Leonard Wailes Covington (October 30, 1768 – November 14, 1813) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

brigadier general and a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Biography

Born in Aquasco, Prince George's County, in what was then the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

, Leonard Covington joined the

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in March 1792. He was promoted to captain in 1794 and served in the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

(1785–1795) under

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

, where he distinguished himself at Fort Recovery and the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

. He resigned from the military at the conclusion of the Northwest Indian War. In 1809, Leonard Covington returned to the Army as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of light

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s, having served many years in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

and in 1805–1807 as a Representative (

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

) in the Ninth Congress.Leonard Covington's Congressional biography
retrieved 10 December 2015. He was in command at

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island, Newport, Rhode Island, that was established on July 4, 1799, as a Seacoast defense in the United States#First System, First System Coastal defence and fortification, coas ...

on the lower

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and participated in the December 1810 takeover by the United States of the

Republic of West Florida The Republic of West Florida (, ), officially the State of Florida, was a short-lived unrecognized republic in the western region of Spanish West Florida for just over months during 1810. In December, 1810, the United States occupied and an ...

, in today's

Florida Parishes The Florida Parishes, on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight parishes in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The Florida Parishes were part of what ...

, Louisiana. He served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, being promoted to brigadier general in August 1813. Covington was mortally wounded in the Battle of Crysler's Farm and died three days later at French Mills, Franklin County, New York. At the time of his death, Brig. Gen. Covington and his family were residents of Washington, the capital of the

Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...

, in a home named ''Propinquity''. It was built in 1810 near the military installation Fort Washington (originally Fort Dearborn), where Covington commanded the Regiment of Light Dragoons. Mrs. Leonard Covington was the former Rebecca Mackall, his first cousin and a relative of the family of General

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy. He served in the Continental Army du ...

. The Covingtons had at least four children.

Places named after Covington

* Covington, Georgia *

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

* Covington, Louisiana * Port Covington, Maryland * Covington, New York * Covington, Ohio * Covington, Pennsylvania * Covington, Tennessee *

Covington County, Alabama Covington County (briefly Jones County) is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 37,570. Its county seat is Andalusia. Its name is in honor of Brigadier General Le ...

* Covington County, Mississippi *

Fort Covington, New York Fort Covington is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 1,531 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from a War of 1812 fortification. The original name of the town was ''French Mills''. The town is on the co ...

* Covington, Virginia * Covington Theological Seminary in

Rossville, Georgia Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,980 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office has been in operation at Rossville sinc ...

References

External links

COVINGTON, Leonard
in the ''Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'' (Scroll down.) * * *

photos of statue in Covington, Kentucky, on a news blog, December 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Covington, Leonard 1768 births 1813 deaths United States Army generals American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland People from Washington, Mississippi Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves American slave owners 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Biography

Places named after Covington

See also

References

External links