Dragoon

All night long in the dark and wet,  A man goes riding by. Late in the night when the fires are out, Why does he gallop and gallop about?
— Robert Louis Stevenson, Windy Nights  
==In game==
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Dragoon/Ultima Ratio|Ultima Ratio
Dragoon/Rise_of_the_Moderns|Rise of the Moderns
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Category: medium cavalryCategory: ranged units
===Overall strategy===
The Dragoon is the first ranged cavalry unit to be received by most Western factions, although many European nations such as France, England, Spain and the Netherlands can already raise some form of ranged cavalry well during the Colonial Era to supplement their forces. Still, they are better than nothing, and are best used to skirmish enemy melee units, with the long range of their weapons. 
Use Dragoons to take out enemy heavy infantry, especially Pike Levies and Halberdiers, but always be careful of Musketeers and modern heavy cavalry such as Cuirassiers, as these units have some degree of protection against the weaker shot of the Dragoon. While a squad of Dragoons may well prevail against more archaic forms of cavalry units, such as Qizilbash or Huangying Cavalry, against units such as Carabiniers, Hussars and the aforementioned Cuirassiers, it may be another story.
===See also===
*Carabinier
====Notes====
All UU versions are mostly a rejigging of the same abilities:
* Pulaski Regular: sacrifices armour and possibly HP for faster movement.
* Chasseur à Cheval: sacrifices HP for cost, somewhat like Russian units?
*Colonial Dragoons: higher attack versus foot units, but takes more damage from melee cavalry.
==History==
The term dragoon usually referred to mounted infantry: soldiers who would travel by horse, but who would dismount before battle to fight on foot. Their name possibly comes from a type of firearm called a dragon which was used by such soldiers. 
Dragoons emerged from the practice of occasionally transporting infantry by horse when rapid movement was necessary, and units of these soldiers were established in most European armies during this period. Over time, the term has been used more generally to refer to cavalrymen as well since they evolved to also serve as conventional cavalry, trained for combat with swords and firearms from horseback. The title “dragoon” still persists in modern times, albeit as the name of armoured cavalry or ceremonial mounted regiments.
===References===
*Ketcham SJ, Dragoon Soldier: Historical Background (2022); National Park Service