Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish-Lithuanian born in 1746, was one
of the most important figures of the modern world. Fleeing his
homeland after a death sentence was placed on his head (when he
dared court a woman above his station), he came to America one
month after the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
literally showing up on Benjamin Franklin's doorstep in
Philadelphia with little more than a revolutionary spirit and a
genius for engineering. Entering the fray as a volunteer in the war
effort, he quickly proved his capabilities and became the most
talented engineer of the Continental Army. Kosciuszko went on to
construct the fortifications for Philadelphia, devise battle plans
that were integral to the American victory at the pivotal Battle of
Saratoga, and designed the plans for Fortress West Point--the same
plans that were stolen by Benedict Arnold. Then, seeking new
challenges, Kosciuszko asked for a transfer to the Southern Army,
where he oversaw a ring of African-American spies.
A lifelong champion of the common man and woman, he was ahead
of his time in advocating tolerance and standing up for the rights
of slaves, Native Americans, women, serfs, and Jews. Following the
end of the war, Kosciuszko returned to Poland and was a leading
figure in that nation's Constitutional movement. He became
Commander in Chief of the Polish Army and valiantly led a defense
against a Russian invasion, and in 1794 he led what was dubbed the
Kosciuszko Uprising--a revolt of Polish-Lithuanian forces against
the Russian occupiers. Captured during the revolt, he was
ultimately pardoned by Russia's Paul I and lived the remainder of
his life as an international celebrity and a vocal proponent for
human rights. Thomas Jefferson, with whom Kosciuszko had an ongoing
correspondence on the immorality of slaveholding, called him "as
pure a son of liberty as I have ever known." A lifelong bachelor
with a knack for getting involved in doomed relationships,
Kosciuszko navigated the tricky worlds of royal intrigue and
romance while staying true to his ultimate passion--the pursuit of
freedom for all. This definitive and exhaustively researched
biography fills a long-standing gap in historical literature with
its account of a dashing and inspiring revolutionary figure.
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