American Legion (Great Britain)
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The American Legion was a provincial
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
and
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
(
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
) of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in the
American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
commanded by Brigadier General
Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...
.


History

The American Legion is notable for the fact that Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, who had previously served the United States and had defected to the British in 1780, was the commanding officer. It was organised in October 1780 at
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. The Legion accompanied Arnold in his raid upon Virginia. It was with him in his expedition into Connecticut in September 1781, in which two forts were stormed and dismantled, and the town of New London plundered and burned. The Legion was disbanded on 24 October 1783 at
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
.


Uniform

The Legion's uniform consisted of a red coat with green facings. The coat had short tails, as opposed to those worn by British Regulars who wore long tails.


References


Further reading

*


See also

* Military career of Benedict Arnold, 1781


External links


Index to American Legion History
at Royalprovincial.com {{Authority control 1780 establishments in New York (state) 1783 disestablishments in New Brunswick Benedict Arnold Corps of the British Army Loyalist military units in the American Revolution Military units and formations established in 1780 Military units and formations disestablished in 1783