THADDfUS I(OSCIUSll(O

h Hero of Two Worlds

Did You know? Thaddeus Kosciuszko wanted enslaved people to be free. He left money in his will to help enslaved people buy their freedom .

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ISBN: 978002·152050-3 MHID: ()'()2·152050-X Printed in the United Stotes of America.

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TH~DDfUS

KOSCIUSll(O ~ Hero of Two Worlds by Becky Cheston

Contents A So ldier from Across the Ocean ....... . ....

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Kosciuszko's Ideas About Freedom. . . . . . . . . ..

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Saratoga: A Key Battle ................•....... 4 Forts on the Hudson River . ........ . ... . ....... 5

A Hero of Two Worlds ........................ 6 Glossary ................. . .. • ... • ... . ....... 8

ASoldier from Across the Ocean In August 1776 things were not

looking good for the Americans in the Revolutionary War. The walls along the Delaware River that were keeping the British out of Philadelphia were weak. Then a new soldier, a trained engineer, arrived in Philadelphia. There the engineer, Thaddeus Kosciuszko (THAD ee us KOSH choo shko), helped others to fortify walls, keeping the British out of the city for as long

Kosciuszko helped the colonists in their fight for freedom during the American Revolution.

as possible. Congress soon made Kosciuszko the leader of the Army's engineers. There was something different about this young man, though. Kosciuszko was not American. He had traveled from his home in Poland to help Americans fight for freedom.

Kosciuszko's Ideas About Freedom Kosciuszko had been born in Pol and in 1746. At t hat time Russia controlled parts of Poland, but the Polish

wanted to be free. As a young man, Kosciuszko traveled to Paris, where

he studied eng ineering. There exciting news rea ched Kosciuszko: The American colonists were rebelling against the Briti sh. Because he had grown up under Russian control, Kosciuszko understood w hy the Americans were fighting the British. They wanted freedom, and he wanted to help them achieve it. His desire for freedom was so great that Kosci uszko felt drawn across the ocean to join the fight.

ATLANTIC OCEAN

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Saratoga: AKey Battle After Philadelphia, the Americans sent Kosciuszko to 5aratoga, New

York. They had learned that the British planned to start an attack of the area in the nearby city of Albany. Kosciuszko and his team of engineers were in Saratoga when a battle began

on September 19, 1777. In Saratoga Kosciuszko made sure

there were strong fortifications that protected American soldiers. He also

gave the Americans a great spot from which to attack the British. Kosciuszko's engineering helped the Americans achieve victory at the Battle of Saratoga. Thousands of British forces surrendered. Th e Americans grew closer to wi nning th e war.

Kosciuszko's

engineering skills helped to defeat the British at Saratoga.

Forts on the Hudson River The Americans soon called on Kosciuszko for help again.

The British planned to take important areas along the Hudson River. Kosciuszko and his engineers had to fortify an area there ca lled West Point. At key sections of the river,

the team built up two forts: Fort Clinton and Fort Putnam. Kosciuszko also ran a huge chain across the river. It

cou ld be pulled tight to stop British ships from traveling on the river. At West Point, thanks in part to Kosciuszko

and his engineers, the Americans eventually beat back the British.

Kosciuszko helped to fortify West Point.

AHero of Two Worlds In 1781 Americans sent Kosciuszko to Yorktown, Virgin ia. Th e Americans thought they could defeat British troops there. Kosciuszko bui lt campsites that could be easily defended and also took part in the battle. Th e Americans won the Battle at Yorktown and, shortly after, the war. Kosciuszko returned home a few years later. At that time Poland had a system in w hich poor people known as

serfs rented land. They also worked on the land, almost like slaves. Kosciuszko thought this system was wrong. He let male serfs on his land work less than other landowners

did, and women did not have to work for him at all. Kosciuszko helped the Poli sh even more. The people we re very unhappy under Russian co ntrol. So in

March 1794, Kosciuszko spoke to the people, promising t o lead the fight for freedom . In the end, though, Russia was too powerful for the Polish to defeat. The Russians jailed Kosciuszko for two yea rs but then relea sed him.

Kosciuszko spoke to the Polish people in Krakow in 1794, promising to fight for their freedom.

Kosciuszko then spent severa l years in the United States before moving to Switzerland. There he died after a horse accident in 1817. His body was later moved to Poland. Today he is buried next to Poland's greatest heroes. People also built a hill in his memory. It is filled with soil from all over Poland. After fighting for both Poland and the United States, Kosciuszko was truly a hero of two worlds.

Glossary desire something a person wants very much

engineer someone who designs and builds

structures such as bridges and buildings fortify protect or strengthen against attack

rebelling gathering to fight, usua lly against a government

serfs poor peop le who rented farms from landowners for a lot of money surrendered gave up

victory defeat of an enemy; a win

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~C.tIVlt'es Check Understanding 1. Recall Why did Thaddeus Kosciuszko want to help the American people? 2. Synthesize Predict what might have happened if

Kosciuszko had not come to America. 3. Reader Response Kosciuszko took a risk to stand up for his beliefs. Do you think he made the right choice to do this? Why or why not?

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Reading Skill

~ Main Idea and Details What is the main idea of the reader? Ust three details or

examples from the reader that support the main idea.

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Writing in Social Studies

Letter You are a sold ier at the Battle of Saratoga. Write a letter home describing how Kosciuszko's skills helped win the battle.