[Pharmboy]

Although I do not post news about reenactments or speeches by various historians or, DAR or SAR meetings, I thought that a new memorial was worth a ping to the list. And anyway, the Thad Kosciuszko story is such a great one.

[Pharmboy]

Funny---I have a dear friend of 30 years whose parents were both born in Poland. She looks very much like a female version of Kosciuszko.

[PzLdr]

He built the fortifications at West Point.

[Jacquerie]

Due to conflicting Crown grants among the various colonies, disposition of lands beyond the Appalachians was a real mess. It was the reason Maryland did not join the Confederation until March 1781, just a few months before Yorktown.

Anyway, while the US government had no money, it ended up with lots of land with which to “pay the Debts,” including back pay to soldiers.

[colorado tanker]

Kosciuszko was a great democrat and Polish patriot. He was born in Poland-Lithuania, which disappeared during his life in the Partitions by Russia, Prussia and Austria. His armed resitence was brilliant, but could not prevail in the end.

He left his American estate for the manumission and education of slaves but Jefferson never executed the will. The Supreme Court and Chief Justice Taney, the infamous author of the Dred Scott decision, ruled the money belonged to his Polish heirs.

He would be very proud of the modern free, independent and democratic Poland, although his birthplace is now in Belarus.