PDF Napoleonic Foot Soldiers and Civilians: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History Culture (Paperback)) by Rafe Blaufarb; Claudia Liebeskind in History

Description

Thaddeus Kosciuszko; a Polish-Lithuanian born in 1746; was one of the most important figures of the modern world. Fleeing his homeland after a death sentence was placed on his head (when he dared court a woman above his station); he came to America one month after the signing of the Declaration of Independence; literally showing up on Benjamin Franklin's doorstep in Philadelphia with little more than a revolutionary spirit and a genius for engineering. Entering the fray as a volunteer in the war effort; he quickly proved his capabilities and became the most talented engineer of the Continental Army. Kosciuszko went on to construct the fortifications for Philadelphia; devise battle plans that were integral to the American victory at the pivotal Battle of Saratoga; and designed the plans for Fortress West Point―the same plans that were stolen by Benedict Arnold. Then; seeking new challenges; Kosciuszko asked for a transfer to the Southern Army; where he oversaw a ring of African-American spies. A lifelong champion of the common man and woman; he was ahead of his time in advocating tolerance and standing up for the rights of slaves; Native Americans; women; serfs; and Jews. Following the end of the war; Kosciuszko returned to Poland and was a leading figure in that nation's Constitutional movement. He became Commander in Chief of the Polish Army and valiantly led a defense against a Russian invasion; and in 1794 he led what was dubbed the Kosciuszko Uprising―a revolt of Polish-Lithuanian forces against the Russian occupiers. Captured during the revolt; he was ultimately pardoned by Russia's Paul I and lived the remainder of his life as an international celebrity and a vocal proponent for human rights. Thomas Jefferson; with whom Kosciuszko had an ongoing correspondence on the immorality of slaveholding; called him "as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known." A lifelong bachelor with a knack for getting involved in doomed relationships; Kosciuszko navigated the tricky worlds of royal intrigue and romance while staying true to his ultimate passion―the pursuit of freedom for all. This definitive and exhaustively researched biography fills a long-standing gap in historical literature with its account of a dashing and inspiring revolutionary figure.