Pulaski's Legion was a cavalry and infantry regiment raised on March 28, 1778 at

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Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

under the command of Polish-born General

Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski (; March 4 or 6, 1745 October 11, 1779), anglicised as Casimir Pulaski ( ), was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The So ...

and Hungarian nobleman Michael Kovats de Fabriczy for their service with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The Legion consisted of one

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

of lancers, two troops of

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 wi ...

, and 200

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

soldiers. It was one of the few cavalry regiments in the

. According to the latest research, the Pulaski banner, which symbolised the Legion, was inspired by the colours of the Hungarian national flag (red, white and green) in use since the early 17th century, and was created by the Moravian Lutheran Sisters according to the instructions of Michael Kovats in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in early 1778. The flag embedded cultural history elements reflecting the close Hungarian-Polish friendship and interstate relations back to the centuries.Örlős, László and Smith Lacey, Anna: The Forgotten Hungarian Origins of the Pulaski banner. Journal of the American Revolution, December 3, 2024, https://allthingsliberty.com/2024/12/the-forgotten-hungarian-origins-of-the-pulaski-banner/

Role in the American Revolution

The Legion would see action at the affair at Little Egg Harbor in 1778, siege of Savannah in 1779, and the

siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British ...

in 1780. The Legion was disbanded in November 1780 and the men were merged into Armand's Legion. The Legion's 1st Cavalry was commanded by Maj. Pierre-Francois Vernier during the siege of Charleston's first bloody skirmishes.

References

*Robin Smith, Pulaski's Legion, Military Illustrated magazine, Issue 116 *Richard Henry Spencer, Pulaski's Legion (including Legion's muster roll), Baltimore 1920

External links

The Continental Army
(describes Pulaski's Legion)

* ttp://www.pulaskilegion.org/ The Pulaski Legion (reenactment and research) Military units and formations established in 1778 Military units and formations of the Continental Army Maryland in the American Revolution Dragoons 1778 establishments in Maryland Casimir Pulaski {{US-mil-hist-stub