Thaddeus Koscuiszko National Memorial

Thaddeus Koscuiszko, Hero of Two Continents

Born of impoverished landed gentry in the eastern Polish province of Polesie on February 4, 1746, Thaddeus Koscuiszko (KOS-CHOOS-KO) became one of the 18th century’s greatest champions of American and Polish freedom. Koscuiszko was educated in Warsaw and Paris where he studied military engineering and attained a broad academic background. Little is known about how Koscuiszko learned about the American Revolution, but sometime in late 1775 or early 1776, he probably read about the conflict at Lexington between the American Colonials and the British. We do know that by August of 1776 he was in Philadelphia offering his services to the new country and embarking on a life-long devotion to the cause of liberty.

Koscuiszko in the American Revolution

One of the first foreign volunteers to come to the aid of the American revolutionary army, Koscuiszko arrived in Philadelphia just a few weeks after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. At the age of 30, and with no practical military experience. The Polish Lord Kosciuszko applied to the Continental Congress for a commission. It was several weeks before Congress acted on his request, but finally on October 18, 1776 Congress passed a resolution that "Thaddeus Koscuiszko, 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." During the next six years Koscuiszko would make many significant contributions to the American Revolution, but his two most notable accomplishments were the fortifications at Saratoga and West Point.

Defense of Saratoga and West Point on the Hudson River

Koscuiszko’s selection and fortification of Bemis Heights overlooking the Hudson River near the village of Saratoga contributed greatly to the surrender of 6,000 British troops under General John Burgoyne. The surrender of Burgoyne on October 17, 1777 is considered by many to be the turning point of the Revolutionary War. This was America’s first major victory over the British and led to the intervention of France on the side of America.

Koscuiszko’s next assignment, and perhaps his greatest achievement, began in March, 1778 when he was entrusted with the defense of the Hudson River at West Point. For 28 months Koscuiszko planned and built permanent fortifications at West Point, and was so successful that the British never dared attack. (When the Military Academy was established at West Point in 1802, the first monument erected was a tribute to Thaddeus Koscuiszko.)

Aide to General Nathanael Greene

In 1780 Koscuiszko’s request for a more active assignment was granted when he was assigned to the Southern Army. He continued to serve in the Southern Campaign under General Nathanael Greene until the end of the war. His service in the Continental Army ended in 1783 when Congress promoted him to Brigadier General and passed a resolution recognizing "his long, faithful, and meritorious service." Koscuiszko remained in the United States for another year putting his affairs in order and taking leave of Washington and his comrades in arms. Finally, on July 15, 1784, Thaddeus Koscuiszko set sail from New York for his native Poland.

Polish Lord Koscuiszko Returns to Philadelphia.

From 1784 through the late 1780s Koscuiszko lived the quiet life of a Polish landlord. By the 1790s, however, Koscuiszko was in the forefront of Polish resistance to Czarist Russia’s domination over Poland. It was during this period that Koscuiszko wrote the Act of Insurrection, a document strongly reminiscent of the American Declaration of Independence. The Insurrection, however, was destined to fail. Seriously wounded in battle, and imprisoned in Russia, Koscuiszko saw the Polish insurrection crushed by foreign military powers. In December, 1796 Koscuiszko was freed from Russian prison on the condition that he never again return to Poland.

In exile, and suffering from wounds that left him partially paralyzed, Koscuiszko once again set sail for the United States. On August 18, 1797, after a sixty-one day journey, he arrived to a hero’s welcome in Philadelphia, the capital city of the new nation. To escape the yellow fever epidemic raging in the city he traveled north to spend several weeks visiting his old friends, General Anthony W. White in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and General Horatio Gates in New York City. Returning to Philadelphia in November, Koscuiszko and his companion, Julian Niemcewicz, rented rooms in a boarding house at Third and Pine Streets run by Mrs. Ann Relf. In a small room on the second floor of this house Koscuiszko spent the winter reading, sketching, and receiving distinguished visitors who came to pay tribute to "the hero of Poland." One of his most frequent visitors was Vice President Thomas Jefferson. Koscuiszko and Jefferson shared many of the same political views and the two became close friends. Koscuiszko, however, was becoming restless. Uppermost in his mind was freedom for his native Poland, so on May 5, 1798 he once again set sail for Europe.

Though Koscuiszko would never live to see Poland free from foreign intervention, he continued to work for Polish freedom until his death on October 15, 1817 in Solothurn, Switzerland.