About This Book

Nine Historians and Writers Investigate the Role of Cavalry in the War for Independence

From the bitterly contested no-man’s-land between American and British lines in New York and New Jersey to the scorching pine forests of the South, the cavalry of both the Continental and British armies fought valiantly throughout the American Revolution. This volume explores several aspects of cavalry’s role in the war, which has often been overlooked in general histories. The topics covered include the development of the Continental Army’s cavalry arm, European influences on American cavalry training and tactics, accounts of several important cavalry raids and battles, and histories of mounted units such as the Continental Light Dragoons, the American rangers in the South Carolina backcountry, the British army’s Queen’s Rangers, and the “Black Dragoons,” a force composed entirely of former slaves. The essays also examine the roles of important commanders, including Continental cavalry leaders Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, William Washington, and Anthony Walton White, and British cavalry leaders Banastre Tarleton and John Graves Simcoe. Readers with a general interest in military history, as well as those with more specific interests in the American Revolution or the history of cavalry, and anyone who wishes to undertake further study of these subjects, will find the essays engaging, and informative.

Contents:
Gregory J. W. Urwin: The Continental Light Dragoons, 1776-1783
Lee F. McGee: European Influences on Continental Cavalry
John M. Hutchins: Cavalry Action at Poundridge, New York
Donald J. Gara: Cavalry Battles in New York and New Jersey
Scott A. Miskimon: Anthony Walton White: A Revolutionary Dragoon
Michael C. Scoggins: South Carolina’s Backcountry Rangers
Lawrence E. Babits and Joshua B. Howard: Continentals in Tarleton’s British Legion
Charles F. Price: Cavalry Operations at Eutaw Springs
Jim Piecuch: The “Black Dragoons”