Some of my adult students mentioned excitedly that a Polish general had been a hero in the American Revolutionary War. I'd never heard this before and made a mental note to do some research, and promptly forgot about it. Until he surfaced again in the Poland book I'm reading.
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko - pronounced kosh-koosh-ko) was a Polish-Lithuanian (minor) nobleman born in Kosava (in what is now Belarus). His father died when he was 12 and the family fell on hard times, leading to Kościuszko's military education being sponsored by the (princely) noble family of Czartoryski.
A restless and adventurous sort, educated as an military architect / engineer, he learned of the American Revolution in 1775 in Paris and headed to the Colonies to fight on the side of the Continentals.
There he designed and led construction efforts of fortifications of New Jersey's Fort Billingsport to prevent a British advance on Philadelphia; coordinated destruction of infrastructure to slow the British in their pursuit after the abandonment by Continentals of Fort Ticonderoga; designed defenses for the Battle of Saratoga; and eventually spent two years at West Point.
In the south, Kościuszko was responsible for scouting the Dan and Yadkin rivers for crossing points, building flat boats called bateau as troop transport, and running the spy network in South Carolina.
He even designed the fireworks displays to celebrate the end of the war for Charleston and Independence Day July 4, 1783 for Princeton. He was promoted to brigadier general.
Kosciuszko returned to Poland in 1784 - between the first and second Partitions - where he was able to regain some family lands which had been lost by his brother to bad investments. His estate was not profitable because of his radical decision to reduce the hours owed to him by his serfs -- males would work for the manor only two days per week, females were exempted.
The Great Sejm (Congress / Parliament) of 1788–92 introduced reforms, including human rights for the serfs, a reduction in the power of the nobles, and a build up of the military to defend Poland-Lithuania. Kosciuszko took this opportunity to join the military, where he ultimately became second in command.
Poland's neighbors saw the reforms of Poland-Lithuania, and especially the strong constitution adopted in May 1791, as a threat to their long ability to influence policy, and Polish magnates/nobility saw them as a direct challenge to their cushy lives. So in May 1792 the magnates approached Russia to help overthrow the Constitution and four days later an invasion started.
While Kościuszko never lost a battle, the weak king capitulated to Russian forces in July 1792, and Kościuszko left the country in disgust for a Polish enclave in Germany. In January 1793 Russia and Prussia designed the second partition (don't even get me started!), which the Sejm was forced to ratify in June 1793. At this time the constitution with the forward thinking reforms was overturned.
Buoyed by support from Polish ex-patriots in Europe, Kościuszko planned an uprising to throw off the foreign forces who were occupying and carving up his country. The uprising where serfs and nobles fought as equals started in March 1794. Kościuszko's forces were surprisingly successful, forcing Prussia to come to Russia's aid in June. His ragtag forces continued to fight, until Kościuszko was captured October 10.
The Kościuszko Uprising forced the Third Partition, which wiped Poland-Lithuania off the map for the next 123 years.
After the defeat of the Kościuszko Uprising, he was held in Russia until being pardoned after the death of Catherine the Great. He emigrated to the US, where he continued his friendship with Thomas Jefferson, and eventually returned to Europe, living in Switzerland until his death.
The American government defaulted on their promises to pay Kościuszko for his seven years of military service - plus interest.