This site's whimsical title -- suggested by Doc M -- comes from a supply requisition written by Ban Tarleton in November 1778, while the Legion was stationed in Jericho, New York. Ban's notion of what he needed to fight the rebels seems to have included a brace of foxhounds. He obviously considered them military equipment, because he felt they should be fed at the army's expense. From the imperious tone of the letter, I can't help but wonder if the quartermaster had expressed reservations on that point at some time in the past.

Doc M points out that riding to hounds was a useful way of keeping cavalrymen and horses in shape when they were not actively on campaign, so perhaps the whole thing isn't as silly as it appears. Either way, it's a delightful piece of Tarleton trivia.

Copies of this letter and other correspondence relating to the British Legion can be found on the On-line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies website. [See links]