Pulaski's Legion was commissioned by the Continental Congress on March 28, 1778, and Michael Kováts was named colonel commandant of the legion on April 18, 1778. He was finally allowed to perform the task he had initially been intended: to organize and train hussar regiments for the American army. The recruiting of men began almost immediately, and by October 1778, the legion consisted of 330 officers and men. Kováts trained these men in the tradition of Hungarian hussars: in basic form, training and organization, they were similar to their European counterparts.