The 3rd Continental Light

Dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

, also known as Baylor's Horse or Lady Washington's Horse, was a mounted regiment of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

raised on January 1, 1777, at

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Battle of Brandywine The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, Sir William Howe on September& ...

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

and the

Battle of Guilford Court House The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...

. The regiment was surprised on the night of September 27, 1778, while sleeping in barns near

Old Tappan, New Jersey Old Tappan ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,750,Baylor Massacre The "Baylor Massacre" (also "Skirmish Near Tappan", "Rebel Post Near Old Tapan", "Tappan Massacre", and "Raid on Old Tappan") was a British attack on September 27, 1778, which surprised the 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons under the c ...

", at least 67 men were made casualties and 70 horses killed. Among the captured was the regimental commander, Lt. Col.

George Baylor George Baylor (January 17, 1752 – November 9, 1784) was an officer in the Continental Army, serving throughout the American Revolutionary War. Military career Baylor was first aide-de-camp to George Washington, and brought the news of the ...

, who was replaced on November 20, 1778, by Lt. Col.

William Washington William Washington (February 28, 1752 – March 6, 1810) was a cavalry officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who held a final rank of brigadier general in the newly created United States after the war. Primarily ...

, transferred from the

4th Continental Light Dragoons The 4th Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Moylan's Horse, was raised on January 5, 1777, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for service with the Continental Army under Colonel Stephen Moylan. The regiment was known for taking the field in c ...

. In 1779, while recruiting and remounting, the regiment rescued

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada *James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...

during the "Fort Wilson Riot". The 3rd CLD was posted to the Southern department on November 1, 1779. Losses of 15 killed, 17 wounded, and 100 men captured along with 83 horses in a night attack by British Lt. Col.

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portu ...

on April 14, 1780, led to the unofficial amalgamation of the regiment with the

1st Continental Light Dragoons The 1st Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Bland's Horse, was a mounted regiment of the Continental Army organized between 13 June and 10 September 1776 in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was made up of men from eastern and northern Virgini ...

, commonly known as the "1st and 3rd Light Dragoons" as Washington deferred to his friend and senior, Lt. Col. Anthony White, whom he had served under in the 4th CLD. Washington resumed command of the unit on May 6, 1780, when it was attacked on the Santee River and White captured. In the 1781 campaign, Washington and his men distinguished themselves in mounted charges at the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Kingdom of Great Britain, British for ...

in January, the

in March, and the

Battle of Eutaw Springs The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. Both sides claimed victory. Background In early 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the ...

in September. At Eutaw Springs Washington was pinned under his fallen mount, bayoneted, and captured. Captain William Parsons, the senior surviving officer, commanded the corps until Lt-Col. Baylor was exchanged in June 1782 and resumed command. When the companies of the 4th CLD were parceled out during the

siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virg ...

, the 1st and 3rd accepted its few remaining mounted troopers. The regiment was officially merged into the 1st Legionary Corps on November 2, 1782, with the consolidated unit of five troops designated the 1st Legionary Corps. A member of the 3rd Continental Dragoons was Maryland Congressman Philip Stuart.

References

2. "Dragoon Diary: The History of the Third Continental Light Dragoons" C.F.William Maurer, Authorhouse, 2005. 3. "Commander in Chief's Guard: Revolutionary War" Carlos E. Godfrey, M.D., Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1972 4. "The Patriots at the Cowpens" Bobby Gilmer Moss, Scotia Press, 1985

External links

3rd Continental Light Dragoon Reenactment Group3rd CLD Veteran
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compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Ar ...

Military units and formations of the Continental Army Dragoons Light Dragoons