17th REGIMENT of LIGHT DRAGOONS
Ministry of Resources
The Free Library of the 17th's
One of the challenges in interpreting the 17th Light Dragoons is a lack of immediate primary sources for the era of the American Revolution. This is mostly due to a terrible tragedy in 1792 when a ship containing the regimental papers shipwrecked in the Caribbean which meant the direct sources from the firsthand accounts of the American War for Independence we're in a large part lost. The subsequent information is a puzzle of outside sources and later regimental documentation that pieces together the story of the regiment during its fight in the American Colonies. While it is lamentable that these original source documents have long since become a treasure to the sea and her eyes only, the piecing of this history is a quest we relish and are constantly scouring for.
Below we have compiled a series of free sources in the Public Domain with a summary of the work for your edification . We also have posted Amazon links to other works we recommend in your search for information about the American Revolution more broadly.
Books About
The 17th Dragoons
Historical Record of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons
- Richard Cannon, 1841
A historical record of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons‐‐Lancers containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1759 and of its subsequent services to 1841.
A History of the 17th Lancers
John Fortescue, 1895
A compilation of information based on the original dispatches and papers, numerous enough, in the Record Office, Tarleton's Memoirs, Stedman's History of the American War, two volumes of the Clinton- Cornwallis Controversy compiled by Mr. B. Stevenson, Clinton's original pamphlets, with manuscript additions in his own hand, about the 17th's early history. Written near the turn of the 19th century lookinw back over the Lancer's long and illustrious history by that point.
The Royal Warrant of 1768 (Guidons)
King George III, 1768
This Royal Warrant is geared towards laying out the standardized rules for cavalry units in His Majesty's Service in 1768. This is the primary document where the details of our guidons can be found, since there are no surviving physical flags from this period.
To find out more and see how we are using historic documents like these to recreate lost history, click below to see the document and follow our journey.
The Discipline of the Light Horse
-Robert Hinde, 1778
A contemporary look at the history, training, and discipline of the Dragoons and Light Horse regiments in the British Army written by Robert Hinde as a training manual for the soldiers of horse. Written in the midst of the American Revolution, this primary source is a treasure trove of period perspective on how the Dragoons operated, trained war-horses, and were used in battle. As it was written several years before the end of the war, it is very probable that members of the 17th Light Dragoons had access to these drills and pages.
The Orderly Book of General Sir William Howe
-Lord William Howe, 1775-76
A collection of General Howe's orders to the army in his own hand. This published version includes Howe's orders for daily troop movement and discipline throughout the occupation of Boston, it's subsequent siege, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and may other events pertinent to the first two years of the war.