"He is as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known."
Thomas Jefferson
When engaging with history, what I find myself most fascinated with, sometimes much more so than the mere historical facts, are the extraordinary biographies of the people shaping history.
Today I want to talk about Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish military engineer who became an important figure both in the war for American Independence as well as the aspirations for Independence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Apart from all his military accomplishments, he was also a very open mind of his time, and a defender of both the Spirit of the Enlightenment as well as Manumission.
I will give a quick overview over the career of the gentleman and why I think it's amazing, and further down I'll go into more detail on what I consider to be his greatest achievements.
Overview
Kościuszko served both in the American Independence War, as well as the Polish–Russian War of 1792. He later organised an (unscuccessful) rebellion, named after him, which led to the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
A red thread throughout his life was his denial of monarchy and love of the principles of the Republic. There were several instances in which he denied payment and honors due to the fact that they were made by some sort of monarch.
Militarily he was an engineer, responsible for building several modern (by the standards of the time) defense Systems in the U.S. Independence war, for example in West Point.
There were several times he was vital for the American War Effort, his most prestigious battle however remains the Battle of Dubienka.
He had also very modern and enlightened views on the practice of slavery, and attempted several times to use his resources to free and educate some of them. In America these attempts were stopped by the existing law, while in Europe they were directly forbidden by the Tsar.
Apart from being a notable commander, he also engaged as a painter and composer for most of his life.
I believe him to be one of the more interesting persons of the time, and I find it particularly intriguing how he gave the monarchy a big 'fuck you' more than once, without losing his life in the process. If you want to learn more, check out the rest of the Article!
Biography
Early Life and American Independence
Kościuszko was born into Polish nobility in 1746. After studying in the military Academy in Warsaw, and later the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris, he then heard about the American War of Independence. Influenced by the French support of the American cause, as well as his own sympathy for the cause of liberation, he decided to join the American War Effort.
There he made a name for himself as a great Engineer and tactician, providing tactical advices on both the North and Southern fronts. He was also responsible for most of the structural feats that made West Point such a highlight of tactical engineering in those days.
On the south front he was a particularly important figure in the "Race to the Dan" under Nathaniel Greene, in which American troops were chased for several hundred miles by British troops. Due to Kościuszkos' skill as a scout and an engineer, the American troops managed to cross all the bigger rivers there unscathed. British forces did not have this advantage, and lost a lot of time and troops in this race.
Return to Europe and Second Partition
After the war, once he had received his pay, he returned back to Europe.
There he fought in the Polish–Russian War of 1792, which was a result of the Polish declaring a form of Constitution, which the Russians answered with an invading army.
This conflict ultimately ended with Polish King Stanisław ordering a ceasefire, which ultimately led to the country being divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia. Kościuszko was deeply bothered by this, as he himself had not lost a single battle in the war, despite the numerical and tactical advantages of his enemies.
He refused to take the Order of the White Eagle for his accomplishments at the Battle of Dubienka, as it was a royal honor, and he was a firm republican. The act of declining some honour out of moral reasons is a theme throughout his life, and one of the reasons I'm so fascinated by the guy.
Kościuszko Uprising
After the war he went about in Europe, until some other Polish ex-pats convinced him to join their cause for a Polish uprising, as he had become quite a celebrity in Europe. On March 23, 1794 he marched against Warsaw with some men and declared an uprising. He successfully defended Warsaw against a siege by both Russia and Prussia, Prussia having to withdraw in early September. He was arrested by Russians after leading an sortie in October, and soon after the Revolution ended with the massacre at the Battle of Praga. (Praga not being the czech-city prague, but a suburb of Warsaw.)
Battle of Racławice by Jan Matejko
This revolution is also known as the Kościuszko -Uprising, and its' failure set an end to all Polish-Lithuanian independence endeavors for the next 123 years or so.
He was subsequently arrested and then freed, with a bundle of money and the forced promise of an oath of loyalty. Later he would renounce the oath and attempted to return the money, which maybe is one of my favorite 'fuck your monarchy'-moves in history.
picture: Tsar Paul visits the imprisoned Tadeusz, offering him his freedom. Source: wikipedia.
Late Life and Dealing with Napoleon
After being freed from imprisonement by Russian Tsar Paul I., he headed back to the U.S. However shortly after he received word from relatives and friends in Poland, who called for his return, as Napoleon had just begun his conquest of Europe.
With help of Thomas Jefferson, who got him a fake passport as well as an informal mission to help as an envoy in the XYZ-Affair, he got on a ship to Europe.
When he finally returned he wasn't needed as an enovy anymore, however he was still active in some circles and organisations occupied with the idea of a Polish Republic.
Ultimately he met with Napoleon, who wanted to use Kościuszkos' prominence as a means of gaining the loyalty of the Polish people, however Kościuszko refused, as Napoleon wouldn't meet his demands for a Polish-Republic. He later would call Napoleon the 'undertaker of the French-Republic'. After that he lied in Vienna for a while, being active in several expat-circles.
Since he couldn't find any satisfaction with the new Polish state under Russian supervision (the so called Congress Kingdom), he finally resigned to Switzerland, where he died in 1817, at age 71.
Picture: A portrait in his latter years
Source
Attempts at Manumission
As a young man Kościuszko fell in love with a noblewoman of higher statue , and was in turn beaten to a pulp by her retainers. This, as well as a liberal education in Paris, probably led to his dislike of class-distinction and slavery.
He made several attempts to liberate the serfs (peasant-farmer-slaves) at his Polish-estate, the last time shortly before his death. In this particular instance, it was directly forbidden by Tsar Alexander.
More relevant, and perhaps more relatable, is his attempt to use his American assets, gifted as a reward for serving in the war, to free and educate slaves. He drafted a will for this purpose, which he wanted his friend Thomas Jefferson to carry out. Jefferson refused due to the difficulties in getting this type of will carried out at the time. Several courts attempted to make his promise come true, however all failed. A copy of this will can be found here.
Kościuszko as a painter and musician
Even before enrolling at the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, Kościuszko was an avid painter. I am very much afraid to admit, that I failed to find any copies of his paintings or drawings. If anyone should come across them, I'd be very much obliged if you could direct me towards them, so I can include them in my article.
He also composed two polonaises and other sets of classical music, which later became popular in Polish resistance-circles. You can listen to it here:
Conclusion
I was very amazed when I first read about this decade-spanning career, which has touched so many lives and was witness to so many key-moments in history.
As far as I'm aware he is much more known in America and Poland, than in most other parts of the world, and I hope I can change this to a degree.
I am especially touched by the recurring theme of resistance to monarchy and slavery, as well as the tactical brilliance put forth in some of his engangements.
I hope you enjoyed this read. If you did, I'd be honoured by an upvote etc.
What are some of the historical figures whose life you consider to be great and worth a read? Leave your input in the comments.
I wish you a happy New Year, and may you too be one day considered the Purest Sonst of Liberty.
Sources
Most information and pictures were taken from the German and English Wiki articles on Kościuszko , as well as the book Thaddeus Kosciuszko: The Purest Son of Liberty by James S. Pula from 1998.
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