Father of U.S. Cavalry Gets Hero's Burial

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - The Polish nobleman regarded as the father of the American cavalry finally received a hero's funeral on the 226th anniversary of the Revolutionary War battle in which he was mortally wounded.

However, the mystery continues over whether the remains buried Sunday are those of Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski, a hero in Poland and among Polish-Americans for his sacrifice.

``Certainly from a historical standing it was overdue,'' said Francis X. Hayes, the Savannah businessman who organized the burial. ``His remains were just unceremoniously sealed up in the monument. This gave him the kind of ceremony he would have received had he been in Poland.''

Chatham County Coroner James C. Metts Jr. had exhumed the remains in 1996 when the monument was dismantled for repairs. After eight years of trying, investigators failed to extract a complete DNA sequence to compare with a living Pulaski descendant found in Poland.

A draft report by Metts' team, made public in June, concluded ``the mystery remains unsolved.'' It also said ``strong circumstantial evidence does suggest that the remains are Casimir Pulaski.''

The unsolved mystery, though, did not halt the funeral. More than 700 people filled the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for a memorial Mass.

A regiment of Polish cavalrymen on horseback escorted the casket in a procession through the streets, followed by a riderless horse with empty boots in the stirrups.

Polish Bishop Tadeusz Pwoski read funeral rites beneath the marble obelisk built to Pulaski in 1854, sprinkling the flag-draped casket with holy water and dirt from the gravesite.

Janusz Reiter, Poland's ambassador to the United States, said it doesn't matter that the remains were never proven to be Pulaski's.

``This is considered by most people in Poland to be absolutely irrelevant,'' Reiter said. ``The opinion of the experts is divided. This is a question of whether you believe or don't believe.''

Pulaski came to America in 1777, exiled from Poland after helping lead an uprising against Russian incursion. Recommended by George Washington, he took command of the colonial cavalry.

After his legion of 600 troops helped fight off the British at Charleston, S.C., Pulaski headed to Savannah for the ill-fated battle to reclaim the captured city. He fell mortally wounded by grapeshot from a British cannon on Oct. 9, 1779.

The bones had been entombed inside the marble monument in 1854 after they were discovered in an unmarked grave at the former family plantation of William P. Bowen. Bowen said his grandmother and aunt told him the grave was Pulaski's.

However, other historical accounts - from two officers who served under Pulaski - say the general was buried at sea after dying on a ship bound for Charleston.

Metts, the coroner, said nine years after he exhumed the remains, he needed to see them returned to the grave.

``I feel it'd be sacrilegious if I didn't,'' Metts said. ``It would be sort of letting Pulaski down. It's time to put him to rest, with well-deserved honors.''

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary October 10, 2003

General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2003 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski sacrificed his life on October 11, 1779, for America's independence and the universal cause of freedom. His bravery in supporting the American Revolutionary War is an inspiration to individuals around the world who pursue peace and freedom for all.

Growing up near Warsaw, Casimir Pulaski knew firsthand the horror of tyranny and oppression. In 1768, he joined his father and fellow compatriots in rising against injustice and fighting for Polish independence. As a commander in the rebellion, the young Pole demonstrated a devotion to freedom and great courage. When the rebellion was quelled, Pulaski was exiled to France, where he continued to pursue freedom with the same spirit and determination that he had shown in Poland.

While in Paris, he met with the American envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin, who discussed with him America's struggle for independence. Pulaski then volunteered his services to General George Washington. In his first letter to General Washington after arriving in America in the summer of 1777, General Pulaski pledged that he "came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live and die for it." Impressed with General Pulaski's abilities and battle experience, General Washington commissioned him as a Brigadier General of the American cavalry. In May 1779, General Pulaski's new cavalry division successfully defended the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Several months later, in the siege of Savannah, General Pulaski was mortally wounded while trying to raise morale and rally his troops who were under heavy enemy fire.

General Pulaski's bravery and sacrifice helped lead America to victory, and today, the Polish motto -- "for your freedom and ours" -- echoes the great spirit of this Polish and American hero. This day, we commemorate General Pulaski's service to our Nation and draw strength from his example. We also honor the sacrifices of the many men and women of Poland and other allied nations who persevere with us in the fight for freedom.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2003, as General Pulaski Memorial Day. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this occasion with appropriate programs and activities paying tribute to Casimir Pulaski and honoring all those who defend the freedom of our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031010-13.html

Poland has a strong tradition of patriots who fight for freedom. There are many instances of this in Polish history but one you might find of interesting is the role of Polish fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain, who fought along side of Brits, Scots, Irish,Canadians, Czechs and a few Americans. The Poles became infamous and legendary for taking the battle in the air to the enemy, even against very high odds.One of every eight pilots of fighter command were Polish, out of 302 or 303 squadrons. By the end of 1943, a total of 14 Polish Squadrons (ten of them fighter sqns.) and a complete infrastructure were in existence, making the Polish Air Force the fourth largest Allied air force of the war. This tradition of patriotism to freedom also is alive today, despite all those years of burdgeoning rule under the Soviets. It is an honor to pay tribute to Casimir Pulaski.

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