Under the designation Regiment of Light Dragoons existed two different units of the U.S. Army in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, respectively. A first unit of its name was short lived, established just prior the Quasi-War with France, in 1798 and discharged in 1800.
The second unit under this designation was activated in 1808. During the War of 1812, it was temporarily designated as the 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons when the War Department created an additional similar regiment. On May 12, 1814, the additional regiment was consolidated with the 1st Regiment, which reverted to its unnumbered designation. The regiment was consolidated with the Corps of Artillery on May 17, 1815.
The very first unit of the U.S. Army designed as Light Dragoons was a single Squadron of Light Dragoons, assigned to the Legion of the United States, by September 1792.
All these units followed the model of the British Regiments of Light Dragoons that were established in the 1750s.
Background
The RoLD (1798) was formed on July 16, 1798, at the peak of the XYZ Affair and the upcoming Quasi-war with France.
The RoLD (1808) was established on April 12, 1808, following the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, when an Act of Congress passed legislation authorizing an increase in the size of the U.S. Army, to include a regiment of dragoons.
Organization
The origins of the RoLD (1798) traces back to the Squadron of Light Dragoons, established on March 5, 1792. The squadron's four troops were assigned by September 1792 to each of the four sublegions of Legion of the United States. By November 1796 the number of these troops was reduced to only two. Two years later, they were almagamated with six newly raised troops to the Regiment of Light Dragoons. The RoLD (1798) was never completely mounted and parts of it saw service as light infantry before the regiment was dissolved in June 1800. Its two oldest "veterans" troops were discharged on June 1, 1802.
The RoLD (1808) consisted of a regimental headquarters and eight troops. The regiment was never completely organized or mounted and served as light infantry. It was re-designated the 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons since an act on January 11, 1812, created a second regiment (2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons). A further act of Congress of March 30, 1814 resulted in the two regiments being consolidated, on May 12, 1814, into one Regiment of Light Dragoons with eight troops. An act of March 3, 1815 reducing the size of the army led to the regiment being consolidated with the Corps of Artillery on May 17, 1815. Officers whose services were no longer required were discharged on June 15, 1815.
Service
Neither the 1st nor the 2nd Regiment were used as consolidated units during the War of 1812. Generals frequently used their assigned dragoons as escorts, couriers and scouts rather than fighting men.
Raid in Massena
American dragoons of the 1st Regiment and riflemen numbering together 50 men conducted a raid in Massena bringing back 8 prisoners to Sacket's harbor at the orders of American Colonel Pike on April 13, 1813. The 8 prisoners were accused of smuggling goods and items to British Canada and consorting with the British enemy.
Second Battle of Sacket’s Harbor
At the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor May 29, 1813, Lieutenant Colonel Electus Backus rallied Dragoons of the regiment, Regular Army units, and Volunteers to counterattack a British breakthrough on the second American line of defense. The Dragoons, Regulars, and Volunteers fired behind trees inflicting considerable losses on the British. But the British swarmed the woods rooting out the concealed sheltered Americans with their bayonets. The Dragoons and the other American units fell back to their third line of defense sheltering themselves in blockhouses. The Dragoons, Regulars, and Volunteers fired from within the protection of the blockhouses. Before the British could overrun the third American line of defense, American general Jacob Brown arrived with 300 American militia making a feint towards the British ships. The British thinking that they were about to be overwhelmed by a larger force retreated. The British force was defeated, but Backus was mortally wounded. Backus died of his wounds on June 7.