Casimir Pulaski
Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander known as 'The Father of American cavalry'.
Jan Styka · via Wikipedia: Casimir Pulaski · Public domain
Casimir Pulaski was a Polish nobleman who became a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[1] He is called "The Father of American cavalry" for bringing organization and training to the Continental cavalry.[2][1] Pulaski died from wounds received at the Siege of Savannah in 1779.[1]
Quick Facts
- Birthplace
- Warsaw, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Died
- 11 October 1779
- Place of death
- Thunderbolt, Georgia, U.S.
- Burial place
- Monterey Square, Savannah, Georgia
- Branch
- Poland-Lithuanian Army, Continental Army
- Service years
- 1762–1779
- Rank
- Brigadier general
- Unit
- Pulaski's Legion
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Pulaski was born on March 6, 1745, in Warsaw, Poland, the second eldest son of Marianna Zielińska and Józef Pułaski.[3] His father Józef was one of the founders of the Confederation of Bar, a Catholic organization opposing Russian influence.[1] He fought against Russian forces with his father, establishing a reputation as a defender of liberty.[1] In 1771, Pulaski attempted a plot to kidnap the Polish king and was accused of trying to assassinate him.[1]
He fled Poland and, in 1776, met American envoys Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane in France.[1] Franklin described Pulaski as "an Officer famous throughout all of Europe for his Bravery and Conduct".[1] At the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, Pulaski led a counterattack that helped save Washington's army.[1] After Brandywine, he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the American light dragoons.[1]
Pulaski raised a new regiment called Pulaski's Legion, which became a dangerous force under his training.[1]
What the cited sources add
The Mount Vernon account states that Pulaski's father raised him as a staunch nationalist and that his cavalry skills were honed fighting Russians.[1] The Journal of the American Revolution article explains that the Pulaski Legion's banner was Hungarian-inspired and made under the instructions of Colonel Michael Kováts.[4] That article also states that the Moravian Lutheran Sisters created the small flag carried by the Pulaski Legion.[4] The Mount Vernon account records that Charleston held a public funeral for Pulaski and Savannah built a fifty-five-foot obelisk in his honor.[1]
October 11 has been designated General Pulaski Memorial Day in the United States.[1]
References
- Weinstein, "Casimir Pulaski", Mount Vernon. facts only, no text reused. mountvernon.org
- Wikipedia, "Casimir Pulaski" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Weinstein, "Casimir Pulaski", Mount Vernon (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Casimir Pulaski" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Makarewicz, 1998; Poles in America Foundation, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Lacey, "The Forgotten Hungarian Origins of the Pułaski banner", Journal of the American Revolution, 2024-12-03. facts only, no text reused. allthingsliberty.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Casimir Pulaski (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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