Pulaski was born
on March 4,1747, in Winiary, some 40 miles outside of Warsaw.
His family belonged to the minor Polish nobility, and his
ancestors fought with King Jan Sobieski against the Turks at
the siege of Vienna in 1683. His father Jozef successfully
built up the family fortune and deeply involved himself in
politics. But the vast Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had
fallen on hard times. No longer the military power of
Sobieski's day, it came increasingly under the domination of
its aggressive neighbors, particularly Tsarist Russia. Russia
demonstrated its influence over the Commonwealth's affairs
when in 1764 Empress Catherine the Great imposed her candidate
Stanislaus Poniatowski, as the Commonwealth's next elected
monarch. Poniatowski sought to carry out much needed reforms,
but aroused the suspicion of the nobility who feared the
establishment of a royal despotism. Moreover, the Russian
ambassador regularly interfered in the Cornmonwealth's
domestic affairs, in 1767, even using Russian troops to coerce
its parliament into passing legislation that ended the
privileged position of the Catholic Church. In these
circumstances, in 1768, Jozef Pulaski joined with others in
initiating an insurrection known as the Confederation of Bar,
a town in the Ukraine, where it was formed. Under the motto,
"For Faith and Freedom," the elder Pulaski assumed
the military leadership of the confederation, and Casimir on
his 21st birthday took command of a detachment of partisans.
For the next 3 1/2 years, in military campaigns against
Russian forces that sought to put down the rebellion, the
young commander proved his valor and genuine military talent
in more than a dozen major action and numerous skirmishes.
Exile
In
October 1771, Pulaski undertook one last major expedition as
part of a plot to abduct the king. The plot misfired, but it
led to the young Casimir being unjustly accused of attempted
regicide and later, after he left the country, to a death
sentence. When in 1772, Russia, Prussia, and Austria began
negotiations to partition the Commonwealth, he and the other
confederates saw the futility of continuing the struggle. In
the face of the charges against him, he was forced to flee his
homeland, never to see it again. Within months of his
departure, the Commonwealth's aggressive neighbors agreed to
divide over a quarter of its territory among themselves. The
effort to defend the Commonwealth had failed, but the heroism
of Pulaski and other confederates would inspire future
generations of their countrymen. Meanwhile, Pulaski faced a
difficult exile. After two years in western Europe, he again
joined battle against Russia, this time, on the side of the
Turks. Their defeat forced him to return to France where, in
the summer of 1776, he learned of America's war for
independence and sought permission from the Americans to join
their forces. Most American colonists were not yet
enthusiastic in the support of the war, and George Washington,
a commander-in-chief, needed battle-tested officers like
Pulaski. Finally, in May 1777, Pulaski received a letter of
recommendation from Benjamin Franklin, the American
commissioner in Paris, and left for America, landing near
Boston in July. In August, he reported to Washington's
headquarters near Philadelphia.
The
American Revolutionary War
On Washington's
recommendation, the Continental Congress appointed Pulaski
general of the cavalry on September 15, 1777. But even before
his formal appointment, he demonstrated his value. At the
battle of Brandywine Creek, where Washington's forces suffered
a defeat, Pulaski led a counterattack that covered the retreat
of the Americans and helped prevent a military disaster.
Pulaski spent the winter of 1777 training his soldiers at
Trenton, not far from Washington's headquarters at Valley
Forge. He introduced new battle drills in an effort to
transform them into a highly mobile force. But, realizing that
the Americans did not share his conception of the cavalry as a
separate combat force, Pulaski asked to be relieved of his
position and allowed to form a special infantry and cavalry
unit capable of more independent action. With Washington's
support, Pulaski gained the consent of Congress on March 28,
1778. It took Pulaski, regarded as "the father of the
American cavalry," another five months to form his legion
at his headquarters in Baltimore, where he recruited
Americans, Frenchmen, Poles, Irishmen, and especially Germans;
mainly deserters from the Hessian mercenaries employed by the
British. But for some time the American command could not find
a suitable role for Pulaski's legion, leading him again to
request reassignment. Finally, on February 2,1779, he received
orders to proceed to South Carolina to reinforce the southern
American forces under British attack. Now Pulaski began his
most active period of service in the war with the front line
combat he sought. At the head of a troop of some 600, Pulaski
arrived in Charleston in May 1779, just in time to contribute
to its successful defense against a much larger British force,
which after occupying Georgia was steadily advancing
northward. This victory proved pivotal in the war in the South
as it broke the British momentum and boosted American morale.
What remained was to win back the territory that the British
had occupied. Savannah became the fateful goal. Newly arrived
French forces under Admiral Charles Henri d'Estaing together
with the Americans planned a risky all out assault on the
heavily fortified town. The siege began on October 9. The
mission of the Pulaski Legion was to follow in behind the
French infantry and break down the enemy's line of defense.
But the French got caught in a cross fire, and d'Estaing
himself was wounded. Awaiting the proper moment for his
cavalry to enter the battle, Pulaski could see the infantry
breaking ranks under heavy fire. To try to save the situation,
he charged forward into the battle only to be grievously
wounded himself. Carried from the battlefield, he was put on a
ship to be taken back to Charleston, but never regained
consciousness. On October 11, 1779, the 32 year old Polish
commander died at sea, where he was buried.
Source: Casimir Pulaski 1747-1779: A Short Biography
Written by and reprinted with permission of: John J. Kulczycki,
Professor of History, University of Illinois at Chicago;
Published by the Polish Museum of America, 984 N. Milwaukee
Ave., Chicago, IL 60622;
(312) 384-3352
