"How many men in a AWI cavalry unit" Topic

How big was the typical cavalry unit in the Revolutionary war. Did they operate in 50 man squadrons? Need some help with this one guys as cannot find it any place. Was all the cavalry lumped in one large (relatively speaking) unit or was it smaller more manoeuvrable units.

It's complicated. There were four Continental light dragoon regiments, but I do not think Washington EVER had more than 500 cavalry, if that. There were also some other mounted units, various legions.

Most units (British too) had dismounted troops, partly for tactical purposes but mostly because they didn't have the horses.

Personally, I have a few figures for pretty much each and all of the units, and lump them together if I need a large body. But that's mostly because the uniforms are cool.

But when you get right down to it, it was an infantry war.

Okay, looking at Urwin's history of the US cavalry. Gates' only cavalry for the Camden campaign was Armand's (very poor) legion, mustering 60 mounted and 60 dismounted men.

Before Charleston surrendered, Lincoln had the combined 1st and 3rd Dragoons, totaling 379 men. SC militia horse raised that to about 500. They escaped the surrender.

Baylor had just over 100 men when the Brit light infantry caught them asleep and killed 30+ and captured as many.

Urwin says the average strength of a Continetnal lt dragoon regiment was about 120 men

I think you need to answer this in the context of particular actions.

@ doc mcb. Do you know what size the actual manoeuvre unit was? Did they use a 50 man squadron? We are doing some home brew rules and just don't know how big a unit of cavalry should be. We are using a 1 figure to 5 man ratio.

A regiment had 6 troops, so more like 20 men? But with dismounted men, who knows? I agree with Bill that there is too much variety and you need to choose which action or campaign. But 50 sounds pretty big to me.

I like a 1:5 ratio too. If I buy a command pack and a trooper pack from the Perrys, that gives me six figures, which looks good on the table and represents 30 men.

Honestly, as with uniforms and flags, we know so little and there was so much variety and change over time that almost anything goes. Take what IS known as reference points and then go beyond that with what is practical.

We are doing it all in 10mm so there is not too much cost. 1:5 seems to fit the small size of the battles. We have found plenty of info on the size of foot units but cavalry not so much. :-(

Look up a particular battle. That usually tells you how many were there at actual strength. Regulation strength is far too optimistic.
My units are from 6 to 18 strong.
That's because I fight both regimental and skirmish games with same figures.

THE SINEWS OF INDEPENDENCE, way back in 1976 (I worked on it as the researcher for Va) has monthly strength reports for the Continental Army (to the extent they exist). I'm trying to find my copy.

Doc, for American armies some of that same information can be found in the Nafziger orders of battle.

Yup. But i don't have those. :(

Neither the Americans or the British had permanent squadrons. A squadron in those armies was an ad hoc grouping of troops, commanded by a field officer or the senior captain. IIRC, the Brunswick Prinz Ludwig Dragoons had a formal squadron structure, but they didn't have horses, so the question is moot. I'm not sure about Lauzun's Hussars.

The largest single unit I recall at a battle was the British Legion cavalry (Tarleton's) at Cowpens, about 200 strong. The 17th light dragoons at the same battle fielded 50. On the Revolutionary side, Washington's dragoons were about 80 aided by some 40 state dragoons.

The Brunswick dragoons at Bennington had more men but they were afoot.

most horses were plow horses. not combat heavy horse. they got what they got from locals.

Yup. But i don't have those. :(

Nafziger orders of battle all now available online:

cgsc.edu/carl/nafziger.asp

Horse quality is a big deal. In a melee, it's equivalent to a football game where one side outweighs the other by a significant margin.

LOTS of plough horses, I expect, but otoh states like Virginia were major horse producers (because worn-out tobacco land was converted to pasture) and wealthy planters were typically very well mounted.

I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: a Virginia county could muster a troop -- several dozen riders -- by drawing from the young gentlemen and their body servants (who often rode the SECOND best horse -- they had to keep up with the master). They were typically undisciplined but often very brave (but brittle morale) and better horsed than almost anyone. And expert riders, often fox hunters, etc.

The counties hated to do this because it drew on the social/political elite, but it could be and was done when circumstances required. There were 100+ such cavalry in the Yorktown campaign.

I have a nice little unit of them, with about 1/3 black faces.

I used the Eureka mounted militia for McCall's SC troop. Wonderful figures. Fit the bill nicely.

I have the Old Glory Press "The American War of Independence, A Guide to the Armies of the American War of Independence", by Greg Novak. If you can find it anywhere, I think you will find it very helpful. There are two volumes, Book One and Two for northern and southern campaigns. Page 50 of book two shows the strength of the 1st and 3rd Continental Light Dragoons at Cowpens at a mere 80 mounted troopers. I have to imagine this was typical for mounted units in the south in the final few years of the war. Horseflesh was always at a premium.

PS – the British Legion shows at 174 for the same battle.

B

Cheers guys.

The six mounted and six dismounted troops of each of the British Light Dragoon regiments, each numbered about 30 all ranks. Administratively, each of the newly-raised dismounted troops was attached to one of the mounted troops; however, in practice they seem to have fought in squadrons that contained both types who operated as mounted and dismounted "divisions" of two or three troops each.

Just to be clear, the British LD dismounted troops were a deliberate augmentation to the regimental peacetime strength and an attempt to create the kind of legionary corps seen in the SYW, and not a method of dealing with a lack of horses, as was the case with the late-war re-organisation of the Continental cavalry.