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European Hero of U.S. Revolution Bio
NEWS | March 19, 2025

Don Michel Dragon (1739 – 1821)

 

Michel Dragon, also known as Don Michael Dragon, or Michael Dracos, was a Greek merchant and lieutenant who served in the Spanish Army during the American Revolutionary War, fighting with the Patriots for the independence of the United States of America.

Dragon was born in Athens in Ottoman Greece. He immigrated to New Orleans sometime around 1760. He briefly joined the French militia but then became part of the Spanish military when Spain took over New Orleans.

Dragon was one of the first Greek Americans, and one of few to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He participated in the Gulf Coast Campaign, notably in the Battle of Baton Rouge, Battle of Fort Charlotte, and in the Siege of Pensacola where he was in command of the provincial militia.

Dragon's family became one of the oldest and most influential Greek families in United States history. His grandson Alexander Dimitry, who was mixed-race due to his mother's partial African ancestry, was the first person of color to attend Georgetown University, and first person of color to become a U.S. Ambassador.