Kosciuszko: Polish Champion of American Independence

Thaddeus Kosciuszko is one of the few champions of American independence who was destined to become better known in his own country than he was in America. American history books have little to say about him, and yet his name is familiar to generations of schoolchildren who have been shown his statue in La Fayette Square in Washington along with that of La Fayette himself, General Steuben and other distinguished foreigners who rallied to the American cause. Determined sightseers may even recall the lines inscribed on the base of his statue:

Hope for a season bade the world farewell,

And Freedom shrieked as Kosciuszko fell.