When visiting Philadelphia last week, I was surprised to learn that the correct answer to the above question is TWO.
Count Casimir Pulaski of Poland might be well-known, if only because of all American cities and counties and schools that bear his name, but I'd never heard of Thaddeus Kosciuszko (pronounced KOS-CHOOS-KO). Have you?
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| Thaddeus Kosiuszko by Julian Rys |
Yet, he was hailed a Revolutionary War hero in both the United States and Poland. I learned his interesting story when I visited the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Monument in Philadelphia.
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| Thaddeus Kosciuszko House National Monument 3rd & Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA |
While Congress debated how to prepare the colonies for the impending war against England, Kosciuszko read the Declaration. He was so moved by its words that he determined to meet its author, Thomas Jefferson. The two became close friends.
"He is as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known."
~ Thomas Jefferson
Congress was slow to approve Kosciuszko's commission, but finally on October 18, 1776, a resolution was passed that "Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Esq., be appointed an engineer in the service of the United States, with the pay of sixty dollars a month, and the rank of colonel."
Two of Kosciuszko's most noted achievements during the American Revolution were the fortifications he built at Saratoga and West Point.
In the fall of 1777, British General John Burgoyne's objective was to sweep south from Canada along the Hudson in an effort to cut off the New England colonies and secure New York City. Selecting Bemis Heights as a strategic site to stop the British, Kosciuszko laid out his nearly impregnable defenses 10 miles south of Saratoga. When Burgoyne attempted to push through the American lines there on September 19, 1777 and again on October 7, his redcoats were repulsed both times. Burgoyne was forced to surrender his 6,000 troops on October 17, 1777. The Battle of Saratoga was the first major victory for the colonists and led to the intervention of France on the side of America.
In March 1778, Kosciuszko was given the responsibility for defending the Hudson River yet again, this time at West Point. If the Americans lost the Hudson River, they would lose the war, not only because New England would be isolated from the rest of the colonies but also because the British could transport military supplies down the river from Canada to its troops. Once again Kosciuszko chose an impregnable location at the mouth of the Popolopen Gorge and built Fort Clinton. When the British arrived, their commanding officers took one look at it and threw up their hands. The British did not even dare to attack it.
At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War in 1783, Congress promoted Thaddeus Kosciuszko to Brigadier General and passed a resolution recognizing "his long, faithful, and meritorious service" throughout the war. The Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington also awarded Thaddeus Kosciuszko the Cincinnati Order of the Eagle Medal.
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| Replicas of Kosciuszko's military medals |
Returning to a quiet life in his native Poland, Kosciuszko watched with increasing anger as Catherine the Great of Russia and King Frederick II of Prussia divided Poland up between themselves. Taking up his pen, Kosciuszko wrote the Act of Insurrection, a document he modeled upon Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. The act was a rallying cry for freedom-loving Poles to rise up against the armies of Russia and Prussia and retake their homeland. Assuming the powers of Commander-In-Chief of all Polish forces, Kosciuszko vowed "not to use these powers to oppress any person, but to defend the integrity of the borders of Poland, regain the independence of the nation, and to strengthen universal liberties."
The Kosciuszko Uprising of March 24, 1794 failed against the combined might of the Russian and Prussian military. Kosciuszko was seriously wounded in battle and imprisoned in Russia. In December 1796, Kosciuszko was freed from prison on the condition that he would never again return to Poland.
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| General Thaddeus Kosciuszko by Benjamin West |
In exile and partially paralyzed from his wounds, Kosciuszko set sail once again for Philadelphia where he rented a room in the boarding house of Mrs. Ann Relf, located at 3rd and Pine Streets. There he recuperated from his wounds, received notable visitors such as Jefferson, and sketched the portraits of the young ladies who paid him a call.
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| Restored upstairs bedroom rented by Thaddeus Kosciuszko Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial 3rd & Pine Streets, Philadelphia, PA |
When the United States finally issued his back pay for his Revolutionary War service, Kosciuszko entrusted the money to Thomas Jefferson before he left Philadelphia for Switzerland, with instructions to use the funds to purchase freedom for American black slaves, including those owned by Jefferson. Jefferson never executed this clause of Kosciuszko's will. In 1852, Chief Justice Roger Taney of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Kosciuszko's will was invalid and transferred the funds which by then had grown to $50,000 to Kosciuszko's heirs in Europe.
For the rest of his life, Kosciuszko continued to work for Polish freedom until he died on October 15, 1817 in Solothurn, Switzerland. Kosciuszko is revered by the Polish people, and rightfully so!
The Poles endured 125 more years after the Kosciuszko Uprising before they would finally celebrate their independent statehood from Russia, Prussia and Austria on National Day of Independence, November 11, 1918.
Kosciuszko, undoubtedly, would have enjoyed that day!
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| A gift to Polish Americans from the People of Poland, General Thaddeus Kosciuszko's Statue is located at 18th & Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. |
Bonus Question:
Do you know which monument was first erected at West Point after the Military Academy was established ithere n 1802?
If you answered a statue of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, you are absolutely correct!
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