Brigadier General Kazimierz (Casimir) Pułaski
“Father of the American Cavalry”
By John Cebrowski, a PHC Board Member
Kazimierz Pułaski was born on March 6, 1745 in Warsaw. His father Józef was a noble and lawyer by trade, and his mother Marianna Żielinska, was also a noblewoman. One of 7 children, he was diligently educated on the family estate in Warka and in Warsaw. In addition to his formal education in which he excelled; Kazimierz was introduced into the military through a local “company of soldiers”. That company was cavalry-oriented. His career goal then was to be a regional war leader and governor, helping to reform the Commonwealth back into a powerful country.
His father and other like-minded nobles formed the Confederation of Bar in 1768 in response to Russian interference in Poland’s affairs. Kazimierz was named a colonel, commanding a horse-mounted detachment. Being forced to surrender after an early encounter, he was sent to a Russian POW camp. King Stanisław Poniatowski then intervened and deceived Tsarina Catherine the Great into granting amnesty to a certain number of unnamed prisoners, of which Pulaski was one. He returned to the fight, growing to become the Confederacy’s Commander-in-Chief building his small detachment into a 6,000-man cavalry army with Pulaski named a Marshall. He fought more battles than any of the Confederacy commanders. Even Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, an Austrian, lauded Pulaski’s talents as the best cavalry commander in Europe. Unfortunately, the uprising failed, his father and brothers were dispatched, the family estates were plundered and he was driven into exile, first to Austria, then to France.
In order to utilize his skills, French noblemen collaborated with him on a letter on July 26, 1776, to Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, the first American diplomats to France, titling him a “Count” though the title was non-existent in Poland. The letter offered his services for the American Revolution. Pulaski was sympathetic to the American cause because he would be fighting for the same ideals as he had in Poland, and he saw England as a common enemy because it had supported the First Partition of Poland in 1772. A meeting with Benjamin Franklin was arranged in Paris, and Franklin, impressed, gave Pulaski letters of introduction to George Washington. “Here is the Polish Count Casimir Pulaski, an officer famous in all of Europe for his courage and bravery in defense of his Fatherland, against the three invading mights, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. He will have the honor of delivering this letter to you in person. The French Court here has encouraged and blessed his voyage to America with the prospect of his usefulness in our service.”
On June 6, 1777, Pulaski sailed from France for America and landed on July 23rd at Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was met by members of the Continental Congress and taken to meet General Washington on August 21, 1777, in Bucks County, PA, with his own letter in hand, stating, “I came here where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it”. General Kościuszko helped him and strongly endorsed him. On August 24th Washington wrote a letter to John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress asking for Pulaski’s appointment.
While waiting for an official position, Pulaski joined General Lafayette’s staff as a volunteer and also traveled as part of General Washington’s staff. On September 11, 1777, during the Battle of Brandywine, Pulaski took command of Washington’s Headquarters 30-man cavalry detachment to fight off a British force that had snuck up on the American rear. His subsequent charge averted a disastrous defeat of the Continental Army and saved the life of George Washington, earning him fame in America. Upon hearing about Pulaski’s actions at Brandywine, on the orders of the Continental Congress, Washington commissioned Pulaski the first Brigadier General of Cavalry, earning him the title “The Father of American Cavalry”. At that point, the cavalry was only a few hundred men strong and organized into four regiments. These men were scattered among numerous infantry units and used primarily for scouting duties. Pulaski immediately began work on reforming the cavalry and wrote the first regulations for its formation.
On October 4, Pulaski took part in the Battle of Germantown, then spent the winter of 1777 to 1778 with most of the army at Valley Forge. Pulaski, being accustomed to the cold winter weather in Poland pressed the leadership that military operations should continue through the winter, but this idea was rejected by the general staff. In turn, he directed his efforts towards further organizing and training the cavalry force, mostly stationed in Trenton.
While at Trenton his assistance was requested by General Anthony Wayne, whom Washington had dispatched on a foraging expedition into southern New Jersey. Wayne was in danger of encountering a much larger British force sent to oppose his movements. Pulaski and 50 cavalry rode south to Burlington, where they skirmished with British sentries on February 28. After this minor encounter the British commander, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Stirling, was apparently convinced that he was facing a much larger force than expected, and the British commander prepared to withdraw his troops across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Pulaski and Wayne joined forces to attack. In the resulting skirmish, which only involved a few hundred men out of the larger forces on either side, Pulaski's horse was shot out from under him and a few of his cavalry were wounded.
Though his troops saw action in battles at Germantown, Chestnut Hills, and Cooper’s Ferry in Pennsylvania and Mt. Holly, New Jersey; Pulaski was unhappy commanding such a small number of troops in minor actions compared to his actions during the Bar Confederacy. Also, Washington and other officers didn’t seem to appreciate the value of cavalry as a major military force. On March 3, 1778, Pulaski resigned from his position. Congress sent Generals Gates & Kościuszko to convince Pulaski to reconsider, and he thankfully did.
In March 1778, Congress approved the formation of an independent cavalry unit, the Pulaski Cavalry Legion, in Baltimore. By August, it numbered about 330 men. Almost all the officers were either Polish, French, or Hungarian. The rank and file, mostly from Maryland, were Americans, Frenchmen, Poles, Germans, and Irishmen. British Major General Charles Lee commented on the high standards of the Legion's training; “the father of the American cavalry demanded much of his men and trained them in tested cavalry tactics”. Pulaski used his own personal finances when money from Congress was scarce, in order to assure his forces of the finest equipment and personal safety.
On May 1, Pulaski, contracted the Moravian Sisters of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a non-religious community, for his unit’s pennant; the first banner with the United States emblazoned on it.
In October 1778, Pulaski’s Legion participated in the Battle of Little Egg Harbor. In spite of betrayal by a deserter, Pulaski forced the British to leave southern New Jersey.
On February 2, 1779, Washington ordered him to march to Charleston, South Carolina, where his Legion was placed under the command of General Lincoln in order to relieve outnumbered American forces. Lincoln had led most of his army toward Augusta, Georgia, in a bid to recapture Savannah. Meanwhile, Governor Rutledge and the City Council were ready to surrender Charleston to the British. Reaching Charleston on May 8th, an indignant Pulaski declared he was taking personal responsibility for the city’s defense. The politicians backed down and the British negotiators were sent back to their commander. On May 11th, Pulaski’s unit entered into combat, and though the battle was indecisive, the British withdrew to Savannah.
At the beginning of September, Lincoln prepared to launch an attempt to retake Savannah with French assistance. Pulaski was ordered to Augusta, where he was to join forces with General McIntosh. Their combined forces were to serve as the forward elements of Lincoln's army. Pulaski captured a British outpost near the Ogeechee River. His units then acted as an advance guard for the allied French units under Admiral Charles Hector, Comte d'Estaing. His unit was to hover just behind the infantry to exploit any opening made in the British lines. In the assault on Savannah on October 9, he commanded the whole cavalry, both French and American.
This painting of that event, “General Pułaski at Savannah”, by Stanisław Batowski, 1933, hangs prominently at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago. It measures 11’ x 14’.
As the battle ensued on that day, the American infantry was repelled after two assaults, and Admiral d’Estaing was wounded. Sensing doom, Pulaski, riding at the head, ordered his cavalry to charge the British lines. While attempting to rally fleeing French forces during a cavalry charge, Pulaski was mortally wounded by grapeshot. The siege was abandoned, and the British remained in control of Savannah until July 1782, near the end of the war.
Pulaski was taken from the battlefield, died two days later, and was buried at Greenwich Plantation. On November 17th, General Washington ordered the password “Pulaski” to be used, with the countersign of “Poland” as tribute. The reported grapeshot is on display at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, and the Charleston Museum also has grapeshot reported to be from Pulaski's wound. His heroic death, admired by American Patriot supporters, further boosted his reputation in America.
On November 29, 1779, the Continental Congress authorized a monument to be built in Pulaski’s honor, but no funds were authorized due to the ongoing war. Americans became appreciative of his sacrifice only after his death. Though as a Brigadier General, he would have received a very nice salary as well as a very large tract of land in today's Ohio, Pułaski never took one cent of his pay from the Continental Congress. In addition, Haym Salomon, a fellow Pole, and Revolutionary War financier, arranged to loan Pulaski a very large sum to personally pay to outfit his troops with horses, equipment, and arms when Congress failed to do so. In his honor, during the period between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, eight cities & counties in seven states were named after Pulaski, and many more followed.
In May 1833, a new U.S. fort being built on Cockspur Island was named Ft. Pulaski by the Secretary of War. Though the Secretary signed the order, there is a belief, though undocumented, that the idea was initiated by President Andrew Jackson. This is based on Jackson, like Pulaski, being a military man who fought for the freedom of the United States. Additionally, Jackson’s personal intervention in aiding 300+ Polish officers, who after fleeing the failed November 1831 uprising against Russia, were sent from Austria to New York City in 1833 to avoid capture and ultimate death by the Russians. The tsar’s request to send Russian agents to the U.S. to search for and bring back the Polish officers was met by President Jackson’s refusal.
Initiated by Maj. James Bowen, a monument located in Monterey Square was erected and dedicated on January 8, 1855, by Savannah Mayor Edwin Anderson. It was designed by Robert Launitz of New York City, and built from Italian Carrera marble. What was then believed to be General Pulaski’s remains, having been confirmed, were disinterred from Greenwich Plantation and placed inside the monument.
On June 18, 1929, President Hoover established October 11 as General Pulaski Memorial Day a federal holiday, but not a day off.
On February 1, 1964, the USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), a James Madison-class ballistic missile submarine was launched. It was decommissioned on March 7, 1994, having served admirably during the Cold War.
After 40-plus years of effort, on November 6, 2009, President Obama signed a Congressional bill making General Pulaski an honorary U.S. citizen. He became the 7th person so honored; joining previous recipients such as Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, and The Marquis de Lafayette.
Kazimierz Pułaski was a great military leader. Even though a high-ranking officer would normally be located behind the lines pouring over maps, he, like his role model King Jan Sobieski, led his men from the front line, having a very keen ability to read a battlefield and alter tactics in mid-combat to gain success. He was very offense-minded, often taking great personal risks to carry the battle.
Ed Krolikowski, past chairman of the Savannah General Pulaski Committee, and Joanna Sikorski, past president of the General Casimir Pulaski Polish American Society of El Paso contributed to this article.
