September 22
Tacy Richardson's Ride

I am suspicious of any event or birthday that is found ONLY in calendars of events. Such a possibly spurious occasion is the 225th anniversary of Tacy Richardson's ride. Here is what Chase's Calendar of Events has to say about it:

"September 22, 1777. Courageous 23-year-old Tacy Richardson (Jan. 1, 1754-June 18, 1807) rode her favorite horse, "Fearnaught," several perilous miles from the family farm at Montgomery County, PA to the James Vaux mansion to warn General George Washington of the approach of British troops led by General William Howe. As it turned out, the British crossing of the Schuykill at Gordon's Ford was a feint to deceive Washington who indeed hastily withdrew to Pottstown, clearing the way for General Howe to spend that night in the quarters Washington had occupied only a few hours earlier."

While I can find nothing online about Tacy other than this same mention, the ending of the story makes it seem more credible than most. Here she made a tremendous effort that could have cost her life just to do exactly what the British were hoping someone would do. Maybe this well-intentioned intervention nearly lost us the war. We might still be singing "God Save the Queen" just because of Tacy Richardson and her damned horse.

That is, if Tacy Richardson and Fearnaught really existed. I have written to Chase's asking where they found the story....stay tuned.

UPDATE: So a year or two goes by and Tacy and Fearnaught have disappeared from the pages of Chase's Calendar of Events. I think it was a hoax. Pretty clever one, too, I'd say.

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© Marilyn Jones 2000-2008