The two regiments of light dragoons were consolidated into one on May 12, 1814. Command of the regiment was given to Colonel James Burn, formerly of the 2nd Regiment. 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 third lieutenant, 1 cornet, 5 sergeants, 3 corporals, 2 musicians, 1 saddler, 1 farrier, I blacksmith, and 96 privates. The total authorized strength of the regiment was to be 63 officers and 916 other ranks. [8] A return of the U.S. Army dated 1 July, 1814, shows the following dispositions of cavalry: District No. 4 (Penn., Del., part N.J.) 200 District No. 6 (N.C., S.C., Ga.) 141 District No. 9 (at Plattsburg) 102 District No. 9 (at Buffalo, Oswego, Sackett's Harbour) 557 Under orders to join at Plattsburg 300 Total 1300 It will immediately be seen that the total of 1300 men was far higher than the authorized strength of the regiment. It should, however, be noted that these figures include both the sick and recruits. The figure of 557 men in Military District No. 9 also includes mounted troops other than the dragoons (Chapin's irregulars and Willcocks's Canadian Volunteers). [9] In 1814, the Regiment was most of its service in the northern theatre. A troop under Captain Harris arrived a little too late in participate in the action at Sandy Creek, NY, on June 11. On July 3, 1814, two squadrons of the regiment crossed the Niagara as part of Brown's army. One squadron under Captain Harris saw action at Chippewa on July 5th, and, again, at Lundy's Lane on July 25. Captain Harris's small detachment was present in the Ft. Erie garrison when it was besieged in August and September, 1814. Strength returns at Ft. Erie for July 31, 1814, show one officer and 47 dragoons present. On August 31, 1814, a strength return shows one officer and 27 men present. [10] Further south, Major Jacint Laval and 125 men of the regiment saw action at Bladensburg along with detachments of militia cavalry on August 24, 1814. The final action of the regiment was in the skirmish at Cook's Mills, Upper Canada, where, on October 19th, a small detachment under Lieutenant Anspaugh served as dispatch riders during the engagement. On May 17, 1815, under an Act of Congress dated March 3, 1815, the Regiment of Light Dragoons was consolidated with the Corps of Artillery. [11] 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