American Legion (Great Britain)

The American Legion was a provincial cavalry and infantry corps (regiment) of the British Army in the American War of Independence commanded by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold.

American Legion
American Legion reenactors at Colonial Williamsburg
Active	1780–1783
Disbanded	24 October 1783
Country	Great Britain
Allegiance	New York
Branch	British Army
Type	Provincial Troops
Role	Cavalry and infantry
Size	Corps (regiment)
Part of	British American Forces
Facings	Green
Engagements	American War of Independence Raid on Richmond Battle of Blandford Battle of Groton Heights
Commanders
Commanding Officer	Brigadier General Benedict Arnold

History

The American Legion is notable for the fact that Brigadier General Benedict Arnold was commander.[1] It was organised in October 1780 at New York.[2] It accompanied him in his raid upon Virginia and did good service. It was also with him in his expedition into Connecticut in September 1781 in which two forts were stormed and dismantled and the town of New London plundered and burned.[1] The Legion was disbanded on 24 October 1783 in New Brunswick.

Uniform

The Legion's uniform consisted of a red coat with green facings. The coat had short tails, as opposed to those worn by British Regulars who wore long tails.

References

1. Collections of the New Brunswick Historical Society. Volume I. Saint John, N. B.: The Daily Telegraph Steam Book and Job Print. 1894. pp. 210-211. OL 7199069M – via Internet Archive. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. Katcher, Philip R. N. (1973). Encyclopedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units—1775–1783. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 82. ISBN 0-8117-0542-0. OCLC 514627. OL 5291651M.

Further reading

• Allen, Thomas B. (2010-11-09). Tories: Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War (p. 321). Harper Collins, Inc. Kindle Edition.

External links

• Index to American Legion History at the Loyalist Institute (royalprovincial.com)