The Continental Army, during the Revolutionary War appears to have only fielded Light Dragoons which were effectively mounted infantry (a useful thing no doubt) but why did they not field the many types of contemporary cavalry used by the European powers. From lighter types such as Hussars and Uhlans/Lancers adept at eliminating broken infantry to Heavier Dragoons and Curassiers which were able to deliver armored charges.
I know the British in the period were very much fans of Light Dragoons and re-equipped some heavier regiments as Light Dragoons, but why would the Americans be inclined to copy their enemy, the British. Wheras their allies, the French, had very diverse cavalry.
Was this due to perhaps a lack of the different strains of horse ideal for different roles being absent in sufficient numbers to form units for the Colonials?
Did state forces ever produce more diverse cavalry units of the contemporary types other than Light Dragoons and the kind of Yeomanry Militia that is simply mounted militiamen not equipped and uniformed as a given formally "branded" type of cavalry.
So why all the eggs in one basket in the continental army cavalry equipping them all as Light Dragoons?
From everything Ive read it comes down to 3 big reasons: 1. The nature of warfare in the colonies. 2. Washington's dislike or cavalry. 3. The lack of military tradition of cavalry in the colonies.
There really werent many situation when massed cavalry would have been very useful to the Continentals. Large open areas, and roads which would make it easy to move quickly really weren't found. The only time you see large cavalry formations was in the Southern theater and even then they rarely operate as anything but scouts or mounted infantry. The British never even brought much heavy cavalry to the colonies for logistical reasons and used loyalist units much of the time.
Washington was not really a fan of cavalry units. They were unable to be used in the line, required a great deal of supplies, and could sometimes be hard to control. In fact for much of the war the ONLY cavalry unit attached to the main army was the 2nd Continental Dragoons, and they mostly served as scouts, and guards.
There also just wasnt a strong tradition of cavalry warfare for the colonists to support and build on. The men of every colony had fought for a century as light or heavy infantry so that is what they continued.
So really the dragoons were the best unit that the colonists could field as it played to their strengths, fulfilled the need for scouting, were accepted by the commanders, and could be supported logistically and financially.
-Patriot battles: How the War of Independence was Fought
I know the British in the period were very much fans of Light Dragoons and re-equipped some heavier regiments as Light Dragoons, but why would the Americans be inclined to copy their enemy, the British. Wheras their allies, the French, had very diverse cavalry.
Keep in mind that the US was still originally a British colony whose militia operated on British principles. Washington made his name as a commander in the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War here in the US) as a member of the British colonial militia.
We weren't about to realign our military doctrine along French lines just because we allied with the French. We stuck with what we knew as British colonials.
It should be understood that during the Revolutionary War the Americans used cavalry and dragoons interchangeably (and to a large degree so did the British).
Strictly speaking a dragoon was a mounted infantryman and cavalry fought from horseback, but there were very few units in the Revolutionary War that fought solely from horseback or were solely mounted infantry.
Some of the most famous cavalry units in the war were British units like the Queen's Rangers commanded by John Graves Simcoe or the British Legion commanded by Banastre Tarleton and both of those units fought many times dismounted. They also fought from horseback too--in fact one of Tarleton's most famous victories (at Waxhaws) came when his men smashed Buford's men and thoroughly routed them in a cavalry charge.
In the South Carolina backcountry especially the militia units that were raised were a bit of a catchall that did everything. Due to the sparseness of the settlements they were all mounted. As such they were mounted and often fought solely from horseback. There were many raids conducted from horseback, but also many battles where they would ride to the battle and then dismount to fight. They would conduct scouting and reconnaissance like cavalry would (and this was true of dragoons as well).
Speaking of dragoons, at Cowpens William Washington employed his dragoons like cavalry against Tarleton's cavalry and was essential in preventing Tarleton from flanking the American infantry. At Guilford Courthouse Washington again used his dragoons in the role of cavalry, not as mounted infantry, and both William Washington and Henry Lee used their dragoons as cavalry forces in many actions in South Carolina.
Sources
With Zeal and With Bayonets Only: The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775-1783