King's American Dragoons

King's American Dragoons
Lt.Col. Benjamin Thompson Count Rumford
Active	1781-1783
Country	Great Britain
Allegiance	British Army
Branch	dragoons (mounted infantry)
Type	British provincial unit, (auxiliary troops)
Role	demolition, construction
Size	?
Garrison/HQ	Long Island, Province of New York
Engagements	American 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

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.
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.