The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Casimir Pulaski - Mar. 15th, 2003

http://www.paulbrozek.com/pulaskipark_2002/pulaski.htm ^

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Count Casimir Pulaski
1747 - 1779

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Introduction

Casimir Pulaski belongs to that select group of heroes, including the Marquis de Lafayefte, Thomas Paine, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Pulaski's fellow countryman, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, who opposed tyranny not only in their homelands, but wherever they found it. We especially honor Pulaski because he paid the ultimate price, having sustained a mortal wound while fighting for American independence at the battle of Savannah in 1779. Today he remains a symbol of the ideal of valiant resistance to oppression everywhere in the world.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Pulaski was born on March 4,1747, in Winiary, some 40 miles outside of Warsaw. His family belonged to the minor Polish nobility, and his ancestors fought with King Jan Sobieski against the Turks at the siege of Vienna in 1683. His father Jozef successfully built up the family fortune and deeply involved himself in politics. But the vast Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had fallen on hard times. No longer the military power of Sobieski's day, it came increasingly under the domination of its aggressive neighbors, particularly Tsarist Russia.

Russia demonstrated its influence over the Commonwealth's affairs when in 1764 Empress Catherine the Great imposed her candidate Stanislaus Poniatowski, as the Commonwealth's next elected monarch. Poniatowski sought to carry out much needed reforms, but aroused the suspicion of the nobility who feared the establishment of a royal despotism. Moreover, the Russian ambassador regularly interfered in the Commonwealth's domestic affairs, in 1767, even using Russian troops to coerce its parliament into passing legislation that ended the privileged position of the Catholic Church.

In these circumstances, in 1768, Jozef Pulaski joined with others in initiating an insurrection known as the Confederation of Bar, a town in the Ukraine, where it was formed. Under the motto, "For Faith and Freedom," the elder Pulaski assumed the military leadership of the confederation, and Casimir on his 21st birthday took command of a detachment of partisans. For the next 3 1/2 years, in military campaigns against Russian forces that sought to put down the rebellion, the young commander proved his valor and genuine military talent in more than a dozen major action and numerous skirmishes.

Exile

In October 1771, Pulaski undertook one last major expedition as part of a plot to abduct the king. The plot misfired, but it led to the young Casimir being unjustly accused of attempted regicide and later, after he left the country, to a death sentence. When in 1772, Russia, Prussia, and Austria began negotiations to partition the Commonwealth, he and the other confederates saw the futility of continuing the struggle. In the face of the charges against him, he was forced to flee his homeland, never to see it again. Within months of his departure, the Commonwealth's aggressive neighbors agreed to divide over a quarter of its territory among themselves. The effort to defend the Commonwealth had failed, but the heroism of Pulaski and other confederates would inspire future generations of their countrymen.

Meanwhile, Pulaski faced a difficult exile. After two years in western Europe, he again joined battle against Russia, this time, on the side of the Turks. Their defeat forced him to return to France where, in the summer of 1776, he learned of America's war for independence and sought permission from the Americans to join their forces. Most American colonists were not yet enthusiastic in the support of the war, and George Washington, a commander-in-chief, needed battle-tested officers like Pulaski. Finally, in May 1777, Pulaski received a letter of recommendation from Benjamin Franklin, the American commissioner in Paris, and left for America, landing near Boston in July. In August, he reported to Washington's headquarters near Philadelphia.

The American Revolutionary War

On Washington's recommendation, the Continental Congress appointed Pulaski general of the cavalry on September 15, 1777. But even before his formal appointment, he demonstrated his value. At the battle of Brandywine Creek, where Washington's forces suffered a defeat, Pulaski led a counterattack that covered the retreat of the Americans and helped prevent a military disaster.



Pulaski spent the winter of 1777 training his soldiers at Trenton, not far from Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge. He introduced new battle drills in an effort to transform them into a highly mobile force. But, realizing that the Americans did not share his conception of the cavalry as a separate combat force, Pulaski asked to be relieved of his position and allowed to form a special infantry and cavalry unit capable of more independent action. With Washington's support, Pulaski gained the consent of Congress on March 28, 1778.

It took Pulaski, regarded as "the father of the American cavalry," another five months to form his legion at his headquarters in Baltimore, where he recruited Americans, Frenchmen, Poles, Irishmen, and especially Germans; mainly deserters from the Hessian mercenaries employed by the British. But for some time the American command could not find a suitable role for Pulaski's legion, leading him again to request reassignment. Finally, on February 2,1779, he received orders to proceed to South Carolina to reinforce the southern American forces under British attack.

Now Pulaski began his most active period of service in the war with the front line combat he sought. At the head of a troop of some 600, Pulaski arrived in Charleston in May 1779, just in time to contribute to its successful defense against a much larger British force, which after occupying Georgia was steadily advancing northward. This victory proved pivotal in the war in the South as it broke the British momentum and boosted American morale.



What remained was to win back the territory that the British had occupied. Savannah became the fateful goal. Newly arrived French forces under Admiral Charles Henri d'Estaing together with the Americans planned a risky all out assault on the heavily fortified town. The siege began on October 9. The mission of the Pulaski Legion was to follow in behind the French infantry and break down the enemy's line of defense. But the French got caught in a cross fire, and d'Estaing himself was wounded. Awaiting the proper moment for his cavalry to enter the battle, Pulaski could see the infantry breaking ranks under heavy fire. To try to save the situation, he charged forward into the battle only to be grievously wounded himself. Carried from the battlefield, he was put on a ship to be taken back to Charleston, but never regained consciousness. On October 11, 1779, the 32 year old Polish commander died at sea, where he was buried.

In Honor of Pulaski

Americans have always recognized Pulaski's heroism and the price he paid for their freedom. Shortly after his death a solemn memorial service was held in Charleston, and, before the end of 1779, the Continental Congress resolved that a monument should be erected in his honor, though a statue was not put into place in Washington, D.C., until 1910.

Over the years Americans have kept alive his memory naming many countries, towns, streets, parks, and squares after him. Among those of Polish descent, his fame rivals that of Kosciuszko, who, after his service in the American Revolutionary War, returned to his homeland, where, in 1794, he led an insurrection against the same Russian domination that Pulaski had fought before coming to America.

In his first letter to Washington, after arriving in America, Pulaski wrote, "I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it." He proved true to his word. For this, we honor him as a soldier of Liberty for all.

[SAMWolf]

During the American Revolution General Casmir Pulaski organized a cavalry group which was called "Pulaski's Legion" or the Polish Legion.

Of all the Polish officers who took part in the American War of Independence, Casimir Pulaski was the most romantic and professionally the most prominent. He was born into the middle gentry at Warka, Poland, March 4, 1747. His family was rich and had enhanced their fortune as clients of the Czartoryski family with whose nationalist policies it was identified. His education was typical of its time, he learned a smattering of languages and manners in the service of the Duke of Courland. It was here that young Pulaski first came into contact with the interference of foreign powers in Polish affairs, that lead to the first great act of his life.

Joseph Pulaski, Casimir's father impatient with the Russian interference precipitated an armed movement called the Confederation of Bar in 1768. Casimir was one of the founding members and on his father's death in 1769, carried the burden of military command. His greatest success was in the taking and holding of Jasna Gora at Czestochowa, the holist place in Poland. His brilliant defense against the Russians thrilled all of Europe. Unfortunately soon afterward he was implicated in a plot to kill the Polish King and forced into exile.

Burdened by debts Pulaski was found in Paris by Benjamin Franklin and enlisted in for American cause. Pulaski joined George Washington's army just before the battle of Brandywine. Acting under Washington's orders without commission Pulaski lead the scouting party that discovered the British flanking movement and the American escape route. He then gathered all available cavalry to cover the retreat, leading a dashing charge that surprised the British and allowed the American army to escape. Congress rewarded Pulaski with a commission as brigadier general and command of all American cavalry. He spent the winter of 1777-8 training and outfitting the cavalry units but in March, he gave way before the intrigues of his jealous officers. He requested and Washington approved the formation of an independent corp of cavalry and light infantry of foreign volunteers.

Pulaski's Legion became the training ground for American cavalry officers including "Light Horse" Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee, and the model for Lee's and Armand's legions. Thirteen Polish officers served under Pulaski in the legion. The best assessment of Pulaski's legion came from a British officer who called them simply "the best damned cavalry the rebels ever had". In 1779 Pulaski and his legion were sent south to the besieged city of Charleston where he immediately raised morale and assisted in breaking the siege. A joint operation with the French was planed to recapture the city of Savannah. Against Pulaski's advice the French commander ordered an assault against the strongest point of the British defense, Seeing the allied troops falter Pulaski galloped forward to rally the men, when he was mortally wounded by British cannon shot. He died two days later and was buried at sea.

Pulaski was the romantic embodiment of the flashing saber and the trumpets calling to the charge, and that is how history has remembered him. The larger-Than-life aspect of his death has often obscured his steadier, quieter, and more lasting services. It was in the drudgery of forging a disciplined American cavalry that could shadow and report on British movements, in the long distance forage raids to feed and clothe the troops at Valley Forge, and the bitter hit and run rearguard actions that covered retreating American armies that slowed British pursuit, that gave Pulaski the title of "Father of the American cavalry".

[SAMWolf]

Historians are unsure how Pulaski died. The popular account holds that Pulaski rallied the troops in a cavalry charge upon hearing that a fellow officer was hit in the leg by a musket ball. During the charge, Pulaski was struck in the thigh by grapeshot and fell from his horse. Within days, gangrene claimed the war hero's life. Historians continue to debate what happened to Pulaski's body after his death. One traditional account is that Pulaski died aboard the American ship Wasp and is buried at sea. A second claim is that he was first buried at Greenwich Plantation in Georgia and later reburied under a monument in one of the downtown Savannah squares. September 27, 1996, bones were disinterred from under the Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square. To date, the bone analysis is inconclusive

Casimir Pulaski Commemorative Stamp



On Jan. 16, 1931, the U.S. Post Office Department issued this commemorative stamp honoring Polish patriot Casimir Pulaski, who fought with American forces during the American Revolution. The stamp was first released in Savannah, where he died, as well as in eleven American cities with large Polish populations.

The 2-cent stamp was released to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Casimir Pulaski, who was mortally wounded in the siege of Savannah. However, as Pulaski died on Sept. 11, 1779, the stamp came over a year after the sesquicentennial of his death. However, on the bicentennial of Pulaski's death in 1979, the Postal Service released a postal card showing him on horseback

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'I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it...'

-- Count Casimir Pulaski

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On this Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on March 15:
0076 Hadrian Roman Emperor (builder of Hadrian's Wall)
1493 Anne Pierre Adrien duke of Montmorency marshal of France
1666 Georg Baehr German master builder (Frauenkirche, Dresden)
1678 Dominique Marie Valet French Roman Catholic/old-catholic bishop
1713 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille astronomer who mapped the So Hemisphere
1733 Johann Zoffany German painter, baptized
1750 Caroline Herschel astronomer/discoverer
1754 Silvestro Palma composer
1767 Andrew Jackson Waxhaw SC, General/(D) 7th President (1829-37)
1779 William Lamb (Whig) Viscount Melbourne, British Prime Minister (1834, 1835-41)
1790 Nicola Vaccai composer
1801 Coenraad J van Houten Dutch cocoa manufacturer
1808 Gaetano Gaspari composer
1809 Joseph Jenkins Roberts 1st President of Liberia
1810 Aernout Drost Dutch literary (Hermingard van de Eikenterpen)
1811 Robert Allen Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1886
1824 Branko Radicevic Serbian poet (1st Serbian Uprising)
1830 Paul von Heyse Germany, writer (Nobel 1910)
1831 Edward Aylesworth Perry Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1835 Eduard Strauss Austria, composer (318 Dance)
1836 Henrique Alves de Mesquita composer
1838 Alice Cunningham Fletcher ethnologist/author/Indian music (Stranger in Her Native Land)
1844 Bransby Cooper cricketer (in Dhaka Batsman in Australia's 1st Test)
1851 Jozef Surzynski composer
1852 Lady Augusta Gregory Ireland, playwright/poet/Yates mistress
1855 Lútzen Wagenaar Frisian writer/vicar (Tsjerk Ages)
1858 Liberty Hyde Bailey US botanist (Plantbreeding)
1864 Johan Halvorsen composer
1864 Leslie Stuart composer
1867 Lionel Pigot Johnson England, poet/critic (Ireland & Other Poems)
1867 Will Rossiter composer
1871 Betsy van den Arend Dutch [Betje], actress (Miss Hobbs)
1873 David Vaughan Thomas composer
1873 Lee Shubert producer (theatres in New York & Los Angeles named after him)
1874 Harold L Ickes social activist, New Deal politician
1878 Hanson Carter cricketer (Yorkshire Aussie wicketkeeper of early 20th century)
1879 Gerrit J Heering Dutch theologist (Fall of Christianity)
1884 Rudolf Piskacek composer
1894 Slava Vorlova composer
19-- Robert Milli actor (All My Children)
19-- Sergio Vargas Dominican Republic, Spanish singer (Aquiestá El Merengue)
1900 Gilberto Freye Brazilian sociologist/writer
1901 Colin McPhee Montréal Canada, composer (H2O, Mechanical Princibles)
1901 J Pat O'Malley Burnley England, actor (Touch of Grace, Gunn, Star!)
1901 Theo Uden Marsman Dutch orchestra leader
1902 Kitty Masters actress
1902 Zarah [Stina Hedberg] Leander Karlstad Vämanland Sweden, singer/actress (Gabriela)
1904 George Brent Dublin Ireland, actor (42nd St, Jezebel)
1905 Berthold Schenck von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler
1905 Joe E Ross comedian (Gunther Toody-Car 54, Ritzik-Phil Silvers Show)
1907 Jimmy McPartland jazz trumpeter/actor (Magic Horn)
1907 Paul Maxey Wheaton IL, actor (Matt-Lassie, Mayor-People's Choice)
1910 An Rutgers van der Loeff-Basenau children book writer (Skating Race)
1912 Duncan Stuart Wilson-MacDonald fighter pilot
1912 Louis Paul Boon Flemish writer (Kapellekensbaan)
1912 Sam [Lightnin'] Hopkins Centerville TX, blues stylist (Ball of Twine)
1913 Lex Goudsmit Dutch actor (Fiddler on the Roof)
1913 MacDonald Carey Sioux City IA, actor (One Life to Live, Dream Girl)
1915 David Schoenbrun CBS broadcast bureau head (Washington DC, Paris France)
1915 Richard Ward Glenside PA, actor (Beacon Hill)
1916 Geert Lubberhuizen publisher (Busy Bee)
1916 Harry James Albany GA, trumpeter (married to Betty Grable)
1918 Janet Leach potter
1918 Richard Ellmann US, literary scholar/writer (Oscar Wilde)
1919 John Gregson Liverpool England, actor (Gideon CID, Shirley's World)
1919 Lawrence Tierney Brooklyn, actor (Abduction, Dillinger)
1920 Ranganandhan Francis India, field hockey (Olympics-gold-1948, 52, 56)
1922 Louis Boon writer
1923 George Vogel race horse trainer
1923 Laurence A Tisch New York NY, CEO (Loews Corp)
1924 Juij Bondarew writer
1924 Lockrem Johnson composer
1926 Benjamin Burwell Johnson composer
1926 Norm Van Brocklin NFL QB/coach (Los Angeles Rams), hall of famer
1926 Tim Valentine (Representative-Democrat-NC, 1983- )
1927 Carl Smith Maynardville TN, country singer (Grand Ole Opry)
1927 Philip Vincent Belloc Jebb architect
1928 Nicolas Flagello composer
1929 Tiezo Matsumura composer
1932 Alan Lavern Bean Wheeler TX, Captain USN/astronaut (Apollo 12, Skylab 3)
1932 David Alliance Iran/British textile factory/multi-millionaire
1933 Cecil Perceval Taylor composer/jazz pianist (University of Wisconsin)
1933 Ronald Roseman composer
1933 Roy Clark country singer (Hee Haw)
1934 Daniel George "Danny" Apolinar composer/songwriter
1934 Wolfgang Hufschmidt composer
1935 Jimmy Lee Swaggart evangelist
1935 Judd Hirsch Bronx NY, actor (Alex-Taxi, Dear John, Ordinary People)
1936 Donald K Sundquist (Representative-Republican-TN, 1983- )
1938 Dick Higgins composer
1939 Robert Nye writer (Facts of Life & other fiction, 3 Views of Man)
1940 Phil Lesh [Chapman] Berkeley CA, rock bassist (Grass Roots, Grateful Dead)
1941 Dick Top Dutch actor/director (Witch of Haarlem)
1941 Mike Love Los Angeles CA, rock saxophonist/vocalist (Beach Boys-In My Room, Surfin' USA)
1942 Hughie Flint London England, rock drummer (Bonzo Dog Band)
1943 Brenda Scott Cincinnati OH, actress (Midge-Road West)
1943 David Cronenberg Toronto Ontario, director (Shivers, Fly, Brood)
1944 Chi Cheng Taiwan, sprinter/80 meter hurdler (Olympics-Bronze-68)
1944 David Costell Pittsburgh PA, rocker (Gary Lewis & the Playboys-This Diamond Ring)
1944 Jacques Doillon director/writer (La Fille de Quinze Ans)
1944 Ralph MacDonald rock percussionist (Graceland)
1944 Sly Stone Dallas TX, rocker (Sly & the Family Stone-Everyday People)
1945 Jörgen Sundelin Sweden, yachtsman (Olympics-gold-1968)
1945 Mark J Green Brooklyn NY, lawyer/author (Closed Enterprise System)
1945 Tracy Smith runner
1946 Bobby Bond baseball player (Giants, Yankees, etc)
1946 David Wall English ballet dancers/director (Royal Academy of Dancing)
1946 Howard Scott San Pedro CA, rock guitarist/vocalist (War, Cisco Kid)
1947 David Colley cricketer (New South Wales quickie, 3 Tests for Australia 1972)
1947 Larisa Grigoriyevna Pozharskaya Russian cosmonaut
1947 Ry[land] Cooder Los Angeles CA, blues guitarist (Crossroads)
1947 Stomu Yamash'ta composer
1947 Tomas Pettersson Sweden, cyclist (Olympics-silver-1968)
1949 John Duttine actor (Day of the Triffids)
1953 Colin Croft cricketer (West Indian fast bowler 1977-82)
1953 Judi Spiers TV presenter
1954 Craig Wasson Eugene OR, actor (Body Double, 4 Friends, Men's Club)
1955 Dee Snider Massapequa NY, (Twisted Sister-We're Not Gonna Take It)
1955 Marcia McCabe Bryn Mawr PA, actress (Alicia Grande-1 Live to Live)
1955 Mohsin Khan cricketer (Pakistani opening batsman late 70s early 80s)
1956 Clay Matthews NFL linebacker (Atlanta Falcons)
1957 Park Overall Nashville TN, actress (Laverne-Empty Nest, Mississippi Burning)
1958 Laura Carrington actress (Simone Hardy-General Hospital, Louisa-Alphabet City)
1959 Eliot Teltscher California, tennis player (US Davis Cup team)
1959 Harold Baines Easton MD, outfielder (Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers)
1960 Donna Smith Portland OR, playmate (March, 1985)
1961 Craig Ludwig Rhinelander, NHL defenseman (Dallas Stars)
1961 Fabio [Lanzoni] Italy, romance novels model (Fabio After Dark)
1961 John Melendez jockey
1961 Terry Cummings NBA forward (Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers)
1962 Igor Aleinikov film Maker
1962 Jimmy Baio Brooklyn NY, actor (Billy Tate-Soap, Brass, Playing for Keeps)
1962 Steve Coy rocker (Dead or Alive-Spin Me Round)
1962 Terrence Trent D'Arby New York NY, rock vocalist (Wishing Well)
1963 Bret Michaels Harrisburg PA, guitarist (Poison-Talk Dirty to Me)
1963 Don Simington jockey
1963 Frans Koenn Dutch rock bassist (Loïs Lane-Precious)
1963 Jimmy Baio Brooklyn NY, actor (Billy Tate-Soap)
1964 Alison Johnson Tustin CA, WPVA volleyball player (US Open-4th-1993)
1964 Rockwell [Kennedy Gordy] Detroit MI, rock vocalist (Somebody's Watching Me)
1964 Ron Hall NFL tight end (Detroit Lions)
1965 Marianne Morris Middletown OH, LPGA golfer (1995 McDonald's LPGA-3rd)
1966 Chris Bruno actor (Michael-All My Children, Dennis-Another World)
1966 Karen Weiss St Paul MN, LPGA golfer (1995 Chick-fil-A Charity-7th)
1967 Kirk Scrafford NFL tackle (San Francisco 49ers)
1968 John Tardy US heavy metalist (Obituary, Slowly We Rot)
1968 Rob Anderson Kamloops British Columbia, Canadian Tour golfer (British Columbia Amateur-1990, 92)
1968 Sabrina Salerno Genoa Italy, Miss Italy (1984)/singer (Boys)
1969 Louis Riddick NFL safety (Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons)
1970 Chris Dalman NFL guard/center (San Francisco 49ers)
1970 Diego Nargiso Naples Italy, tennis pro
1970 Eric Castle NFL free safety (San Diego Chargers)
1970 Paul Kruse Merritt, NHL left wing (Calgary Flames)
1971 Patrick Reidy Melbourne Victoria Australia, basketball forward (Olympics-96)
1971 Reyna Royo Miss Panamá-Universe (1996)
1971 Robbie Pratt jockey
1972 Casey Cristin Mizell Miss South Carolina-USA (1997)
1972 David Rhodes WLAF wide receiver (Rhein Fire)
1972 Filip Dewulf Belgium, tennis star
1972 Oliver Gibson NFL defensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1972 Steve Danielson Honolulu, field hockey defender (Olympics-96)
1973 Franca Fehlauer Hamburg Germany, golfer (Belgian International Jr champion 1991)
1974 Imad Baba Humble TX, soccer midfielder (Olympics-gold-96)
1975 Cornell Brown linebacker (Baltimore Ravens)
1976 Laurent Gras hockey forward (Team France 1998)
1980 Deidra Graham Salt Lake City UT, gymnast (alternate-Olympics-96)
1986 Tyler Noyes actor (CJ-One Life to Live)
1989 Caitlin Wachs actress (Chloe Waters-Profiler)

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Deaths which occurred on March 15:
0044 -BC- Julius Cæsar assassinated in Roman Senate in the Portico of the Theater of Pompey
0493 Odiaker German army leader/King of Italy (476-93), dies
0752 Zachary Greek/Italian Pope (741-52), dies
0963 Romanus II Byzantine emperor (959-63), dies at 25
1034 Mieszko II King of Poland (1025-34), dies
1673 Salvatore Rosa Italian painter (Baroque)/poet/music/actor, dies at 57
1723 Johann C Günther writer, dies at 27
1731 Adolf H van Rechteren Dutch diplomat/politician, dies at 75
1842 Maria Luigi C Z S Cherubini Italian composer (Dies Irae), dies at 81
1880 Jan K J de Jonge Dutch historian, dies at 51
1881 Emory Upton US Union General-Major (Selma), commits suicide at 42
1883 Karol Studzinski composer, dies at 55
1905 Arnold Kerdijk Dutch liberal/founder (Social Weekly), dies at 60
1905 B Amalie Skram-Alver Norwegian author (Paa St Jørgen), dies at 58
1906 Alfred Gilpin Jones Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia (1900-06), dies at 81
1918 Jose Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte composer, dies at 82
1918 Juliette Marie Olga Lili Boulanger composer, dies at 24
1918 Lili Boulanger composer, dies at 24
1929 Pine-Top Smith jazz pianist (Boogie Woogie Piano), dies at 24
1930 Antonio Beltramelli writer, dies at 51
1938 Edmund Tylecote cricketer (England keeper in 6 Tests 1882-86), dies
1940 Alfred Marr cricketer (Test for Australia 1885, scored 0 & 5), dies
1942 Alexander van Zemlinsky Austrian/US composer (African Dance), dies at 70
1944 Otto von Below German commandant (WWI), dies at 86
1945 Herman B Wiardi Beckman Dutch MP (SDAP), dies at 41
1954 Arthur Fickenscher composer, dies at 82
1962 Sam Wren actor (Wren's Nest), dies at 64
1964 Paul Cavanagh actor (Black Arrow, Woman in Green), dies at 75
1966 Abe Saperstein founder (Harlem Globetrotters), dies at 63
1966 Heinrich Lemacher composer, dies at 74
1969 Miles Malleson actor/writer (Postman's Knock), dies at 80
1970 Josef Martin Bauer writer, dies at 68
1970 Tarjei Vesaas Nowegian author/novelist/writer (Isslottet), dies at 72
1971 Jean-Pierre Monseré Flemish cyclist, dies at 22
1973 Carl Benton Reid actor (Burke's Law), dies at 82
1975 Antonino Rocca professional wrestler/sportscaster, dies at 49
1975 Aristotle S Onassis Greek shipping magnate, dies at 69
1977 Kamal Joemblat Lebanese politician, murdered
1983 José Luis Sert Spanish-US architect/urban developer, dies at 80
1984 Tommy Cooper comedian, collapses & dies on stage
1987 Sterling W Cole (Representative-Republican-NY), dies at 82
1988 Dmitri F Polyakov Russian Secretary-General/top spy for US, executed
1990 Tom Harmon NFL tail back (Heisman Trophy), dies in Los Angeles at 70
1991 Budd [Lawrence] Freeman US jazz saxophonist (Eel), dies at 84
1991 Eileen Sedgwick silent film actress (Hot Heels), dies at 93
1992 Helen Deutsch screenwriter, dies of natural causes
1992 Jack Washburn actor (Black Orchid), dies after long illness at 64
1992 Vanessa Lee actress (Split), dies at 71
1993 Anthony Bowles music writer (Jesus Christ Superstar), dies at 61
1993 Dennis Gregory actor (Village of the Damn), dies of pneumonia at 40
1993 Ricardo M Arias Espinosa President of Panamá (1955-56), dies
1994 Mae Zetterling Swedish actress (Night Games), dies at 68
1995 Carlos Menem Jr son of Argentine President, dies at 26
1996 Helen Chadwick artist, dies at 42
1996 Olga Rudge violinist, dies at 100
1996 Roswell Leavitt Gilpatric lawyer/diplomat, dies at 89
1997 Gail Davis ( Annie Oakley), dies at 72

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On this day...
0493 Theodorik the Great beats Odoaker of Italy
0752 St Zachary ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0933 Battle at Riade: German King Henry I beats Magyaren
1360 France invasion army lands on English south coast, conquers Winchel
1382 Conservative "Popolo Grasso" regain power in Florence Italy
1391 Jew hating Monk in Seville Spain stirs up people to attack Jews
1493 Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after 1st new world voyage
1560 Failed assault on royal palace in Amboise France
1562 General François de Guise enters Paris France
1580 Spanish king Philip II puts 25,000 gold coins on head of prince Willem of Orange
1672 King Charles II enacts Declaration of Indulgence
1729 Sister St Stanislas Hachard, 1st US nun, takes her vows, N Orleans
1744 French King Louis XV declares war on England
1778 Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island discovered by Captain Cook
1781 Battle of Guilford Court House, South Carolina (British suffer heavy losses)
1812 1st Russian settlement in California, Russian River
1820 Maine admitted as 23rd state
1827 Freedom's Journal, 1st Black newspaper, publishes
1827 University of Toronto is chartered
1855 Louisiana establishes 1st health board to regulate quarantine
1862 General John Hunt Morgan begins 4 days of raids near Gallatin TN
1864 Red River Campaign-Union forces reach Alexandria LA
1867 Michigan becomes 1st state to tax property to support a university
1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings beat Antioch 41-7
1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings become the 1st pro baseball team
1875 1st US cardinal (John McCloskey) invested
1877 Commencement of 1st Test Cricket, Australia vs England at MCG
1885 1st performance of César Franck's "Lesson Djinns"
1887 Michigan appoints 1st salaried game & fish warden in US(William Alden Smith)
1889 6 US & German warships perish in harbor of Apia Samoa, 200 die
1892 1st escalator patented by inventor Jesse W Reno (New York NY)
1892 New York State unveils automatic ballot booth (voting machine)
1897 1st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden
1901 Horse racing is banned in San Francisco, last race March 16th
1903 Frederick Lugard occupies Sokoto West Africa
1906 Brits Rolls, Royce & Johnson form Rolls Royce Ltd
1907 Finland is 1st European country to give women the right to vote
1908 1st performance of Maurice Ravel's "Rapsodie Espagnole"
1912 Pitcher Cy Young retires from baseball with 511 wins
1913 1st Presidential press conference (Woodrow Wilson)
1913 Cleveland establishes 1st small claims court
1915 Netherlands merchant ship Tubantia torpedoed & sinks in North Sea
1916 General Pershing, 15,000 troops chasing Villa into Mexico, stays 10-months
1916 University of Gent goes under Dutch control
1917 Nicholas II, last Russian tsar, says he will abdicate
1919 American Legion forms (Paris France)
1922 1st southern radio station begins radio transmissions (WSB-AM, Atlanta GA)
1923 Lenin is hit with his 3rd stroke
1926 Belgium's "black monday", franc falls
1928 Mussolini modifies Italy electoral system (abolishes right to choose)
1930 1st seaplane glider flown, Port Washington NY
1930 1st streamlined submarine of US navy, USS Nautilus, launched
1933 NAACP begins coordinated attack on segregation & discrimination
1934 US Information Service opens
1935 George Headley completes 270 in cricket vs England at Kingston
1937 1st blood bank is established (Chicago IL)
1937 1st state contraceptive clinic opens (Raleigh NC)
1939 Hitler occupies Bohemia & Moravia (Czechoslovakia); Slovakia independence
1940 Göring says 100-200 church bells enough for Germany, smelt the rest
1941 Blizzard in North Dakota kills 151
1943 Allied reconnaissance flight over Java
1943 Red Army evacuates Kharkov
1944 Italian town of Cassino destroyed by Allied bombing
1945 17th Academy Awards: "Going my Way", Bing Cosby & Ingrid Bergman win
1945 Bert Shepard (1 legged WWII veteran) tries out as a pitcher for Senators
1945 Billboard publishes its 1st album chart (King Cole Trio is #1)
1945 Catholic University of Nijmegen reopens
1945 Dodgers open spring training at Bear Mountain NY
1946 British premier Attlee agrees with India's right to independence
1947 John Lee appointed 1st black commissioned officer in US Navy
1948 Bradman scores 115 for the Australian cricket team vs Western Australia
1948 Sir Laurence Olivier on the cover of LIFE magazine
1948 WCAU TV channel 10 in Philadelphia PA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1949 WICU TV channel 12 in Erie PA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949 WLWD (now WDTN) TV channel 2 in Dayton OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1950 Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Consul" premieres at Barrymore Theater NYC for 269 performances
1950 NYC hires Dr Wallace E Howell as its official "rainmaker"
1951 Persia nationalizes Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
1952 "2 in the Aisle" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 276 performances
1952 Greatest 24-hour rainfall begins; 187 cm at La Réunion, Indian Ocean
1953 Patty Berg wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1953 West Germany loses in soccer to Netherlands, 2-1
1954 "CBS Morning Show" premieres with Walter Cronkite & Jack Paar
1954 WSJV TV channel 28 in Elkhart-South Bend IN (ABC) begins broadcasting
1955 Dutch 2nd Chamber requires TV licenses
1955 US Air Force unveils self-guided missile
1955 WLEX TV channel 18 in Lexington KY (NBC) begins broadcasting
1956 "My Fair Lady" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 2,715 performances
1956 Whipper Billy Watson beats Lou Thesz in Toronto, to become NWA champion
1957 3rd nation to explode a nuclear bomb (Britain)
1958 "Body Beautiful" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 60 performances
1958 KULR TV channel 8 in Billings MT (NBC/ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1958 Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati scores a NCAA midwest region-record 56 points
1958 Royals basketball star Maurice Stokes collapsed during a playoff game with encephalitis; He goes into a coma & is permanently disabled
1958 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1959 Louise Suggs wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1959 Robert Foster sets record by staying underwater 13 minutes 42.5 seconds
1959 WILX TV channel 10 in Lansing MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1960 Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve established (1st underwater park)
1960 National Observatory at Kitt Peak, Arizona dedicated
1961 South Africa withdrews from British Commonwealth
1962 5 research groups announce simultaneously discovery of anti-matter
1962 Donald Jackson of Canada, is 1st to land a triple lutz ice skate jump
1962 KATU TV channel 2 in Portland OR (ABC) begins broadcasting
1962 Richard Rogers' "No Strings" opens at 84th St Theater NYC for 580 performances
1962 Wilt Chamberlain is 1st to score 4,000 points in an NBA season
1963 WFAN TV channel 14 in Washington DC (IND) begins broadcasting
1964 LBJ asks for a War on Poverty
1964 Liz Taylor's 5th marriage (Richard Burton)
1964 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1965 LBJ asks congress to ensure everybody's right to vote
1965 TGIFriday's 1st restaurant opens in New York NY
1965 WMFE TV channel 24 in Orlando FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1966 8th Grammy Awards: Taste of Honey, Tom Jones, Sintra & Streisand
1966 Racial riots erupt in the Watts section of Los Angeles
1967 AFCENT-headquarter moves to Brunssum
1967 Marshal Arturo da Costa e Silva sworn in as President of Brazil
1967 WSJK TV channel 2 in Sneedville/Knoxville TN (PBS) 1st broadcast
1968 Bob Beamon sets indoor long jump record (27' 2.75")
1968 British minister of Foreign affairs George Brown resigns
1968 Diocese of Rome announces that it "deplored the concept", but wouldn't prohibit rock & roll masses at Church of San Lessio Falconieri
1968 LIFE magazine calls Jimi Hendrix "most spectacular guitarist in the world"
1968 Uprising in South Yemen
1968 US Mint stops buying & selling gold
1969 US Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigns
1969 Violent Chinese-Russian border dispute (100s dead)
1970 Expo '70 opens in Osaka, Japan
1970 Gary Geld & Peter Udell's "Purlie" premieres at Broadway Theater NYC for 689 performances
1971 CBS TV announces it is dropping "Ed Sullivan Show"
1971 Chatrooms make their debut on the Internet
1972 Assassination attempt on Governor George Wallace of Alabama
1972 Danish airliner hit mountain in Sheikdom of Oman killing 112
1972 NASA selects 3 part configuration for Space Shuttle
1974 Brazilian President Garastazu Médici resigns
1975 Bundy victim Julie Cunningham disappears from Vail CO
1975 Jevgeni Kulikov skates world record 500 meter (37.99 seconds)
1976 Failed coup in Nigeria
1977 "Eight is Enough" premieres on ABC-TV
1977 US House of Representatives begin 90 day test of televising its sessions
1978 A's trade Vida Blue to Giants for 7 players & $390,000
1978 Operation Litani: Israeli offensive in South Lebanon to rid area of Palestine guerrillas
1978 People's Rebublic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor People's Rebublic of China
1979 Apparat releases Newdos+ 2.1 for Radio Shack's TRS-80
1979 Isle's Bryan Trottier's 5th career hat trick
1979 Sarfraz takes 9-86 at MCG as Australia lose 7-5 to lose the Test
1981 "Broadway Follies" opens/closes at Nederlander Theater NYC
1981 Patty Hayes wins LPGA Sun City Golf Classic
1981 Suriname failed coup under Sergeant-Major Wilfred Hawker
1982 Actress Theresa Saladana, stabbed repeatedly by obsessed fan
1982 KGB-AM in San Diego CA changes call letters to KCNN (now KPOP)
1982 Nicaragua suspends their citizens rights for 30 days
1983 Karnataka beat Bombay on 1st innings to win cricket Ranji Trophy
1984 10th People's Choice Awards: Brooke Shields
1984 John Lennon's single "I'm Stepping Out" is released (4 years after his death)
1984 Tanzania adopts constitution
1985 Larry Holmes TKOs David Bey in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
1985 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1986 Funeral services held for Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme
1987 "Starlight Express" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 761 performances
1987 "Sweet Charity" closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 368 performances
1987 13th People's Choice Awards: Bill Cosby
1987 Last day in Test cricket for Larry Gomes & Joel Garner
1987 New Zealand beat West Indies by 5 wickets in Jeremy Coney's last Test Cricket
1987 US Davis Cup team loses to Paraguay
1988 Eugene Marino of Atlanta, appointed 1st African American archbishop
1988 NASA reports accelerated breakdown of ozone layer by CFK
1988 NFL's St Louis Cardinals officially move to Phoenix
1989 "Les Miserables" opens at Royal Alexandra Theatre Toronto
1989 Department of Veterans Affairs officially established as a Cabinet position
1989 New York Rangers retire goalie Eddie Giacomin's #1 uniform
1990 Fernando Collor de Mello sworn in as President of Brazil
1991 4 Los Angeles police are charged with beating Rodney King
1991 Sergei Bubka pole vaults record 20¼'
1991 Territories of Amapa & Roraima become states in Brazil
1992 Brandie Burton wins LPGA Ping/Welch's Golf Championship
1992 UN officially embarks on its largest peacekeeping operation
1993 Vinod Kambli scores 227 vs Zimbabwe, his 2nd consecutive Test 200
1994 8th Soul Train Music Awards: Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston win
1994 Experts from American League certify Indian's Jacobs Field is properly lit
1997 Pittsburgh Penguins' Joe Mullen, is 1st American to score 500 NHL goals
1998 "Cabaret" opens at Club Expo Theater NYC
1998 Welch's/Circle K Golf Championship
1999 Pluto again becomes outermost planet

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Honduras : Thanksgiving Day
Hungary : National Day
India, Mauritius, Nepál : Holi
Iran : Armed Forces Day/Labor Day
Liberia : JJ Robert's Birthday (1809)
Maine : Admission Day (1820)
Tennessee : Andrew Jackson's Birthday (1767)

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Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Longinus, soldier with spear
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Louise de Marillac, widow
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Clement Hofbauer, priest/missionary

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Religious History
1729 A Ceremony of Profession was held for Sister St. Stanislaus Hachard at the Ursuline convent in New Orleans, thereby making her the first Catholic woman to become a nun in America.
1839 Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'All my ideas of peace and joy are linked in with my Bible; and I would not give the hours of secret converse with it for all the other hours I spend in this world.'
1875 In New York City, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Archbishop John McCloskey, 65, became the first American to be named a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.
1950 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'The believer is a displaced person. He loses the controlling features of both environment and heredity.'
1953 The first Southern Baptist church in North Dakota was formed in Williston, with 12 charter members. (The North Dakota Southern Baptist Association was formed the following year with five member churches.)

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Thought for the day :
"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway."

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633)

Layfayette class nuclear ballistic missile submarine.
Displacement. 7325 tons (surf.), 8251 tons (subm.)
Lenght. 425'
Beam. 33'
Speed. 16k (surf.), 21k (subm.)
Test depth. 1300'
Armament. 16 missile tubes, 4-21" tt. fwd.
Complement. 14 officers - 126 enlisted men (each in 2 crews)

USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633) was launched on 1 February 1964 and commissioned 14 August 1964, the 28th Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine, and the first ship of the line to bear the name. Named for Brigadier General Count Casimir Pulaski, a hero of the Revolutionary War, she was sponsored by Mrs. John A. Gronouski, the wife of the then Postmaster General of the United States, and commnanded by Captain R. L. J. Long, later COMSUBLANT, DCNO (submarines), and CINCPACFLT.

Pulaski sailed on her first patrol from Charleston, SC, in March 1965, and deployed to Holy Loch, Scotland. After completion of 20 Polaris A3 patrols, she entered overhaul in Groton, CT, for refueling end conversion to carry the Poseidon C3 missile, the fifth submarine to be so converted.

In October 1971, Pulaski deployed with Poseidon missiles to resume patrols from Holy Loch. After the completion of six additional patrols, she participated in the Operational Test (OT) Program by reconfiguring for test, and then test firing four Poseidon missiles in the Atlantic Test Range successfully.

In July 1974, Pulaski was awarded the Submarine Squadron Fourteen Battle Efficiency "E," the first ever awarded to an SSBN. In late 1980. after the completion of a total of 52 strategic deterrent patrols, she entered overhaul in Newport News, VA, for refueling and backfit to carry the new Trident I C4 missile. She deployed in June 1983, now assigned to Submarine Squadron Sixteen in Kings Bay, GA. In June 1985, Pulaski Gold conducted a flawless Follow-On Operational Test (FOT), reconfiguring and successfully launching four Trident I missiles on the Atlantic Test Range.

In October 1985, Pulaski Gold was awarded the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy, Emblematic of the unit in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet making the most improvement in battle efficiency during fiscail year 1985.

In October 1986, Pulaski (both crews) was awarded the Commander Submarine Squadron Sixteen Battle Efficiency "E," and the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Outstanding Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Performance Award for fiscal year 1986. August 1987 found Pulaski completing a very successful Extended Refit Period conducted by Charleston Naval Shipyard in Kings Bay, Georgia. The ship's systems were extensively refurbished to enable extension of her useful life and time between shipyard overhauls.

Pulaski was decommissioned on 7 March 1994. She was disposed of through the Ship Recycling Program at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, on 21 October 1994.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather

[SAMWolf]

1916 General Pershing, 15,000 troops chasing Villa into Mexico, stays 10-months

To be covered in an upcoming Foxhole Thread.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for profiling the USS Casimir Pulaski.

[Victoria Delsoul]

"I came here where freedom is being defended, to serve it and to live or die for it..."
-- General Pulaski to George Washington

[Jen]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

[SAMWolf]

You are becoming a font of information American History. Thank you Cote.

[SAMWolf]

BLUSH!!

Actually it was more like "I volunteered for this?????????"

Thanks Cote for the kind words, but I could never compare to a Pulaski or a Von Steuben.

[Junior]

Casimir Pulaski. A mercenary. And people are worried about employing mercenaries now.

[SAMWolf]

Afternoon Victoria, I see I missed another graphic.