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| Second Continental Light Dragoons | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Second Continental Light Dragoons |
| Native name | 2nd Continental Light Dragoons |
| Caption | Continental Army dragoon, 1778 |
| Dates | 1776–1783 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Continental Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Role | Reconnaissance, raiding, escort |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison | Philadelphia, Camp Washington (Rhode Island) |
| Nickname | Sheldon's Horse |
| Notable commanders | Elisha Sheldon, George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Israel Putnam |
Second Continental Light Dragoons were a Continental Army cavalry regiment raised in 1776 to provide mounted reconnaissance, screening, and raiding capability during the American Revolutionary War. Commonly known by the sobriquet "Sheldon's Horse", the unit participated in campaigns across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia, interacting with figures such as George Washington, Benedict Arnold, John Burgoyne, Charles Cornwallis, and Henry Clinton. The dragoons' service intersected major events including the Battle of Long Island, the Saratoga campaign, the Philadelphia campaign, and the Yorktown campaign.
Congress authorized the regiment as part of the expansion of the Continental Army after the Declaration of Independence; it drew volunteers from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. Officers received commissions influenced by provincial conventions and the Continental Congress, linking the regiment to leaders like Elisha Sheldon and staff associated with Continental Congress committees overseeing cavalry procurement. Organizationally, the regiment mirrored European dragoon structures, organized in troops commanded by captains and lieutenants, with non-commissioned officers and farriers recruited from local militias such as the Connecticut Militia, Massachusetts Militia, and Rhode Island Militia.
The regiment entered active service during the New York and New Jersey operations, deploying detachments for scouting missions during and after the Battle of Long Island. It undertook reconnaissance supporting Washington's retreats through New Jersey, conducted courier duties between Valley Forge and Philadelphia, and provided escorts for supply trains during the Philadelphia campaign. Elements were detached to counter British raiding parties under commanders including William Howe and Henry Clinton and later supported operations during the Saratoga theater against John Burgoyne before returning to the Middle Atlantic theater to contest British movements under Charles Cornwallis.
The regiment's record includes participation in skirmishes and larger operations across multiple campaigns. During the New York and New Jersey campaign, they screened Continental movements around Kingston, New York and assisted in intelligence gathering prior to the Battle of Trenton. In the northern theater the dragoons provided reconnaissance during the Saratoga campaign confronting forces of John Burgoyne and coordinating with militia leaders such as Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. In the Philadelphia theater the regiment engaged in actions around Germantown and escorted convoys threatened by British raids from New York City and New Jersey lodgments. During the southern push culminating in the Yorktown campaign, detachments participated in screening operations and engaged British cavalry elements commanded by officers like Banastre Tarleton and infantry columns of Cornwallis.
Commanding officers included Elisha Sheldon as colonel, with subordinate captains drawn from colonial gentry and experienced militia leaders. The regiment's roster featured veterans who had served under Israel Putnam and volunteers connected to John Hancock and Samuel Adams networks. Interaction with senior Continental leaders such as George Washington shaped operational directives, while liaison with partisan leaders like Francis Marion and regulars under Nathanael Greene influenced deployments. Notable company commanders and staff officers often transitioned to other Continental cavalry units or state militia commands during reorganizations ordered by the Board of War.
Uniforms for the regiment reflected Continental procurement constraints, combining locally produced cloth with British patterns observed during early war encounters; many troopers wore short coats, buff facings, and tarred hats influenced by dragoon models used in British Army and European cavalry regiments. Arms included privately supplied carbines, muskets, pistols, and sabers, with limited standardized cavalry carbines issued through Continental ordnance stores overseen by figures such as Nathanael Greene and quartermasters connected to John Sullivan. Tactical employment focused on reconnaissance, flank screening, messenger duties, and rapid raids—tactics adapted from observations of European light cavalry as practiced during engagements with forces under William Howe and Charles Cornwallis.
Following the cessation of major operations after the Siege of Yorktown and the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris (1783), the regiment was gradually reduced as part of Continental demobilization directed by the Continental Congress and disbanded in 1783. Veterans dispersed into state militias, early federal garrison units, and civil society, influencing postwar formations such as the United States Army cavalry traditions and state mounted units in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Historical studies of the regiment contribute to scholarship on Revolutionary cavalry, appearing in works about the Continental Army, the American Revolution, and biographies of commanders like Elisha Sheldon and contemporaries in compilations about Military history of the United States during the American Revolutionary War.
Category:Units and formations of the Continental Army Category:Cavalry regiments of the American Revolutionary War