Brigadier General Thaddeus Kosciuszko - Washington, DC
N 38° 54.009 W 077° 02.120
18S E 323501 N 4307665
This statue of Brigadier General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, located in Lafayette Square, is a contributing monument to the National Register of Historic Places' American Revolution Statuary listing in Washington, DC.
Waymark Code: WMDF6V
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 01/07/2012
Views: 14
ABOUT THE STATUE:
Kosciuszko is one of four European military leaders who assisted the American cause during the Revolution honored with a statue in Lafayette Park just north of The White House in Washington, D.C. The public park is located directly north of the White House on H Street between 15th and 17th Streets NW. The monument was created in 1910, and the sculptor was Antoni Popiel.
"Standing portrait of General Kosciuszko holding a map of the fortifications of Saratoga in his proper right hand. He rests the map against his extended proper right leg. He holds a sword his proper left hand. His dress is that of the U. S. Continental Army military uniform consisting of a long coat with fringed epaulets and a sash at the waist, tall boots, and a hat. The sculpture rests atop a square tiered base adorned with bronze sculptures on all four sides. On the north side, there is an eagle perched on top of a globe showing America with a flag, a sword, and a shield. On the south side, there is globe showing Poland with and eagle fighting a snake on top. On the east side, there is a figure group depicting Kosciuszko dressed in a U. S. military uniform with a drum at his feet and a flag held in his proper left hand. With his proper right hand he unties a rope from around the waist of an American soldier who symbolizes the American army. On the west side, there is a figure group depicting Kosciuszko dressed in a Polish military uniform lying on the ground and pointing into the distance with his proper right hand. Assisting him is a Polish soldier dressed in peasant military attire to symbolize the Polish Army."
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ABOUT THE MAN:
"Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko (February 12, 1746 – October 15, 1817) was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kosciuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus. He led the 1794 Kosciuszko Uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia as Supreme Commander of the Polish National Armed Force (Najwyzszy Naczelnik Sily Zbrojnej Narodowej).
Before commanding the 1794 Uprising, he fought in the American Revolutionary War as a colonel in the Continental Army. In 1783, in recognition of his dedicated service, he was brevetted by the Continental Congress to the rank of brigadier general in a mass promotion given to all officers who had served during the war and became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
There are several Anglicized spellings of Kosciuszko's name. Perhaps the most frequently occurring is Thaddeus Kosciusko, though the full "Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciusko" is also seen. In Lithuanian, Kosciuszko's name is rendered as Tadas Kosciuška or Tadeušas Kosciuška. In Belarusian it is Tadevuš Kasciuška (??????? ????????)."
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