Permission to raise a regiment of cavalry ~jas given under an Act of Congress dated April 12, 1808. The authorized strength of the regiment was to be eight troops, each troop to consist of: 1 captain, 1 first lieutenant, 1 second lieutenant, 1 cornet, 2 cadets, 4 sergeants, 4 corporals, 2 musicians, 1 saddler, 1 farrier, and 64 privates. The total authorized strength of the regiment was to be 54 officers and 612 other ranks. Wade Hampton, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, was appointed Colonel and Electus Backus, Major of the regiment. Until such time as the regiment could be mounted, they were to serve as light infantry. [1] Under the re-organization of the United States Army provided in the. Act of January 11, 1812, Congress ordered another regiment of light dragoons to be raised and to be known as the Second Regiment of Light Dragoons. The 1808 regiment, formerly known as the Regiment of Light Dragoons, became the First Regiment of Light Dragoons. The outbreak of war in 1812 found the regiment commanded by Colonel Leonard Covington with Electus Backus as his Lieutenant-Colonel. The autumn of 1812 saw detached troops of the lst Regiment stationed along the Northern Theatre from the main American encampment at Greenbush (near Alban, New York) to Niagara. One troop served as dispatch riders of the 1st regiment were mounted at this point but a report dated May 1, 1813 describes "500 well-mounted" troopers as being at Utica, New York. It is doubtful, however, whether such a large number were mounted. What is known is that 250 dismounted dragoons of the 1st dragoons of the 1st Regiment under the command of Lt.. Col. Backus were serving in the garrison at Sackett's Harbour when that place was attacked by a British force on May 28, 1813. During the ensuing battle, the dragoons fought as infantry and acquitted themselves very well. Backus was killed in the encampment. Two troops of the 1st Regiment were reported at Burlington, Vermont, on the 16 of July, 1813. In mid-October, 180 troopers of the 1st Regiment were ordered to Ogdensburg, NY, to support Wilkinson's move up the St. Lawrence. They were distributed in Ogdensburg and Hamilton, NY to prevent the British forces in Canada from obtaining food and information from the American shore. A picquet of the regiment, consisting of one officer and seven troopers,was captured in a skirmish with a detachment of the Canadian Fencibles on February 16, 1814. On March 10, 1814, 60 troopers of the 1st Regiment accompanied an American force from Plattsburg, NY, which demonstrated along the border in the Lake Champlain area. [2] On May 12, 1814, under an Act of Congress dated 30 March, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Light Dragoons were consolidated into the Regiment of Light Dragoons. [3] US Light Dragoons War of 1812 Introduction The First Regiment of Light Dragoons The Second Regiment of Light Dragoons The Regiment of Light Dragoons (Combined) Uniforms and Equipment Illustrations Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 23 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1978 by Jean Lochet This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com