The Capture of Covington. On July 22, 1864, Union Cavalry from Wilder's and Minty's Brigades, armed with Spencer repeating rifles, entered Covington under orders of General Keener Garrard. As the Battle of Atlanta raged to the west, Covinton was unprotected by Confederate troops. Covington citizen Presley Jones fired at the soldiers and was shot for killing two Union men. Troops also executed George Daniel, a furloughed Confederate soldier suspected of resistance. The Federal cavalrymen then destroyed or took with them anything useful to the Confederate war effort before riding on to Oxford. 2002.4 Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, Main Street Covington, Management Services Network, and the Newton County Historical Society 107-1