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King's American Dragoons

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King's American Dragoons
Lt.Col. Benjamin Thompson Count Rumford
Active1781-1783
Country Great Britain
Allegiance British Army
Branchdragoons (mounted infantry)
TypeBritish provincial unit, (auxiliary troops)
Roledemolition, construction
Size?
Garrison/HQLong Island, Province of New York
EngagementsAmerican Revolutionary War Never saw combat
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Major General Sir Guy Carleton Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Thompson

The King's American Dragoons were a British provincial military unit, raised for Loyalist service during the American Revolutionary War. They were founded by Colonel Benjamin Thompson, later Count Rumford, in 1781.[1] They were initially formed from the remnants of other British Loyalist units, including Black Loyalist soldiers.

The King's American Dragoons primarily served on Long Island in 1782 and early 1783,[2] where they earned local notoriety for destroying a church and burial ground in order to erect Fort Golgotha in Huntington.[3]

They were evacuated from New York and resettled in Saint John, New Brunswick, in July 1783.[4] They were disbanded there in October.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Ellis, George Edward; Sciences, American Academy of Arts and (1 January 1871). Memoir of Sir Benjamin Thompson, count Rumford: with notices of his daughter. Estes and Lauriat.
  2. ^ Siebert, Wilbur Henry (1 January 1916). The Loyalist Refugees of New Hampshire. Ohio State University.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ Ellis, George Edward; Sciences, American Academy of Arts and (1 January 1871). Memoir of Sir Benjamin Thompson, count Rumford: with notices of his daughter. Estes and Lauriat.
  5. ^ Ellis, George Edward; Sciences, American Academy of Arts and (1 January 1871). Memoir of Sir Benjamin Thompson, count Rumford: with notices of his daughter. Estes and Lauriat.