Following Napoleon's return from exile, the 8th Dragoons once again joined the Grande Armèè, becoming part of I Corp.

In the Franco-Prussian War, the 8th Dragoons would be highly active, following their reinstatement as a regiment, serving in the Battles of Borny and Gravelotte.

Following an uprising in Paris by the French Communes, the 8th Dragoons were put under the command of the Army of Versailles, participating in the Bloody Week, acts of reprisal against the rebellion.

The 8th Dragoons were part of the counter offensive in 1918, first arriving at Amiens, then to the mountainous terrain of Southern Flanders, and by the end of the attack, were at Aisne.

The 2nd Cavalry Division would station themselves in the Ardennes to delay the Germans for as long as possible, in front of the 9th Army.

When the German attack began on May 10, 1940, the 8th Dragoons were made up of four squadrons, with the capacity of 900 men, and 1,200 horses in total.

Nevertheless, the 8th Dragoons fought with the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France, delaying the Germans while the main group made its escape.

By the time the remaining Allied units at the Dunkirk Pocket surrendered, the 8th Dragoons virtually ceased to exist.

By that time the 8th Dragoons were stationed at Lake Constance, and were awarded the Croix de Guerre.

Following World War II, the 8th Dragoons garrisoned the City of Poitiers, then was sent in 1952 to Saarburg, shortly becoming part of the French occupation force in Germany.