A Horse,
of Course
with Don Blazer
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The Fourth of July is the birthday of our
nation. It’s the day we declared independence from foreign rule. Yet it
was with foreign help that we won our freedom.
And even though historians will say horses
played a minor role in the Revolutionary war, others will say, without the
horse, our heroes would have lost the war and been hanged as traitors.
One thing is for sure, the War of Independence
brought us our freedom, and it also brought us the American Cavalry.
The horse soldier came into his own.
Nearly a decade before the Boston Tea Party,
events were taking place in Poland which would later have a profound effect on
the American War of Independence.
Cassimir Pulaski was in the service of the Duke
of Courland in 1768 learning the techniques of riding and cavalry warfare.
Meanwhile Cassimir’s father, Joseph Pulaski was bringing men to arms in an
effort to keep the Russians from interfering in Polish affairs. The political
climate was similar to what was brewing in the American colonies.
Cassimir’s father died in 1769, and even
though Cassimir was only 22, the burden of commanding troops fell to him. While
he was successful in a number of small battles, his greatest victory came in
capturing from the Russians and holding Jasna Gora at Czestochowa, the holiest
place in Poland. He became an instant hero, but his position was short-lived as
he was implicated in a plot of kill the King of Poland and he was forced into
exile.
Pulaski fled to France where he met Benjamin
Franklin who was in Paris seeking the help of the French for the American
cause. Pulaski saw the colonials as fighting for the same ideals as his and he
soon agreed to join George Washington’s army, saying, "For your
freedom and ours."
Pulaski was placed in temporary command of
Washington’s somewhat ragtag cavalry detachment. On September 11, 1777 at
the Battle of Brandywine, in Pennsylvania, Pulaski was sent out scout British
troop movements. Pulaski quickly discovered the British were beginning a
flanking movement, so he gathered all the available horsemen and led a surprise
charge which allowed the American army to escape British entrapment. In saving
the rebels, he actually is also credited with saving Washington's life.
Congress rewarded Pulaski on Sept. 15, 1777
with a commission as Brigadier General of the American Cavalry which at the
time was next to nothing. He spent the winter or 1777 and all of 1778 training,
outfitting and building cavalry units. He requested and Washington approved the
formation of an independent cavalry and light infantry made up of foreign
volunteers. This unit became the training round for all American cavalry
officers, including "Light Horse" Harry Lee, the father of Robert E.
Lee.
Pulaski’s Legion, as it later became
known, was involved in many minor skirmishes through 1778 and early 1779 with
the British along the Delaware River. Then he was ordered to join Gen. Lincoln,
who was in command of forces in Georgia and South Carolina. Pulaski reached
Charleston, SC on May 11, 1779, the day the city was besieged by the British.
Pulaski ordered his arm to attack and they pushed the British back, forcing a
retreat and saving the city.
The next military action was to engage the
enemy at Savannah, GA. On Oct. 9, 1779 Pulaski’s Legion mounted an
assault, but suffered heavy casualties from British musket and cannon fire.
During the charge, Pulaski was mortally wounded. The attach failed.
Pulaski died on board the American ship WASP
two days later. He was buried at sea.
On Nov. 11, 1779 Gen. Washington order all army
units to use the password "Pulaski" and the response
"Poland" in honor of the fallen hero.
His heroics are legend. But it is his less know
work of forging disciplined riders who could shadow and report on British troop
movements, go on long distance forage raids to feed and clothe the men at
Valley Forge and hit and run to slow the British troops which earned him the
title, "Father of the American Cavalry."
In 1825, General Lafayette laid a cornerstone
for the Pulaski Monument in Savannah. The monument was completed and dedicated
in 1853.
Today every state in our nation has a county,
city, town, street, highway, bridge or other landmark named in honor of
Pulaski.
The horse certainly did have an impact on the
War of Independence.
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