Count Casimir Pulaski (1747-1779)

Count Casimir Pulaski (1747-1779). . , Casimir Pulaski was born into a family of minor Polish nobility in Winiary, Poland on March 4, 1747., His father, Jozef, active in the defense of their native land, joined with others, in 1768 in a insurrection under the motto, “For Faith and Freedom”. Having placed his son, Casimir, at age 21, in command of a detachment of partisans, Jozef put them both in jeopardy. When their efforts failed, Jozef was imprisoned, and Casimir, facing a death sentence, fled his homeland., Finding inspiration in the American War of Independence, Casimir sought and received a letter of recommendation from America's Commissioner to Paris, Benjamin Franklin. By August, 1777 Casimir Pulaski had reported to General George Washington for service. Washington recommended to the Continental Congress that Pulaski be made General of the Cavalry. In this role, Pulaski distinguished himself, introducing the concept of the cavalry being utilized as a highly mobile combat force, and earning him the title, “Father of the American Cavalry.”, May, 1779 found Pulaski leading his Legion in defense of Charleston, against a much larger British force. During a forward charge at the Battle of Savannah, Pulaski was wounded. Carried off the battlefield and placed on a ship to be taken back to Charleston, he died three days later, October 11, 1779. The thirty-two-year-old Polish commander was buried in Savannah, the city he had successfully defended., In a letter to General Washington, upon his arrival in America, Pulaski had written: “I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it”, There are nine other cities or counties named in honor of Casimir Pulaski. , By an Act of the United States Congress, March 4 has been designated Casimir Pulaski Day in America.