Elisha Sheldon (March 6, 1740 - March 11, 1805) was a Colonel in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. Born in

Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lyme i ...

,John C. Fredriksen, ''Revolutionary War Almanac'' (2006), p. 628. Sheldon joined the Continental Army at the outbreak of hostilities, and served under the command of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, who requested that Congress commission Sheldon to raise a

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 ...

regiment. The 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, which he commanded, came to be known as "Sheldon's Horse", and "served with distinction throughout the Revolutionary War".Colonel Elisha Sheldon - Sheldon
at Waymarking.com. Shortly after the end of the war, he moved to

Franklin County, Vermont Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,946. Its county seat is the city of St. Albans. It borders the Canadian province of Quebec. The county was created in 1792 and organi ...

, where he had a grant of land. He died in Saint Albans, Franklin County, Vermont, and was buried next to his wife, Sarah Bellows. The town of

Sheldon, Vermont Sheldon is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated community of Sheldon Springs. Geography Sheldon, named for Revolutionary War colonel Elisha Sheldon,

was named for him, and the Elisha Sheldon House is part of the Litchfield Historic District. Elisha Shelden was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.Davenport, Robert R., Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society of the Cincinnati, 1783-1938, 2008, p. 315.

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Our Past: Second Continental Light DragoonsSociety of the Cincinnati
1740 births 1805 deaths People from Lyme, Connecticut Continental Army officers from Connecticut {{Connecticut-history-stub