Poland's Tadeusz Kościuszko Mound: Connecting the American Revolution, Poland, and the Great War

General Tadeusz Kościuszko

Thaddeus Kościuszko (1746–1817), was a Polish general, military engineer, and revolutionary. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, as well as an uprising in his home country. He was known for his bravery, kindness, patriotism, likeability, and unwavering strength of character.

Late in August 1776, Thaddeus Kościuszko stepped off a ship and onto the docks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After making the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin and proving his worth by designing blockades and fortresses along the Delaware River, Kościuszko was given the rank of colonel by Congress in October 1776. In December, he designed Fort Mercer in Red Bank, New Jersey. In the summer of 1777, he ordered the troops retreating from Ticonderoga to delay the British by felling trees and moving boulders onto the path, as well as diverting and damming streams to turn the woodland path into a swamp. In the autumn of 1777, Kościuszko’s structures and use of topography contributed to the American victory at Saratoga.

Reaching Fort West Point in New York in March 1778, Kościuszko heavily fortified the base, as well as the section of the Hudson River that it overlooked. It was here that he met the witty and charismatic Agrippa Hull, a black New-Englander who would accompany Kościuszko for the rest of the war as his servant, assistant, and companion.

Finally leaving West Point late in the summer of 1780, the engineer traveled south to meet up with his friend and mentor, General Horatio Gates. Gates, however, was soon replaced by General Nathanael Greene, whom Kościuszko would serve for the rest of the war. As the British general Lord Cornwallis chased Greene’s forces around the Carolinas, Kościuszko proved himself invaluable by leading the troops through shortcuts and building a fleet of small boats which could be used to transport supplies and soldiers across rivers.

The Tadeusz Kościuszko Mound, Krakow, Poland

In June 1781, while attempting to burrow closer to an enemy fort known as “Ninety-Six,” Kościuszko was bayoneted in the buttocks while inspecting his trench. He soon recovered from the criticism of his failed plan, as well as the embarrassment from his wound. In early autumn 1782, as the war was drawing to a close, Kościuszko was made a field commander. On November 14, Kościuszko led a skirmish outside Charleston, South Carolina, one of the last military skirmishes of the American Revolutionary War. After nine years away from his homeland, Thaddeus Kościuszko returned to Poland in September 1784.

For a few years, he lived simply and alone on his remote farm while Poland and other parts of Europe underwent significant political changes. Weary of Russian domination, and inspired by the American Revolution, Poland began to strengthen its army, and on 3 May 1791, it passed a new constitution. It is generally considered the second national constitution in history, the first being that of the United States.

Tensions eventually broke with the Russians, and Kościuszko, who had been given the title of major general in 1789, fought a year-long war for Poland's freedom. However, the Russian army was too strong, and in late July 1792, the Polish King Stanislaw surrendered to Tsaritsa Catherine the Great. Kościuszko left Poland, as did many other leaders who fought against the Russians.

 

After spending over a year in western Europe, planning and gathering support, the revolutionaries re-entered Poland in March 1794, prepared to set off a fiery rebellion. Kościuszko was proclaimed commander in chief of Poland and chosen to lead the uprising. Leading his patchwork army—soldiers armed with guns and peasants armed with farming tools—the Polish army waged a battle with a Russian force near the village of Raclawice. The Polish army overpowered the unprepared Russian forces. The scythe-bearing peasants also brought an element of psychological warfare to the Polish army: with their long scythes and fierce war cries, they reminded the Czarina’s troops of the mythical grim reaper from folktales. Soon, people in cities all over Poland rose up to force out the occupying Russian soldiers, pledging their allegiance to Kościuszko.

However, Poland’s triumph was short-lived. An unexpected collaboration between the Russian and the Prussian armies defeated and demoralized the Polish army at the Battle of Szczekociny in June 1794. On 15 June, Krakow fell to the Prussians. All efforts turned to defending Warsaw. A combined Russian and Prussian army lay siege to the capital city throughout the summer, but the Polish forces and the city’s inhabitants managed to stave them off until they retreated in September.

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Inside the Complex

On 10 October 1794 the Polish army engaged the tsaritsa' soldiers. Massively outnumbered, the Polish forces lost the battle. Kościuszko himself was badly wounded and captured. He was taken to St. Petersburg, where he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress on 10 December 1794. After his release he returned to America for two years, and spent the rest of his life in Europe. He notably put in an appearance at the Congress of Vienna to advocate Polish independence, but his efforts came to nought. The beloved hero of both America and Poland died in Switzerland in 1817.

Upon his passing, Polish authorities demanded his body be sent from Switzerland to be interred in the Wawel Royal Crypts. Such was the love for Kościuszko that the people proposed to honor him with a monument in the tradition of the prehistoric mounds of King Krak and Wanda—and to make it the grandest in Kraków. With the approval of the Norbertine Sisters, who granted the land, city authorities began developing an artificial burial mound to be constructed atop Bronisława Hill in Zwierzyniec. When construction began there was no lack of pomp and ceremony. First mass was held, followed by speeches; documents, heirlooms and artifacts from Kościuszko’s illustrious life were placed—as well as soil from his many battlefields, including those in America—before friends, statesmen and foreign dignitaries dumped the first wheelbarrows of dirt. For the next three years people of all ages from all over Poland brought soil from their villages to add to the mound. Though a committee was formed for its oversight, the work was all done voluntarily. Officially completed in November 1823, Kościuszko Mound stands 34 meters high, 326 meters above sea level, and on a clear day the Tatra Mountains can be seen from the top.

In the 1850s, the occupying Austrian military authorities built a brick fortress around the mound, which they used as a strategic lookout point. Demolishing a chapel of St. Bronisława at the site, the thoughtful Austrians actually built a new chapel, incorporating it into the stronghold. In 1860, a granite boulder with the inscription: "Kościuszko" was placed on the top.

Warsaw—Atop the Mound in Krakow—Washington, DC

WWI: The Battles of Krakow, November–December 1914

At the outbreak of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Army removed the memorial stone and set up an observation point on the top of the mound. The mound served this valuable role during the fall 1914 battles just east of Krakow.  Never placed under direct fire of the enemy, it proved and ideal site for launching observation balloons. The result of the fighting was to halt the early successful southern Russian advance to the west and drive their forces out of Galicia permanently.

The Germans later threatened to entirely level the mound and surrounding fortifications during their WWII occupation as they set about destroying all Polish monuments and national symbols (along with three million Polish Jews). Though parts of the fortress were destroyed, the complex has been restored and significant engineering improvements have been made to the Kościuszko Mound to ensure its longevity.

Sources: Krakow City Guide; Malopolska: The First World War Eastern Front Trail; National Park Service Publications.