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REVOLUTIONARY WAR LOYALIST “KING’S AMERICAN DRAGOONS” BRIDLE ROSETTE, FROM COLLECTION OF HOWARD MADAUS

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This item is a cast brass circular rosette for a regimental bridle; the motif of the face is nearly identical to that of the regimental buttons. Measures 27mm. it features an incised motif of a six pointed star with inner concentric rings surrounding the letters “L D”. has a concentric ring border containing the legend in block letters, “THE KINGS AMERICAN DRAGOONS”.

Formed in New York City in February of 1781 and garrisoned there and at Huntington, Long Island. The enlisted men of this regiment wore very high quality two piece brass buttons which were gilded. Of all the regiments that served in America, they appear to be the only one where the enlisted men wore marked brass buttons, though they were standard for some British cavalry regiments. While still serving as Under-Secretary at State, Loyalist Benjamin Thompson spared no pains to ensure that the King’s American Dragoons received uniforms and equipment that were considered the equal or superior to any service.

Provenance: From the collection of author, historian, and extensive collector, Howard “Howie” Madaus (1943-2007). Accompanied by a small envelope with a description of the badge handwritten by Madaus.

The ambition of Madaus’ badge collection was to assemble representative examples of every major type of Civil War corps badge worn by the various branches of the Union Army, including specimens from each division of every army corps, along with numerous rare and previous undocumented varieties. In both its breadth and depth, his private holdings likely surpassed those of many public institutions, and a portion of the collection is now offered.

Howard Madaus was a distinguished solar and curator whose expertise in American military history and flags earned him national recognition. An active member of the Company of Military Historians, the American Society of Arms Collectors, the North-South Skirmish Association, and the Maryland Arms Collectors Association, he built his reputation through decades of dedicated scholarship. From 1968 to 2003, he served as assistant curator of history at the Milwaukee Public Museum, later becoming curator of the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, and finally Chief Curator of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition to his museum work. Madaus authored numerous influential books and articles o firearms, the Civil War, and American flags. His groundbreaking Battle Flags of the Confederate Army of Tennessee (1976) established him as a national authority, followed by major studies such as The Flags of the Iron Brigade (1997) and The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord & Conflict (2006). His expertise reached broad audiences through appearances on the History Channel, A&E, and PBS, and over the course of his career he emerged as one of the foremost authorities on the Unites States Civil War flags.  [ld][PH:L]

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