Nine Historians and Writers Investigate the Role of Cavalry in the War for Independence

From the bitterly contested no-man’s-land between American and British lines in New York and New Jersey to the scorching pine forests of the South, the cavalry of both armies fought valiantly throughout the American Revolution. This volume explores several aspects of cavalry’s role in the war, which has often been overlooked in general histories. The topics covered include the development of the Continental Army’s cavalry arm, European influences on American cavalry training and tactics, accounts of several important cavalry raids and battles, and histories of mounted units such as the Continental Light Dragoons, American rangers in the South Carolina backcountry, and the British army’s Queen’s Rangers and “Black Dragoons,” the latter force composed entirely of former slaves. The essays also examine the roles of important commanders, including Brigadier General Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, Lieutenant Colonel William Washington, and Colonel Anthony Walton White of the American army, and British cavalry leaders Banastre “Bloody Ban” Tarleton and John Graves Simcoe, as well as the American prisoners of war who switched sides and served in the “British Legion.” The authors of the essays include acclaimed military historians Gregory J. W. Urwin and Lawrence E. Babits. Readers with a general interest in military history, as well as those with more specific interests in the American Revolution or the history of the cavalry arm, and anyone who wishes to undertake further study of these subjects, will find the essays fresh, engaging, and informative.

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Contents

Gregory J. W. Urwin: The Continental Light Dragoons, 1776-1783

Lee F. McGee: European Influences on Continental Cavalry

John M. Hutchins: Cavalry Action at Poundridge, New York

Donald J. Gara: Cavalry Battles in New York and New Jersey

Scott A. Miskimon: Anthony Walton White: A Revolutionary Dragoon

Michael C. Scoggins: South Carolina’s Backcountry Rangers

Lawrence E. Babits and Joshua B. Howard: Continentals in Tarleton’s

British Legion

Charles F. Price: Cavalry Operations at Eutaw Springs

Jim Piecuch: The “Black Dragoons”