An Outer Banks Horse Tale

The Tale of Betsy Dowdy and Black Bess of Currituck Banks

On the northern most coast of North Carolina there is a string of sandy islands called the Outer Banks. In the remote regions of those islands wild horses still roam freely. They are descendents of horses brought to the New World over 400 years ago by Spanish explorers. DNA testing has proven their heritage, and they are as much a part of the islands as the dolphins that play in the ocean or the sea gulls that soar overhead. Today the horses are called Banker Ponies for the islands where they live.

After permanent colonies were established on the coast of North Carolina the horses were used for transportation, to pull in fishing nets and even in rescue shipwreck victims. But, since the invention of the automobile the horses have been left alone to roam free. People living on the Outer Banks love to tell stories about the horses and how they fit into the history of the area. One tale that has been told since the American Revolution is of a teenaged girl and her Banker pony, Black Bess. O'Dowdy was the Paul Revere of North Carolina. She is famous for riding Black Bess from her home on the coast, swimming across the Currituck Sound, and galloping inland over 50 miles to Perquimans County to warn that the British were coming. Paul Revere's ride was only sixteen miles.

The story begins when the Earl of Dunmore marched his troops south from Virginia to invade Northeastern North Carolina. In November of 1775, Dunmore captured Portsmouth, Virginia. He went on to take over Norfolk. The British wanted control of the harbors to stop the colonies from selling their goods.

It was a tense time in the American Revolution. Up until this point North Carolinians didn't think much about the argument over taxes between the colonies and Britain. But Dunmore's actions were bringing the war close to home. He next traveled south where he barricaded Great Bridge on the Carolina side. In addition to burning homes, Dunmore's men slaughtered the colonists' livestock and horses.

Trade goods were transported from the Carolinas through Great Bridge and to Norfolk for export. Dunmore built a stockade and dismantled part of the bridge, then installed cannons. North Carolina's means of trade and livelihood were now cut off with no way to sell their products.

On the night of December 10, 1775, the news of Dunmore's capture of Great Bridge reached the O'Dowdy family who lived on Currituck Banks. A neighbor, Sam Jarvis, brought back a full report after a visit to the mainland. Betsy overheard the story in all its awful details as it was being related to her father. She was further horrified to hear that Dunmore's inhumanity had even extended to the farm animals, especially horses.

Betsy loved all of the wild ponies that roamed the Outer Banks. Most of all she loved the beautiful black mare that she had trained from a foal: Black Bess.

The neighbor continued with his tale, "Col. Robert Howe is on his way to Great Bridge. But, it will take a great many more troops than Howe has available to defeat Dunmore. I heard, too, that Col. Isaac Gregory of Camden is hurrying to catch up with the patriots to carry them supplies. Shoot, I doubt with Gregory's small militia they have a chance against Dunmore."

Betsy's father said, "I hear General William Skinner, in Perquimans County, commands a hundred soldiers. If someone could take Skinner the news, maybe he could get to Great Bridge in time to help Howe and Gregory."

"The way the wind is breezing up to the east, we can't get there fast enough. Come morning we can try it, but by then it will probably be to late," Mr. Jarvis shook his head solemly.

Betsy tossed and turned in her bed. All she could think of was Lord Dunmore reaching the Carolinas and slaughtering the Banker ponies. She'd heard her father say, "That renegade will slaughter all our livestock, too. He won't leave a single Banker pony alive. Dunmore is making sure we have no way to pull our wagons to market. Most of all, he is eliminating our Calvary mounts."

When Betsy finally dozed off she was awakened by nightmares of the cruel Lord Dunmore charging over the sand dunes of Currituck after her beloved Black Bess.

Betsy sat straight up in her bed. It was then she made up her mind. She would take Black Bess and go to General Skinner herself. She knew her pony was the fastest on the islands, and in best condition for the long ride. Galloping in the deep sand racing after seagulls had given the pony strength and stamina. If anyone could reach Perquimans by morning, it was her Black Bess. So, Miss O'Dowdy scribbled a hasty note to her mother explaining her mission. She put it on her pillow.

Betsy crept downstairs, holding her breath when the old steps creaked under her feet. She sighed with relief when she reached the bottom, then tip-toed out the front door. Quickly and noiselessly she got her pony. Betsy didn't have a saddle. A rustic bridle made of fishnet cord was all the tack she needed. Without a thought of the cold December air, she vaulted onto the pony's back and took off for General Skinner's camp.

Enduring the wet and frigid conditions, Betsy rode over 50 miles, swimming the cold Currituck Sound and riding through the Great Dismal Swamp. She tried not to think of the wild creatures that lived in the swamp as Bess galloped down the narrow foot trail. Betsy rode on through Camden, and then Elizabeth City. Finally they reached the outskirts of Hertford, where General William Skinner and his army of one hundred men were encamped.

Cold and exhausted, Betsy told Skinner about Lord Dunmore's plans. The General called his men to arms and they marched north to Great Bridge. They were just in time. On December 11, 1775 Dunmore's army was defeated in a thirty-minute battle, halting his infiltration of North Carolina's coast.

Had it not been for a teenage girl and her Banker pony, who knows how differently things could have turned out in the American Revolution?