Towards the end of 1776, the American Continental Army faced with the realization that the war was going to last longer than anticipated, underwent long reaching changes. Short term enlistments were abandoned as recruits were sought who would join for three years, or "the war". Additional infantry regiments were raised, artificer battalions, and Naval privateers were expanded, and Washington finally realized the need for a mounted branch. Initially authorized to raise 3,000 light horse, it was soon realized that the enormous expense of raising, and equipping horsemen made the number unrealistic, and eventually only four regiments of light dragoons were raised. Among the four were the Fourth Continental Light Dragoons. This regiment was authorized to be raised in January of 1777. The command was given to Colonel Stephen Moylan, who was Irish born, and maintained a large farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Prior to this command, Moylan had been the Quartermaster General, and a close personal friend of Washington. The Fourth Dragoons were eventually to be counted among the strength of the Pennsylvania Line, and most of the men hailed from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Each light dragoon regiment was given a specific territory in which to recruit, and draw supplies, so as not to conflict with one another. The Fourth Dragoon's territory was west of the Hudson River, and East of the Susquehanna. The territory comprised most of New York, all of New Jersey and Delaware, the populous area of Pennsylvania and eastern Maryland. However, most of the officers came from Virginia and Maryland which areas, then as now, were traditional horse raising areas. Appointments to the cavalry were eagerly sought after by officers and this was reflected by Washington's attitude as all of the commanding Colonels were his friends or relatives. Every officer's appointment needed his approval, and he reserved spots in all the four regiments for his personal selections. Among the Fourth Dragoons, was the nephew of Washington, William Washington, who was given the rank of Major in the Fourth, eventual command of the 3rd Light Dragoons and the most famous cavalry commander of the war. Also, among the ranks of the Fourth Dragoons was Zebulan Pike from New Jersey, who was the father of the Zebulan Pike who discovered Pike's Peak in Colorado.

Captain Moore Fauntleroy was from Richmond, Virginia and he began the war as an ensign in the 5th Virginia infantry regiment. He was to join the Fourth Dragoons in the spring of 1777 as a captain in command of his troop. In 1777, the regiment took the field clothed in captured British uniforms of Red faced Blue. This was to cause confusion, and the regiment generally wore hunting shirts to cover them, but on at least one occasion they were fired upon by American troops. On the other hand the red coats also confused the enemy and once a band of Loyalists were captured who mistook the Fourth Dragoons for British cavalry. The Fourth Dragoons wore their red coats at the battles of Brandywine, Germantown and Whitemarsh.

When the Continental Army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, the Fourth Dragoons was there to share in the hardships and privations. The regiment was used in the areas for patrol and scouting, and to handicap the efforts of British and Hessian foraging parties as many of the troopers were from Pennsylvania, and were familiar with the area. By March, 1778, the Fourth Dragoons had relocated to Trenton, New Jersey to ease the tight fodder supply at Valley Forge. When the British army abandoned its occupation of Philadelphia in June of 1778, and headed for New York, the Fourth Dragoons was sent in persuit of the Crown Forces to harass the retreat, and followed so close they overran the baggage train and captured some prisoners. Although the Fourth played no active combat part in the ensueing battle of Monmouth, they were again sent in pursuit, but were ineffective due to the worn out conditions of their horses.

During the summer and fall of 1778, the regiment was stationed around the area of Hackensack, New Jersey and patrolled north along the Hudson River. It was during this time that Moylan met his future wife and married her. During the summer the Fourth Dragoons received their new and distinctive Green faced Red uniforms which they would retain until the end of 1781. The helmet worn by the Fourth Dragoons had a black bearskin crest and it would appear that the Fourth Dragoons actually wore the famous "Tarleton Helmet" sometime before Banestre Tarleton, the British cavalry commander who gave its name. The helmet was worn by British light cavalry until 1812. The regiment ended the war in the Continental Army's universal uniform of Blue faced Red.

After wintering in Lancaster, Pa., the Fourth Dragoons spent 1779 and early 1780 in Connecticut and West Chester County, NY. It was in this theater, the regiment saw its most intensive action. They were involved in countless small actions with British and Loyalist horse in the often vicious warfare in that no-mans-land between the two armies. The winter of 1779-80 was spent in Weathersfield, Ct. Throughout the war, until they were sent south in 1781, the regiment generally spent winter quarters in Lancaster. It was in this, the largest inland city in the colonies, that the regiment maintained their depot where new recruits and horses were sent for training, and the regiment was issued new clothing and equipment.

The authorized strength of a dragoon regiment was in excess of 400 men, but this was never attained, and the largest the Fourth Dragoons ever got was around half that. In 1777,each regiment was to have six troops of around 75 men per troop, but the number rarely grew over 30.

In the spring of 1779, Congress decided that no new recruits were to be sought by the cavalry, as the regiments were just too expensive to maintain. By the summer, this decision was reversed and the colonels of the dragoon regiments were instructed to attempt to recruit their regiments up to the authorized levels. These new recruits were to be enlisted to serve on foot and their enlistments were made very specific, so there would be no complaints about serving on foot in a cavalry regiment and they would be mounted when it was "convenient and necessary", a reality which never happened as the horses were becoming extremely difficult to buy with the depleted continental currency.

On January 1, 1781, all of the dragoons regiments were officially converted to "Legions", which was a permanent combined cavalry-infantry regiment. This order actually did little more that confirm what was already in place. In actuality, it would appear that only the Second and Fourth Dragoons raised their dismounted contingent of dragoons as the First and Third Dragoons had moved south shortly after the decision to supplement the regiments with infantry, and after a series of costly defeats their greatly reduced strengths were amalgamted into "Washington's Cavalry" under William Washington.

The Fourth Dragoons went into winter quarters in Lancaster for the winter of 1780-81 and as a result, were not involved in the infamous mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line which occurred on January 1, 1781 in Morristown, NJ. However, Colonel Moylan was in the area visiting his wife and relatives, and was taken as an unofficial prisoner of the mutineers, and eventually helped negotiate the end of the mutiny.


The spring of 1781 saw the American army, and its French allies move south in the campaign which was to culminate in the victory at Yorktown. The mounted troops of the Fourth Dragoons were in the van with General Lafayette's Light Division, while the dismounted dragoons marched with the main army. In July the regiment counted only 116 men of all ranks. Moylan's regment was given the post of honor on the right flank at Yorktown, but saw no cavalry action during the seige. A mounted contingent was later sent south to reinforce Generals Greene and Wayne, and fought in South Carolina and Georgia. In the spring of 1782 the mounted men in the unit were merged with the already amalgamated 1st and 3rd Light Dragoons, now under command of Colonel George Baylor. Due to poor health, Moylan resigned from command of the Fourth Dragoons in early 1782, and what was left of the regiment was placed under command of Major Fauntleroy. The regiment reduced to one mounted and one dismounted troop spent 1782 in Yorktown. In December of 1782 the regiment was disbanded, the mounted dragoons being furloughed home and the dismounted men, at their higher rate of pay, absorbed into the Pennsylvania Line as infantry.


Written by Sgt.Maj. Don Waldo