1786, Lydia and the children moved into a new house, and she ran a store until her expiry on December 28, 1789.

Source(south): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Darrah