What do we know about the Lithuanian general – known as Thaddeus Kosciuszko in America, Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland and Tadas Kosciuška in Lithuania – who changed the course of history in the United States?
The life story of Kościuszko was marked by love affairs as much as battlefield victories.
Kościuszko has the highest peak in Australia named after him and more than dozen of monuments in various US cities, but is relatively unknown at home.
“Several monographs dedicated to Kościuszko have been written in Poland, Ukraine and even Belarus, while our historians have not yet prepared such a synthesis,” says Juozas Skirius, a historian at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. “There have been some attempts, but so far without any tangible results.”
Kościuszko considered himself a citizen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania rather than the Kingdom of Poland, he notes.
“In his letters, he mentions several times that he is Lithuanian. [...] Of course, being Lithuanian meant different things at the time, but it is an important fact,” Skirius claims.
Another important fact in Kościuszko's biography is his participation in the American War of Independence.
“He was a close friend of the first US President George Washington, became a general and received the highest honours from American leaders,” Skirius says.
Unforgettable adventures in the US
In June 1776, Kosciuszko came to the United States with the intention of joining the American War of Independence. He served in the US army for eight years and earned a reputation as an exceptionally talented engineer and builder of defensive fortifications.
One of his most important works was the design of the West Point Fortress in the state of New York. Kościuszko also developed a plan for the decisive battle of Saratoga, which later became a symbol of the American Revolution.
Eventually, the United States became the second home for Kościuszko.
It is believed that George Washington struggled with spelling Kościuszko's name and addressed him in at least 11 different ways.
After the American War of Independence, he returned to Poland where he was imprisoned by the Russian tsar for his activities.
In August 1797, Kościuszko returned to the United States and dedicated himself to the liberation of slaves, directing all of his wealth earned during the American War of Independence to this cause.
Kościuszko entrusted his good friend, Thomas Jefferson, to execute his last will who later became the third president of the US.
During his life in the United States, Kościuszko championed freedoms and rights of different groups as well as equality.
We are certain that had Kosciuszko been resurrected, he would himself write Black Lives Matter in big bold letters across his statue.
His close aides were African Americans, Agrippa Hull and Jean Lapierre. The latter assisted Kościuszko in Poland during the Polish Uprising of 1794.
Historian and author Alex Storozynski claims that Kościuszko not only stood up for the rights of peasants, Jews, or black Americans, but was also an active supporter of equal rights for indigenous peoples of America.
During a meeting with the Miami Indian tribe in Philadelphia, he established a good relationship with the commander, Little Turtle. As a sign of friendship he presented Kościuszko with an axe and a pipe of peace, according to culture.pl.
In return, Kościuszko handed him two pistols, saying he would “shoot the first person to threaten Little Turtle or his tribe.”
The name of Kościuszko was therefore not forgotten during the Black Lives Matter protests across the US last year.
Like many others, the statue of Kościuszko in Washington DC was vandalised, which caused considerable outrage. Some observers believe, however, that Kościuszko himself would not be too offended, because he fought for the rights of black Africans himself, writes Dissent Magazine.
Polish philosophers Lukasz Mol and Michal Pospiszyl even wrote a petition asking to leave anti-racist and anti-Trump slogans on the statue.
“We are certain that had Kościuszko been resurrected, he would himself write Black Lives Matter in big bold letters across his statue,” the two philosophers wrote.
Hapless love affairs
A talented student, engineer and later a famous general, Kościuszko was less successful in love, writes the Polish Wiadomosci.
The greatest love of his life was Ludwika Sosnowska, from whom Kościuszko was separated because of his studies in France.
After returning home, Kościuszko had to face a brutal reality – due to the poor financial situation, he couldn't obtain an officer's license and pursue a military career. He was employed by Jozef Sylwester Sosnowski as an art and mathematics tutor for his daughters.
The love affair between Kościuszko and Sosnowska was therefore problematic due to the different social classes. Kościuszko wanted to marry her, but Sosnowski rejected the proposal, because “magnate daughters cannot marry nobles without status”.
Desperate Kościuszko eloped with Sosnowska and married her in secret. The bride's father was not pleased and even considered accusing Kościuszko of kidnapping his daughter, which was punishable by death.
Fearing for his life, Kościuszko fled to the US and offered his services to Benjamin Franklin, who later drafted the US Declaration of Independence.
Very soon, Kos – as he was called by Americans – became a war hero.
Kościuszko's relations with Tekla Zurowska, a daughter of a prominent Ukrainian nobleman, were also damaged by his low social standing. The girl's father was outraged by Kościuszko's decision to spend his wealth from the Independence War on a school for African-American children.
Not fully revolutionary
Kościuszko, famously, led the 1794 Polish-Lithuanian uprising against the Russian Empire. For this, he is still regarded as a model of patriotism and heroism, although some opinions hold that he should have behaved differently in pursuit of the country's independence.
According the early 19th-century historian Maurycy Mochnacki, Kościuszko led Poland to doom: “He didn't want to transform the majority of the country into the nation out of consideration for the minority”, that is, the nobility.
According to Mochnacki, Kościuszko concentrated on the national cause instead of the social – and opposed any revolutionary means from the start.
“He was criticised for the defeat of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's uprising against Tsarist Russia, but one must understand that the forces were completely unequal, and the Commonwealth itself was very weak,” Vytautas Magnus University historian Juozas Skirius says.
While Kościuszko is revered as a hero in Poland, Lithuania and the US, he is still waiting for recognition in Belarus, where people supporting the country's opposition consider him a national hero. Every year, they celebrate Kościuszko's birthday at his native estate in Brest, a Belarusian town on the border with Poland.
As February 2021 marks the 275th anniversary of his birth, “there will be a time when Kościuszko will be officially recognised as our national hero", Vladzimir Arlou, a Belarusian poet and historian, is quoted by culture.pl.
"The fact that we're gathering here every year is proof of our returning to Europe, to the European ideals which the insurgents of Kosciuszko had fought for."
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