Lectures on the Lawn - "Susanna's Midnight Ride: A Story of the Revolution"

The "Lecures on the Lawn" series at Rural Plains returns in 2024 with outdoor speakers discussing a variety of historical topics at Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road in Mechanicsville.

 

The American Revolution still hung in the balance in late May 1781, when General Cornwallis invaded and occupied City Point, Virginia. As 16-year-old Susanna Bolling served dinner to the British general and his officers, she overheard their plans to capture The Marquis de Lafayette and perhaps crush the American rebellion. Under the cover of darkness, she snuck out of her house through a secret underground tunnel, canoed downriver, grabbed a neighbor's horse and rode ten miles to warn Lafayette. But would she make it back home by sunrise without detection?  

 

Join Libby McNamee (libbymcnamee.com), author of "Susanna's Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War", as she recounts this incredible tale of bravery and commitment.

*In case of inclement weather, the lectures will take place at Enon United Methodist Church, 6156 Studley Road.