On October 11, 1779, a man who is considered the Father of the American cavalry in the United States was heroically killed. It was Kazimierz Pułaski, a Pole by nationality (Americans write his name as Casimir Pulaski). He is called the "father of the American cavalry," a Polish-born War of Independence hero who fought for American independence under George Washington.
Pułaski is famous for saving the life of George Washington, after which he was appointed a general in the US Army. Pułaski is one of only 7 people in history to receive the highly regarded title of Honorary Citizen of the United States (the other six are Blessed Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill, Lafayette, Raoul Wallenberg and the Penns - founders of Pennsylvania).
It is interesting how Pułaski, as a Pole, came to the United States in the first place. Namely, he was a Polish nobleman and soldier, who fought against the Russian imposition of power on the Poles. He therefore entered the fight against King Poniatowski, whom the Russians helped ascend the Polish throne (Poniatowski was once the lover of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great). As Poniatowski managed to quell the rebellion, Pułaski had to flee Poland.
After the fall of the Confederacy in 1772, he was sentenced in absentia to death in August 1773 for attempted murder, he had to emigrate from Poland. The authorities of any European country refused to accept it. He initially resided in Silesia, Dresden and France. After the verdict was handed down, he went to Turkey, from where he was expelled after diplomatic intervention, and then again resided illegally in France, where he tried to join the army, but failed. He left France in mid-1777 at the invitation of General Lafayette to the United States.
General Lafaytte noticed Pułaski's potential and recommended him to General George Washington. Thus, in 1777, Pułaski sailed from France to the United States, where he was accepted into military service.
In 1777-79 he fought in the ranks of the George Washington Army in the United States War of Independence with the rank of brigadier general. He saves the life of the future first president of the United States at the Battle of Brandywine. George Washington is now called the "father of the American people." In 1778 he created a cavalry legion. At his helm he defeats the English at the Battle of Charleston.
In the US Army, Pułaski was credited with organizing the cavalry. There was even a detachment of spearmen, modeled on the then Polish troops.
In May 1778, Pulaski began to form an independent cavalry unit that would be known as the Pulaski Legion. Composed of Americans, Germans, French, Irish, and Poles, the legion immediately began operating along the coast of New Jersey. The Legion also guarded the northern border of Pennsylvania before heading south.
In May 1779, the Pulaski Legion helped defend Charleston in South Carolina from the British. In the following months, the Legion engaged in reconnaissance and guerrilla warfare in South Carolina.
In May 1779, the Pulaski Legion helped defend Charleston in South Carolina from the British. In the following months, the Legion engaged in reconnaissance and guerrilla warfare in South Carolina.
In the fall of 1779, the Pulaski Legion marched on Savannah, Georgia, in an attempt to join other French and American troops to capture Savannah from the British but failed to capture the city. On that occasion Pulaski was unhappily wounded with a cannonball from an enemy cannon from which he died. Today, the cannon from which Pułaski was killed is kept in a history museum in the state of Georgia.
He was buried with full honors in an unknown location, and his Legion was included in the rest of the Continental Army.
After the war, he became an important symbol of American and Polish independence for his bravery in Europe and North America. In 2009, the United States Senate awarded him the posthumous honorary citizenship of the United States, one of only eight individuals to ever receive such an honor. In military history to this day he is known as the “Father of the American Cavalry”.
