Thaddeus Kosciuszko Monument
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A memorial to Polish soldier Thaddeus Kosciuszko sits at the northeast corner of Lafayette Park and is one of four memorials to foreigners who were instrumental in the American Revolution. It was sculpted by Polish artist Antoni Popiel and dedicated in May 1910. In addition to the main statue, Kosciuszko is featured fighting in the Polish Revolution on the west side of the monument and in the American Revolution on the east side.
Kosciuszko was a Polish solider and nobleman who spent much of his career fighting for Polish freedom against the Russians. Upon hearing about the American Revolution, he sailed to America and enlisted in the Continental Army, fighting under the command of General Horatio Gates. He had a talent for engineering and designed many of the defensive fortifications used during the war.
Kosciuszko rose to fame at the Battle of Saratoga in New York. After the Americans lost Fort Ticonderoga (located at the southern end of Lake Champlain in New York) in July 1777 without a fight, the British pursued the Americans south towards Albany. Kosciuszko was tasked with slowing the British advance and finding a point where the Americans could turn and make a stand. He felled trees, destroyed bridges and dams, and dammed waterways to flood the land along the route, causing the British to take twenty days to cover territory that they normally covered in two.
When it came time to mount a defense, Kosciuszko chose Saratoga, which was on the Hudson River about 30 miles north of Albany. His fortifications were impenetrable, and the British were defeated on October 17, 1777. Many historians consider this victory to be the turning point in the war. Kosciuszko would go on to design the fortifications at West Point—it was his design plan that was stolen by Benedict Arnold and sold to the British—and participate in many southern battles with General Nathanael Greene, including the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina (Guilford Courthouse National Military Park), the second battle at Camden, and the battle at Ninety-Six in South Carolina (Ninety-Six National Historic Site).
Kosciuszko has his own National Park in Philadelphia, the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.
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Last updated on April 28, 2020
