A dragon is a shortened version of blunderbuss, a firearm with a short, large caliberbarrel which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore.[1][2] Dragons were typically issued to dragooncavalry, who needed a lightweight, easily handled firearm to use while mounted.[3]
^Sibbald Mike Lier (1868). The British Army: Its Origin, Progress, and Equipment. Cassell, Petter, Galpin. pp. 33, 302–304.
^George Elliot Voyle, G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson (1876). A Military Dictionary. W. Clowes & Sons. pp. 43, 114.
^Charles Francis Hoban (1853). Pennsylvania Archives., page 324, from a letter dated March 7, 1778