"Founding Father" of America's Cavalry

His name hardly registers amid those of the nation's famous leaders on horseback, e.g., "Light Horse Harry" Lee, J.E.B. Stuart and George Armstrong Custer. Nevertheless, Michael Kovats de Fabriczy is regarded by many military historians as "the founding father of the U.S. cavalry." Notably, he wasn't even an American.

Kovats was a dashing, decorated Hungarian Hussar commander who joined the colonial revolutionary cause thanks, in large part, to the foreign diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin. The Continental Congress placed him in charge of the Patriots' fledgling cavalry, and he proved quite worthy of the trust. By Summer 1778, the unit was praised by a Maryland newspaper editor for its "exemplary discipline," among other qualities.

Kovats served under George Washington's command in the mid-Atlantic theatre of war until 1779. In the defense of Charleston, SC, in May of that year, he was felled in battle. A British officer acknowledged Kovats' achievement, calling his force "the best cavalry the Rebels ever had." Kovats is commemorated today at The Citadel museum in Charleston.