5th Hussar Regiment

The 5th Hussar Regiment (5e régiment de hussards or 5e RH) was a French light cavalry regiment, formed under the Ancien Régime. It was the last regiment created under the monarchy. It particularly distinguished itself during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. It continued the traditions of the Regiment of Lauzun-Houzards.

Filiation and different denominations

 * 1 September 1778: Creation of the Navy's foreign volunteer corps, mainly composed of eight mixed legions to participate in the war against Great Britain
 * 5 March 1780: The 2e Légion des Volontaires Étrangers de la Marine changed its name to be the 2e Légion des Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun, or the Légion de Lauzun. This unit was present in the United States of America from July 1780 to May 1783.
 * 14 September 1783: The unit became known as the Régiment de Hussards de Lauzun.
 * 1 January 1791: All regiments were renamed by their type and numbered by their seniority. The unit became the 6th Hussar Regiment.
 * June 1793: The unit was renamed the 5th Hussar Regiment after the majority of the soldiers moved to the 4th Hussar Regiment.
 * 12 May 1814: The 5th Hussar Regiment became the Régiment des Hussards d'Angoulême
 * 22 April 1815: The regiment became again the 5th Hussar Regiment
 * 30 November 1815: The 5th Hussar Regiment was dissolved and recreated under the name of the Régiment des Hussards du Bas Rhin, #5
 * 1825: Renamed again to the 5th Regiment of Hussars
 * 1921: Dissolved
 * 1951: Recreated in Coblence as the 5th Hussar Regiment
 * 1976: Transformed into the 3rd Dragoon Regiment
 * 1980: Recreated as the Reserve Regiment of the 5th Hussar Regiment

Origin
The 5th Hussar Regiment was the child of the 2e Légion des Volontaires Étrangers de la Marine, or the Légion des Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun, created on 5 March 1780 which took part in the American Revolutionary War from 1780 to 1783. This mixed unit (one company of grenadiers, one company of infantry, two squadrons of Hussars, and one company of gunners) left Newport, Rhode Island in July 1780 and spent the winter in Lebanon, Connecticut.

The Légion de Lauzun became famous during the Siege of Yorktown, mainly before Gloucester on 3 October 1781, where they chased down the champion of the battle, a British cavalry led by Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The legion stayed in the United States of America, first in Hampton, Virginia, then in February 1782 in Charlotte Court House, Virginia, before they were moved in July 1782 to New York. The legion left the United States in May 1783.

The Régiment des Hussards de Lauzun, number 6, was officially created on 14 September 1783 in Hennebont, when the Légion de Lauzun des États-Unis returned.