(Redirected from Tadeusz Kosciuszko)
'Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko' (;
1746 –
1817) was a
Polish and
Lithuanian national hero, general and a leader of the
1794 uprising (which bears his name) against the
Russian Empire. He fought in the
American Revolutionary War as a colonel in the
Continental Army on the side of
Washington. In recognition of his dedicated and faithful service he was
brevetted by the
Continental Congress to the rank of Brigadier General in 1783, and became a naturalized citizen of the
United States that same year.
There are several Anglicized spellings for his name, but the most frequent is ''Thaddeus Kosciusko'', the spelling his modern-day family uses, though the full ''Andrew Thaddeus Bonventure Kosciusko'' also appears in some texts. In
Lithuanian, his name is spelled Tadas Kosciuška. In
Belarusian his name is spelled ''Тадэвуш Касцюшка'' (Tadevuš Kaściuška).
Biography
Early life
Tadeusz Kościuszko was born
February 4,
1746, in the
village of Mereczowszczyzna, the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (now
Kosava in
Belarus), to the
noble family of
Ludwik Tadeusz Kościuszko and Tekla (née Ratomska). His family's ancestor was a certain Konstanty, a
courtier of king
Sigismund I who in 1509 was granted the village of
Sihnievičy (Polish: ''
Siechnowicze''), ennobled, became ''
szlachcic'', and used the
Roch III Coat of Arms. However, by the time Tadeusz was born his family was already somewhat impoverished and the village with its small
manor was their only property.
In 1755 Tadeusz and his elder brother Józef started education in a
Piarist school in
Lubieszów. After five years, in 1760, both were forced to return home due to family problems. Józef was chosen to inherit the family's property and Tadeusz decided to start a military career.
Mereszowszczyzna manor.
In 1764 king
Stanisław II August created the
Szkoła Rycerska, a
university that was to educate the cadre of well-educated
officers and state officials. On
December 18,
1765, Tadeusz Kościuszko joined the newly-formed school and became a member of its ''
Cadet Corps''. Apart from the strictly military-related subjects, he studied also
history of Poland, history of the World,
philosophy,
Latin,
Polish,
German and
French language, as well as
law,
economy,
geography,
arithmetic,
geometry and
engineering. Upon his graduation he was promoted to
Captain.
Kościuszko in France
In 1769 Kościuszko and his colleague Orłowski were granted a royal scholarship and on
October 5 they set off for
Paris. There Kościuszko briefly studied in the Academy of Fine Arts, but soon he realised that the career of a painter was not what he dreamt of. However, as a foreigner he could not apply for any of the French military academies and he lacked funds necessary to study engineering. However, for five years Kościuszko educated himself as an extern, by attending various lectures and the libraries of the military academies of Paris. His stay in
pre-revolutionary France had a tremendous influence on his later political views.
Return to Poland
After the
first partition of Poland-Lithuania the neighbouring countries of
Russia,
Prussia and
Austria annexed a large part of the Polish-Lithuanian territory and secured their influence on the internal politics of Poland and Lithuania. The country was forced to reduce the
Polish Army to 10,000 soldiers and when Kościuszko finally returned home in 1774, there was no place for him in the armed forces. His difficult economic situation also prevented him from getting married and in the autumn of 1775 Kościuszko decided to emigrate.
Dresden and Paris
In late 1775 Kościuszko arrived in
Dresden, where he wanted to join either the
Saxon court or the
elector's army. However, he was refused and decided to travel back to
Paris. There he was informed of the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War, in which the former British colonies in North America revolted against the crown and started the fight for independence. The first American successes were well publicised in France and the cause of the revolutionaries was openly supported by the
French people, whose government also supported the Americans.
American Revolutionary War
Kościuszko was recruited in France by
Silas Deane and
Benjamin Franklin and in August 1776 he arrived in
America. He initially served as a volunteer but Congress later commissioned him a Colonel of Engineers in the Continental Army on
October 18,
1776. Due to the recommendation of Prince
Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and General
Charles Lee, Kościuszko was named head engineer of the
Continental Army.
He was sent to
Pennsylvania for his work with the
Continental Army. Shortly after arriving, he read the
United States Declaration of Independence. Kościuszko was moved by the document because it encompassed everything in which he believed; he was so moved, in fact, that he decided to meet
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration. The two met in
Virginia a few months later. After spending the day discussing philosophy, and other things they shared in common, they became very close friends. Kościuszko was a guest at
Monticello, on many occasions, and spent prolonged visits there.
Kościuszko's first task in America was the fortification of
Philadelphia. On
September 24,
1776, Kościuszko was ordered to fortify the banks of the
Delaware River against a possible
British crossing. In the spring of 1777 he was attached to the ''
Northern Army'' under General
Horatio Gates. As the chief engineer of the army he commanded the construction of several forts and fortified military camps along the
Canadian border. His work made significant contributions to the American successful retreat from the
battle of Ticonderoga and
victory at Saratoga in 1777.
After the battle, Kościuszko, then regarded as one of the best engineers in American service, was put in charge by
George Washington of military engineering works at the stronghold in
West Point on the
Hudson River. Then he asked to be transferred to the ''
Southern Army'', where he also made significant contributions to the American victories.
After seven years of service, on
October 13,
1783, Kościuszko was promoted by
Congress to the rank of
Brigadier General. He was also granted American citizenship, 2.5 square kilometres of land in America, and a large sum of money. He used the money to help some black
slaves gain their freedom. He was also admitted to the prestigious
Society of the Cincinnati, one of only three foreigners allowed to join, and to the
American Philosophical Society.
Return to Poland
In July 1784 Kościuszko set off for Poland, where he arrived on
August 12. He settled in his home village of
Siechnowicze. The property, administered by Tadeusz's brother-in-law, brought small yet stable profits and Kościuszko decided to limit the ''
corvee'' of his serfs to two days a week, while completely freeing all female serfs. This move was seen by the local ''
szlachta'' as a sign of dangerous
liberalism of Kościuszko.
By that time the internal situation in Poland changed rapidly. A strong yet still informal group of politicians underlined the need of reforms and strengthening of the state. Notable political writers like
Stanisław Staszic and
Hugo Kołłątaj promoted the ideas of granting the serfs and the burghers more rights and strengthening the central authorities. These ideas were supported by a large part of the
szlachta, who also wanted to overthrow the foreign dictate and meddling in Poland's internal affairs.
Finally the
Sejm Wielki of
1788-
1792 started the necessary reforms. One of the first acts of the new parliament assumed the creation of a 100,000 men strong army to defend the borders of Poland against her aggressive neighbours. Kościuszko saw it as a chance to return to military service and serve his country in the field he had the most experience. He applied for the army and on
October 12,
1789, received the royal nomination to
Major General. As such he also started receiving a high salary of 12,000
złotys a year, which ended his financial difficulties.
The internal situation in Poland and the reforms of the
May Constitution of Poland, the first constitution written in the modern era in
Europe and second in the world after the
American, were seen by the surrounding powers as a threat to their influence over Polish politics. On
May 14,
1792, the conservative
magnates created the
Confederation of Targowica, which asked the Russian empress
Catherine II for help in overthrowing the constitution. On
May 18,
1792 a Russian army of 100,000 crossed the Polish border and headed for
Warsaw, thus starting the
War in Defence of the Constitution.
War in Defence of the Constitution
Although the plan for creation of a 100,000 man strong army in Poland was not accomplished due to economic problems, the Polish Army was well-trained and prepared for the war. Before the Russians invaded Poland, Kościuszko was made the deputy commander of the 3rd Crown
Infantry Division of Prince
Józef Poniatowski. When the latter was made the
Commander in Chief of all the Polish army in May of 1792, Kościuszko automatically assumed command of the unit.
After the betrayal of Prussian allies, the Army of Lithuania did not oppose the advancing Russians. The Polish Army was too weak to oppose the enemy advancing in the
Ukraine and withdrew to the western side of the
Bug river, where it regrouped and counter-attacked. Victorious in the
battle of Zieleńce (
June 18), Kościuszko was among the first to receive the newly-created
Virtuti Militari medal, the highest military decoration of
Poland, even today.
In the following battles of
Włodzimierz (
July 17) and
Dubienka (
July 18) Kościuszko repelled the numerically superior enemy and became regarded as one of the most brilliant Polish military commanders of his time. On
August 1,
1792, the king promoted Kościuszko to
Lieutenant General. However, before the nomination arrived to Kościuszko's camp in Sieciechów,
King Stanisław August joined the ranks of the
Targowica confederation and surrendered to the Russians.
Emigration
The capitulation of the king was a hard blow for Kościuszko, who did not lose a single battle in the campaign. Together with many other notable Polish commanders and politicians he fled to
Dresden and then to
Leipzig, where the emigrants started preparing an uprising against Russian rule in Poland. The politicians, grouped around
Ignacy Potocki and
Hugo Kołłątaj, sought contacts with similar groups of opposition formed in Poland and by spring
1793 were joined by other politicians and revolutionaries, among them
Ignacy Działyński and
Karol Prozor.
On
August 26,
1792, the
French Legislative Assembly awarded Kościuszko with
honorary citizenship of France in honour of his fight for freedom of his fatherland and the ideas of equality and liberty. After two weeks in Leipzig, Kościuszko set off for
Paris, where he tried to gain French support of the planned uprising in Poland.
On
January 13,
1793,
Prussia and
Russia signed the
Second Partition of Poland, which was ratified by the
Sejm of Grodno on
June 17. Such an outcome was a giant blow for the members of
Targowica Confederation who saw their actions as a defence of centuries-old privileges of the
magnates, but now were regarded by the majority of the Polish population as
traitors. After the partition Poland became a small country of roughly 200,000 square
kilometres and a population of approximately 4 million. The economy was ruined and the support for the cause of an uprising grew significantly, especially since there was no serious opposition to the idea after the
Targowica confederation was discredited.
In June of 1793 Kościuszko prepared a plan of an all-national uprising, mobilisation of all the forces and a war against Russia. The preparations in Poland were slow and he decided to postpone the outbreak. However, the situation in Poland was changing rapidly. The Russian and Prussian governments forced Poland to again disband the majority of her armed forces and the reduced units were to be drafted to the Russian army. Also, in March the tsarist agents discovered the group of the revolutionaries in
Warsaw and started arresting notable Polish politicians and military commanders. Kościuszko was forced to execute his plan earlier than planned and on
March 15 1794 he set off for
Kraków.
Kościuszko Uprising
Main articles: Kościuszko Uprising
During the Uprising, Kościuszko was made the
Naczelnik (Commander-in-Chief) of all Polish-Lithuanian forces fighting against Russian occupation, and issued the famous
Proclamation of Połaniec. After initial successes following the
Battle of Racławice, he was wounded in the
Battle of Maciejowice and taken prisoner by the Russians, who imprisoned him in
Saint Petersburg. The Uprising ended soon afterwards with the
Massacre of Praga.
Later life
In 1796
Paul I of Russia pardoned Kościuszko and set him free. In exchange for his oath of loyalty, Paul I liberated also approximately 20,000 Polish political prisoners still held in Russian prisons and forcibly settled in
Siberia. Kościuszko emigrated to the
United States, but the following year he returned to
Europe and in
1798 he settled in
Breville near
Paris. Still devoted to the Polish cause, Tadeusz Kościuszko took part in creation of the
Polish Legions. Also, on
October 17 and
November 6,
1799, he met
Napoleon Bonaparte. However, he did not trust the French leader and decided not to support his idea of re-creation of Poland under the auspices of
France.
He remained an active politician in the circles of the Polish emigrants in France and in 1799 he was one of the founding members of the
Society of Polish Republicans. However, he did not return to the
Duchy of Warsaw and did not join the reborn
Polish Army allied with Napoleon. Instead, after the fall of Napoleon's empire in 1815 he met with
tsar Alexander I of Russia in
Braunau. Alexander asked him to go to Warsaw, however soon afterwards in
Vienna Kościuszko learned that the
Kingdom of Poland created by the tsar would be even smaller than the
Duchy of Warsaw. Kościuszko called such an entity 'a joke'
[1] and when he received no replies to the letters he had sent to the tsar, he left Vienna and moved to
Solothurn in
Switzerland, where his friend Franciszek Zeltner was a mayor. Suffering from poor health and old wounds, Tadeusz Kościuszko died there of a fall from his horse on
October 15,
1817.
In 1818 his ashes were transferred to
Kraków and interred in a crypt in the
Wawel Cathedral, the pantheon of Polish national heroes and kings. His descendants are still among us and honor him to this day.
Things and places named after Kościuszko
"
Piast eagle" worn by soldiers of the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division.
As a national hero of both
Poland and the
USA, Kościuszko became the namesake of numerous places in the world. The Polish explorer Count
Paweł Edmund Strzelecki named the highest mountain in
Australia,
Mount Kosciuszko, for him. Nowadays the mountain is the central point of the
Kosciuszko National Park.
He is also the namesake of
Kosciusko, Mississippi,
Kosciusko County in
Indiana, the two
Kosciuszko Bridges in New York State (one in
Latham on I-87 just north of
Albany, the other on the
Brooklyn Queens Expressway),
Kosciuszko Street (BMT Jamaica Line), the Kosciuszko Bridge that crosses the Naugatuck river in
Naugatuck, Connecticut, Kosciuszko Street in
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Kosciuszko Park across from the Polish
Basilica of St. Josaphat in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin contains an equestrian statue honoring him, and Thaddeus Kosciusko Way in downtown
Los Angeles. There is a statue of him in
Detroit, one in
Boston Public Garden, one in
Scranton, Pennsylvania, one on
Chicago's lakefront, one in
Lafayette Park in
Washington, D.C., one at the
USMA in
West Point, New York, one in
Williams Park in
St. Petersburg, Florida, and, as of 2006, one in the Red Bud Springs Memorial Park in
Kosciusko, Mississippi. In
Philadelphia, his home is preserved as
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, and his monument stands at the corner of
Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 18th Street. In
Hamtramck, Michigan, there is a school named Kosciuszko Middle School.
Chicago has a public park named for him in
Logan Square, and the city of
East Chicago,
Indiana, has a public park (with statue), a school, and a neighborhood, all bearing Kosciuszko's name.
In Poland every major town has a street or a square named after Kościuszko. Also, between 1820 and 1823 the citizens of
Kraków erected a
mound [2] to commemorate the leader. A similar mound was erected in 1861 in
Olkusz [3]. He is also a patron of the
Kraków University of Technology, the
Military University of Wrocław and countless other schools and
gymnasia throughout Poland. He was also the patron of 1st Regiment of the
Polish 5th Rifle Division,
1st Division of the
Polish 1st Army and in Polish Aviation: in post
World War I the
Kościuszko Squadron and in
World War II the
303rd Polish Squadron. There are also two ships named after him:
S/S Kosciuszko and
ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko, a former
US Navy frigate transferred to Poland. Also, there are streets named after Kościuszko in downtown
Belgrade,
Serbia (''Ulica Tadeuša Košćuška''), as well as in
Budapest,
Hungary (''Kosciuszkó Tádé utca''). In
Vilnius, the capital of
Lithuania, one of important streets is named after Kościuszko (''Kosciuškos gatvė''). There is even a small street named after him in Rio De Janeiro, Brasil.
He also has a street named after him in Downtown
Los Angeles,
United States by
Cesar E. Chavez street.
"As pure a son of liberty as I have ever known," said
Thomas Jefferson about Kościuszko.
Further reading
★
James S. Pula, ''Thaddeus Kosciuszko: The Purest Son of Liberty'', Hippocrene Books, 1998, ISBN 0781805767
★
Leanid Niestsiarchuk, ''Андрэй Тадэвуш Банавентура Касцюшка: Вяртаннегероя нарадзіму'' (in Belarusian) Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko: Return of the Hero to his Motherland,
Brest, 2006, ISBN 9856665930
External links
★
The Kosciuszko Foundation. A Polish-American cultural foundation, named after General Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
★
Mt. Kosciuszko Inc. Find here a lot of information about the conquest of Mt Kosciuszko, the highest peak of Australia
★
About.com feature on Tadeusz Kosciuszko
★
Polish Embassy in the United States, a tribute page
★
US Kosciuszko National Monument web site
★
US Embassy in Belarus announcement
★
Kosciuszko Polish-American Historical Society, Inc. of the Valley Ansonia - Derby - Shelton - Seymour, Connecticut
★
Kosciuszko Monuments Gallery
★
Unknown Kościuszko's Manuscript
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