Honor a Hero

Michael Kováts (also spelled Kovats, de Kovats) was born in 1724 in the Kingdom of Hungary in the Protestant town of Karcag into a noble family.  He had a long European military career—serving in Hungarian Hussar regiments in the Habsburg empire, the French Bercsényi Hussar Regiment, and the Prussian Székely Hussars.  He later volunteered for service in the American Revolutionary War, offering his experience to the Continental Army.  

Though not always as well-known as some of his contemporaries, Kováts played a pivotal role in building the mounted forces of the Continental Army. He helped organize, train, equip and recruit for cavalry units—bringing European cavalry discipline and structure into the American context.   A British officer reportedly described his cavalry as “the best the rebels ever had.”  

Kováts was inspired by coverage in European newspapers of the American Revolution (the Pressburger Zeitung in the Habsburg realm had published extensively on the war). He wrote a letter in Latin to Benjamin Franklin in January 1777 offering his services, where he emphasised his own military virtues and his voluntary commitment to the American cause.  

Michael Kováts (also spelled Kovats, de Kovats) was born in 1724 in the Kingdom of Hungary in the Protestant town of Karcag into a noble family.  He had a long European military career—serving in Hungarian Hussar regiments in the Habsburg empire, the French Bercsényi Hussar Regiment, and the Prussian Székely Hussars.  He later volunteered for service in the American Revolutionary War, offering his experience to the Continental Army.  

Kováts first served as a recruiting officer among German-speaking communities in Pennsylvania, leveraging his fluency in German and his European military background.  He then became an adviser to Casimir Pułaski (a Polish nobleman also establishing a cavalry legion) and helped shape the cavalry’s organization, uniforms, equipment, and structure—areas where Pułaski lacked direct experience.  

Yes. In early 1778, Pułaski recommended that Washington appoint Kováts as drillmaster for the cavalry.   Although Washington hesitated about placing foreigners in senior roles, Kováts was eventually appointed as training officer.   Then, on April 18, 1778, Congress formally appointed him to the rank of colonel (“de Kowatz”) in the Corps later known as the Pułaski Legion.  

The southern campaign was critical. In early 1779, the Pułaski-Kováts Legion was ordered south to reinforce the war in the Carolinas.   On May 11, 1779, during a skirmish near Charlestown (present-day Charleston), South Carolina, Kováts fell from his horse during the retreat and was killed.  His exact burial site remains uncertain.  

Kováts is commemorated both in the United States and in Hungary. In the U.S., memorials include the “De Kováts Triangle & Playground” in New York City, an equestrian bronze relief at the New York Historical Society, and multiple memorials in Washington, D.C.   In Charleston, a marker by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a reproduction of the red-white-green flag designed by Kováts are among his honors.   In Hungary his role is increasingly recognized in the context of Hungarian–American heritage.