Muster Books and Pay Lists (WO 12/11099) : British Legion : 1782 - 1783.

The British Legion was organized between January and April of 1778 during the British occupation of Philadelphia. It was made up of companies recruited from the City, Bucks, and Chester Counties, and absorbed the Bucks County Dragoons, Philadelphia Light Dragoons, Caledonia Volunteers, and later recruited among the South Carolina Royalists. The Colonel was Lord William Cathcart, and the field commander was Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, a brilliant and fearless cavalry officer who had been an officer in the 16th Light Dragoons. The British Legion departed from New York for Savannah, Georgia, and the Southern Campaign, on 26 December 1779. On 5 March 1780, the Corps began a march overland to Charleston, South Carolina, where they took part in the siege of that city with the army of Lord Cornwallis. After the victory at Charleston, the Regiment ranged widely throughout the South and saw action in numerous engagements including: Waxhams, Hanging Rock, Camden, Fishing Creek, Cowpens, Guilford Court House, and others. The British Legion was present when the British army surrendered at Yorkton. By November 1782, the Regiment had returned from the South and was located on Long Island, New York. On 7 March 1781, the British Legion was designated the 5th Regiment on the American Establishment, and on 25 December 1782 it was placed on the British Establishment. After the war, a number of soldiers from the Regiment settled at Port Mouton near Liverpool, Nova Scotia.