Statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko (Washington, D.C.)

Brigadier General Thaddeus Kościuszko is a bronze statue honoring Polish military figure and engineer

After his important assistance during the war, Kościuszko traveled back to his homeland, where he led the Kościuszko Uprising against Prussia and the Russian Empire. He was unsuccessful and spent time in prison for two years. He was freed on the condition he return to the United States, which he did in 1797. He returned to Europe the following year using an alias, and died in Switzerland in 1817.

In the early 1900s, the Polish National Alliance asked the U.S. Congress if a memorial to Casimir Pulaski could be erected in Lafayette Square. President Theodore Roosevelt preferred a statue of Kościuszko, and the Pulaski statue was installed nearby. After a competition amongst sculptors, Roosevelt's favorite pick, Antoni Popiel, was chosen to design the statue. It was completed in 1908 and the base statues, which are on all sides of the memorial, completed by 1909. It was dedicated on the same day the equestrian statue of Casimir Pulaski was unveiled. Approximately 15,000 Polish Americans attended the ceremonies, where President William Howard Taft spoke.

Kościuszko's statue is one of 14 American Revolution Statuary in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year. In addition, the statue is a contributing property to the L'Enfant Plan and the Lafayette Square Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. There are many other statue and memorials to Kościuszko located throughout the country, and a replica of the statue in Washington, D.C., stands in Warsaw.

History

Biography

Tadeusz Kościuszko, born Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko, was born in 1746 near Kosava, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. His father, who had minor landholdings, died when Kościuszko was a young teenager. He was sent to receive education at a Piarist school and later attended the Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, where Kościuszko was promoted to captain. After leaving the Corps of Cadets, he traveled to France and attended the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.^[4]

While in Paris, Kościuszko also studied in military academy libraries, and became a strong believer in human liberty during the Age of Enlightenment. Recalling his time while in France and other countries, Kościuszko stated: "During the five years of my life spent in foreign countries, I have endeavored to master those arts which pertain to solid government, aiming at the happiness of all, also economics and military art; I earnestly tried to learn this, inasmuch I had a natural passion for these things."^[4]

After briefly returning to his homeland, Kościuszko came back to France before moving to the

When Gates was stationed to the Southern theater, Washington agreed to let him bring along Kościuszko. General Nathanael Greene and other officers considered Kościuszko to be one of the Army's best engineers. After assisting with various campaign in the South, Kościuszko returned to New York with Greene, and in 1783, became one of the founders of the Society of the Cincinnati. Following the defeat of the Kingdom of Great Britain, Kościuszko was promoted to brigadier general on the recommendation of Washington.^[4]

After the war, Kościuszko returned to Poland, where he spent a few years in retirement. This ended when he assisted in leading the Kościuszko Uprising against Prussian and the Russian Empire's influences on the Commonwealth. The Polish were defeated and Kościuszko spent two years in a Russian prison. Sick and frail, he was released on the condition he return to the United States. He reached the U.S. in 1797, where he stayed for one year. He returned to Europe under an alias and died in Switzerland in 1817.^[4]

Memorial

In the 1890s, plans were made to erect statues in

There was a design competition held for the Kościuszko statue, with 20 participants submitting models. Roosevelt took great interest in the competition and his opinion that Polish sculptor Antoni Popiel should win played a large role in his selection.^[7] On April 18, 1904, the U.S. Congress approved funding for the statue at a cost of $76,835, which included the statue, base, and preparation of the site.^[8] M. J. Falvey & Kyle Granite Company served as contractors for the statue while Jules Berchem & American Art Foundry were the founders. The statue of Kościuszko was cast in 1908 and the base statues cast in 1908 and 1909.^[9]

Dedication

The statues of Kościuszko and Pulaski were unveiled and dedicated on the same day, May 11, 1910. The day before the PNA received a cable from Roosevelt, who was in Berlin at the time: "Accept my congratulations to all Americans of Polish birth or origin on the dedication of the monuments to the two great Polish heroes, Kościuszko and Pulaski, whose names will be forever associated on the honor role of American history."^[10]

Approximately 15,000 Polish Americans attended the festivities in Washington, D.C. The Pulaski statue was dedicated at 4pm, after the Kościuszko dedication at 2:30pm. At the Kościuszko unveiling, the event started at the Pulaski statue. The invocation was given by Bishop Paul Peter Rhode followed by speeches from President William Howard Taft, who gave the keynote address, and Polish-American politician John F. Smulski. The United States Marine Band then played the U.S. national anthem before attendees marched to the Kościuszko statue. The people were greeted with music by the Polish Singers Alliance and a speech, in Polish, by PNA President Myron Stenczynski. This was followed by the unveiling and ceremonial gifting of the statue to the American people. Secretary of War Jacob M. Dickinson gave a speech before the benediction. A banquet was held later that night at the Raleigh Hotel, with Taft in attendance.^[11]

Later history

The Kościuszko statue is one of 14 American Revolution Statuary that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on July 14, 1978. The statuary was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS) the following year on March 3, 1979. Because of its location on a square planned by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the statue is a contributing property to the L'Enfant Plan, listed on the NRHP and DCIHS on April 24, 1997, and January 19, 1971, respectively. In addition, the statue is a contributing property to the Lafayette Square Historic District, a National Historic Landmark which was added to the NRHP on August 29, 1970, followed by the DCIHS on June 19, 1973.^[12] The statue and surrounding park are owned and maintained by the National Park Service.^[13]

In addition to the statue in Washington, D.C., Kościuszko is memorialized in the U.S. with an equestrian statue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a monument on the battlefield at Saratoga, and a statue at West Point, among many other memorials.^[4][14] It was noted in a study by the Monument Lab, Kościuszko and Pulaski are memorialized more than most of the American-born Revolutionary War heroes. Washington and Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, are the only two with more statues than Kościuszko. In 2010, a replica of the statue in Washington, D.C., was unveiled in Warsaw, in front of the Lubomirski Palace.^[15]

In 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., protesters defaced the Washington, D.C., statue with spray paint. The Polish ambassador, Piotr Wilczek, reacted with anger: "I am disgusted and appalled by the acts of vandalism committed against the statue of Thaddeus Kościuszko in DC, a hero who fought for the independence of both the US and Poland."^[16] It was not the first time the statue had been vandalized. In the 1990s, Kościuszko's sword and hat were stolen, but later replaced.^[17]

Location and design

The Kościuszko statue is located on the northeast corner of Lafayette Square, near the intersection of H Street and Madison Place NW in Washington, D.C. The other three statues on the corners of the square are Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Comte de Rochambeau, and Marquis de Lafayette.^[8]

The bronze statue of Kościuszko is approximately 10-feet tall (3 m) and each side measures 4 feet (1.2 m). The memorial faces north. He is standing, facing left, and holding a map of his fortification designs of Saratoga with his right hand. The map is resting on his right leg, which is extended from the body. He is wearing a Continental Army officer uniform, which includes a hat, a long coat adorned with

The inscriptions read as follow:[18]^[19]

(Pedestal, front)

(Base, north side)

(Base, west side)

(Base, south side)

(Pedestal, back)

(Base, east side)

See also

• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
• National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
• Outdoor sculpture in Washington, D.C.

References