The Polish General, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, fought for freedom on two continents. In 1776, he
came to America from Poland to serve in the American Revolutionary War. He became a Colonel
in the Continental Army. A skilled military engineer, he fortified Philadelphia's Delaware River.
His greatest contribution to the American's fight for freedom was to the victory at Saratoga, a turning point in the war. There his fortification of Bemis Heights made that victory possible. He also planned the defenses at West
Point on the Hudson River. The forts he built there preventing the British from using the river to divide the American Colonies.
Following the Revolutionary War, Kosciuszko was rewarded with the rank of Brigadier General,
a grant from public lands, an annual pension and membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. He then returned to his native country of Poland. There, once as a general and again as the Commander in Chief of the Polish Forces he sought to defended the nation against the Russians.
Later, Kosciuszko returned once again to America where he wrote out a will asking Thomas Jefferson to
free as many slaves as possible with the money he earned in America. He wanted the slaves to
experience freedom. Kosciuszko was a true fighter for freedom for all, a hero of two worlds.
Comprehension Questions
1. Why did General Kosciuszko leave his own country to fight for another one
across the ocean?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2. What was General Kosciuszko's contribution to the Revolutionary War?
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3. Why is General Kosciuszko called a "Hero of Two Worlds"?
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4. Name other heroes from history who fought for freedom in other countries.
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