Show two T wa PO polish 1 i e s Cham champion champions F rions of american lib liberty arty 4 abot A As V 0 4 aad I 1 44 11 9 polishes americans atthe at the kosciuszko ko monument in Hurn humboldt boldt park Chic chicallo chicado aclo it by ELMO SCOTT WATSON mg UI 1111 issuance by tile post office do dc f part apartment ment of a special five cent H stamp which will be placed on sale L I 1 in Ch chicago lengo detroit and boston on finar october 18 19 and at other post offices on october 19 serves to recall the name of a n distinguished foreigner who in the words of postmaster general farley will be forever perpetuated in the hearts or of the american people for this stamp commemorates the andler sary of the admission to american citizenship of gen thaddeus kosciuszko Kosc Rosc luszko the polish soldier who la Is known as the great champion of liberty and this stamp Is another tribute to his memory by the nation whose liberty he helped to establish monuments have been erected to him in chicago boston and washington and at the united states military academy at west y X T Y a county in indiana and streets in several of our cities bear Ms ills name but the everyday use of the commemorative stamp during october by thousands of americans will recall his name and fame to more of our citizens citizen s than any of these other memorials have ever done october Is a month which Is peculiarly associated with the history of kosciuszko Kosc luszko it was on october 18 1770 that he came to camp near new york bearing a letter of introduction from benjamin franklin to the com mander anander ln in chief it was during october of that year that he be was made a colonel of engineers in the continental army became a member of military family and began the as so clation with the great american which ena enabled bled kosciuszko Kosc luszko in later years to call himself proudly a friend of washington and it was on october IS 15 1817 that the polish cham champion plon met his death by it a fall from his bis horse an event which the poet campbell has made historic with his hope for a season bade the world farewell and freedom d as kosciusko Kosc lusko fell also significant in the relationship of washington and kosciuszko Kosc luszko Is the fact that they were born in the same mouth month washington on february 11 old style 1732 and KOSc kosciuszko luszko on february 12 1746 lie ile grew up on his fathers estate a remote spot in lithuania though of noble coble birth the elder kosciuszko Kosc luszko was a man of property and his children lived like other chii children of their class thaddeus seems to have been a diligent conscientious boy with a keen sense of responsibility lie ile attended the jesuit college la in his home town and in 1764 entered the corps of cadets cabets in the royal school of warsaw later he went to france where villere he studied military engineering especially french fortifications cat ions sketches made by kosciuszko Kosc luszko while he was as studying architecture in brest and paris are to be seen in polands bolands Po lands national museums at the age of twenty eight he returned home to find the family fortunes sadly depleted just why at this time kosciuszko Kosc luszko made up his bind to go to america Is not entirely clear some attribute it to an unhappy love affair others assert he be was stirred by the story of a young country fighting for its independence at all events he sailed for the new world and landed at philadelphia in the summer of 1770 having mortgaged his patrimony and borrowed bor ducats dubats to get there ile he seems to have made the acquaintance of franklin either cither in france or in philadelphia for w we e next nert hear of him presenting the letter of introduction tro from franklin previously referred to to washington in october 1778 1776 what can you do asked washington according to the familiar story try me and we shall see seel was the poles modest reply so washington made him a colonel of engineers and he soon proved what he could do from october 1776 to april 1777 he was busy fortifying philadelphia continuing the work which he had undertaken upon his hh arrival there before his services had been accepted by washington then he joined gates cates army in the north korth and it was kosciuszko Kosc luszko who selected and planned the fortification of bemis near saratoga and his contribution was a material one to the success of the operations which led to the surrender of burgoyne at saratoga shortly afterwards kosciuszko Kosc luszko planned the fortifications on the hudson at west point generally rated as his greatest achievement in the war var tor for american independence kosciuszko Kosc luszko ar i X V 4 V taw abw 1 M ito 2 kosciuszko koscil statue at west point rived at west point in march 1778 and laid out additional forts to protect west point which alch then controlled the principal line of tion from new england to the central and the southern colonies in case the british should send an expeditionary force from new york lie ile also strengthened the existing defenses so much general genera satisfaction was there with work that washington in a dispatch says to his care and sedulous appreciation the american people are indebted fur for the defenses of west point it was this polish soldier who urged that west point be chosen when it was as later decided to found a training school for american youth lie ile spent tiao of the six years he was in this country at west point where a monument was erected in his memory in 1823 1828 next service was in the carolinas campaign with general greene and it Is said that greenes Grec nes escape from cornwallis Corn during his memorable retreat was due largely to the work of the roii polish h officer in constructing pontoon bridges which allowed greenes army to cross rivers before the british could overtake it tile the close of the revolution evolution Il found Kosc kosciuszko luszko a brigadier general and a member of the society of the cincinnati by vote of congress american citizenship was conferred upon him in october 1783 and he was granted POO acres of land on the scioto river in perry county ohio which lie later sold american liberty having been won kosciuszko Kosc luszko decided to return to his own land and fight again for its freedom to follow the acal atles of the polish patriot after his return to his native land Is to follow the stormy days of a poland fighting for freedom against heavy odds in 1791 poland under a new constitution became a limited monarchy with ministerial responsibility invidious class distinctions were done away with but the new constitution could not stand against the old confederation polish territory was a desirable corridor for surrounding powers the little polish army under kosciuszko Kosc luszko and prince joseph did what it could for three months it kept back all invaders but king stanislaus 11 II of poland doubtful of success acceded to the demands of the confederation poland was again parceled out to her neighbors and reduced to one cne third her original dimensions men undismayed kosciuszko Kosc luszko and his followers withdrew to there they laid their plans plana for another battle lu in this encounter they were partly victorious recovering considerable lost territory but the gatas gains of war against an enemy whose numbers far exceeded their own proved disastrous Kosc kosciuszko luszko seriously wounded was taken prisoner on tile the battlefield roi for years he be was confined in the famous russian fortress of st peter and paul he was released upon ills his request that he be allowed once more to visit america after his second visit to america lie he settled down in a house near paris there he received many distinguished guests and worked for a fatherland he was never to sec se again the list last few years of his life were ere spent alth ith friends in Solo solothurn thurn switzerland where he died in ISIT 1817 closely connected with the month of october Is the story of another polish champion of liberty a comrade in arms of kosciuszko K find and a man nhom ft horn americans delight to honor along with alth him count casimir pulaski kl pulaski pulaska was as born in poland march 4 1749 17 as As a mere boy he threw himself into the struggle for polish liberty at twenty one h he stirred up a revolt in lithuania against the tyrannical ran russians nho iho were gradually crushing out polands bolands Po lands national life thou though gh elected commander in i calef of the polish army of independence in 1770 when but twenty two years old lie he was defeated in battle and scored failure after failure ile he is said to have made an unsuccessful attempt the next year to kidnap king stanislas of poland from the batters lat warsaw palace As a result 0 of various mishaps pulaski was outlawed his estates confiscated fisca ted and a price set on his head pulaski fled for his life to turkey finding his way thence to france a patriot without a country in paris he met benjamin franklin and heard from him the story of americas struggle for liberty here at last was a chance for the fugitive to strike another blow for freedom armed with letters of introduction from franklin he sailed for philadelphia in march 1777 and joined army as a volunteer washington appointed the pole to a place on the general staff Pu laskis first american battle was at the brandywine there he rallied companies of retreating americans and so deployed them as to protect the retreat of our main army for this service congress made him a general ile he persuaded washington to raise a body of ll 11 light infantry and cavalry and enlist for it all classes of men including prisoners and deserters ser the count was made leader of this corps of troops which was known as the pulaski legion with his odd following he harried the british and won new fame but he grew tired of holding so small a command there was strife and discontent among the men pulaski gave up his office and decided to go back to europe washington persuaded him to stay in the army and sent him south to find new scope for his energies the southern summers glimmers unbearable heat and the steaming unwholesome marshes where he was often forced to camp told upon the roles poles health ile he fell seriously ill with malaria fever but as fast as ile he recovered from one attack he continued his campaign against the british until another illness laid him low ills his health wrecked he fought on the americans were planning to march against the english forces that held Sm savannah annah ga put pul aaili asili acting as advance guard fell upon the unprepared enemy captured some of their outer fortifications and opened the road for communication between the patriots and the reinforcing french fleet the americans then laid regular siege to savannah ran nall pulaski was made leader of both the american and the french cavalry and led an assault on tile the british lines on october 9 1779 during which he was mortally wounded ile he died two days later on the united states brig the wasp and was burled at sea the sesquicentennial of 0 Pu laskis death was the occasion for a nationwide nation wide observance on october 11 1929 9 when commemorative services were held in many places throughout the country and a tall fall shaft honoring the polish hero was unveiled in savannah there was also a special stamp issue in honor of 0 the event the next year a resolution was introduced into congress to make october 11 of each year pulaski kl memorial day and in 1931 this resolution was passed and president hoover issued a proclamation calling for its observance a 0 by western newspaper New paper union |