Kazimierz Pułaski: Father of American Cavalry and the Mystery of His Skeleton

In the United States, his name is borne by seven counties, a fort in Georgia, a viaduct in New Jersey, and an annual Polish parade in New York City. In 2009, Congress posthumously granted him honorary U.S. citizenship. Kazimierz Pułaski, known as the father of American cavalry, died in 1779 near Savannah while fighting for the independence of a country where he spent only two years.

His life is full of paradoxes. His godfather was the father of the king whose kidnapping was later attributed to Pułaski. A hero of two nations, he was imprisoned for debts. And in 2019, studies of his skeleton led to a hypothesis that circulated in the media worldwide: Pułaski may have been intersex. This guide separates facts from legends and explains what is truly known about this mystery.

Baptized at Home Due to Weakness

Kazimierz Pułaski was born in Warsaw in 1745. The museum named after him in Warka states that he was born "most likely on March 4." The child was so weak that he was baptized at home on March 6, without ceremony, and the formal baptism took place on March 14 at the Church of the Holy Cross. Kazimierz Pułaski Museum in Warka, exhibition catalog from 2009. Father Makarewicz, who found the baptism record in 1995, believes that Pułaski was born on March 6, as in contemporary records, the date of birth was only noted when it differed from the date of baptism. Poles in America Foundation, Father Makarewicz on the date of birth. Older biographies even stated the year as 1746 or 1747.

The child's godfather was Stanisław Poniatowski, the father of the future king Stanisław August. Kazimierz studied at the Theatine school in Warsaw, the same one attended by the future king. Museum catalog in Warka. He spent his childhood, among other places, in his family's estate in Winiary near Warka. He rode horses, bathed in the Pilica River, and the sandy banks along the river are still referred to by locals as "the count's beach." There.

Bar Confederation and the Sentence for "Regicide"

In 1768, Pułaski, along with his father Józef, joined the Bar Confederation, an armed uprising of the nobility against Russian influence. He defended Berdyczów, and at the turn of 1770 and 1771, he repelled the siege of Jasna Góra. Poles in America Foundation, chronology of Pułaski's life. His father died in captivity in 1769.

On the night of November 3-4, 1771, the confederates kidnapped King Stanisław August in Warsaw. The kidnapping was unsuccessful. According to the museum in Warka, Pułaski did not personally participate in it and strongly opposed the murder of the king. In a letter to the French minister, he called the accusations of an assassination attempt on the monarch "a vile slander," but admitted that he would consider it the most beautiful day if he could take the king captive and force him to abdicate. Museum catalog in Warka.

In 1773, a parliamentary court sentenced Pułaski to death in absentia. Sources differ regarding the form of punishment and the date of the trial. The sentence was not annulled until several years later, in 1792 or 1793. There. The paradox is striking: Pułaski's godfather was the father of the king whose kidnapping was attributed to him.

Hero in Prison for Debts and Franklin's Letter

In May 1772, Pułaski secretly left the country. He traveled through Dresden, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg to Paris, sometimes using false names, including "Korwin." He also fought on the side of Turkey against Russia. Poles in America Foundation. In October 1775, he briefly sat in a Marseille prison for debts. In a letter to Prince Karol Radziwiłł, he wrote: "I have incurred debts here; I am close to being imprisoned for debts." Museum catalog in Warka.

He was rescued from his troubles by protectors, and the French historian Claude-Carloman de Rulhière recommended him to Benjamin Franklin, who was then in Paris. In May 1777, Franklin wrote a letter of recommendation to George Washington. In it, Pułaski was described as "an officer renowned throughout Europe for his courage and conduct in the defense of the country's freedom." There. On the night of June 5-6, 1777, Pułaski set sail from Nantes, arriving in Marblehead near Boston on July 23.

"To Live or Die for It"

The most frequently quoted words of Pułaski come from a letter to Washington: "I have come here, where freedom is defended, to serve it and to live or die for it." This version is cited in the 2009 Congressional Act. Public Law 111-94. However, the proclamation by President George W. Bush in 2001 states the version as "to live and die for it." 2001 proclamation in the Federal Register. Pułaski wrote his most important letters in French, and we have not been able to access the original. The famous sentence is therefore most likely a translation or paraphrase. Journal of the American Revolution, 2016.

Brandywine and the General Who Did Not Speak English

On September 11, 1777, at Brandywine in Pennsylvania, the British encircled Washington's army. Pułaski then led a small group of cavalry in a charge. The 2009 Congressional Act states that he saved Washington's life in this way. Public Law 111-94. A historical marker in Pennsylvania states more cautiously that his unit helped cover Washington's retreat. Historical marker in Pennsylvania.

Four days later, on September 15, 1777, Congress appointed Pułaski as a brigadier general and commander of all cavalry. Earlier, on September 4, Congress had rejected his candidacy. Under his command were four regiments of light dragoons, just over 500 men. Pułaski spoke Polish, Russian, German, and French, but not English. Journal of the American Revolution.

Disputes over Hay, Rum, and Seniority

Commanding the American cavalry proved difficult. Officers complained about excessive drill, and Pułaski argued about the cavalry's precedence over the infantry. In December 1777, his cousin Jan Zieliński struck and unseated American Colonel Stephen Moylan with a lance. Pułaski complained in letters about the lack of fodder ("there was not a single wagon of hay in the city") and requested that rum allocations for the infantry not leave the cavalry "in the lurch." On February 28, 1778, he resigned as commander of the cavalry. Journal of the American Revolution.

Pulaski's Legion and the Banner from Nuns

In March 1778, Congress agreed to form Pulaski's Legion, an independent unit of cavalry and infantry. Poles in America Foundation. Recruitment in Baltimore lasted five months, and the Legion included French, Germans, Americans, Irish, and Poles. On May 18, 1778, the Legion received a banner embroidered by Moravian nuns from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with the mottos "Non alius regit" and "Unita virtus fortior." Museum catalog in Warka.

In October 1778, the Legion suffered heavy losses in a nighttime attack by the British at Little Egg Harbor in New Jersey. In May 1779, it reached Charleston, South Carolina, and defended the city against the British. Poles in America Foundation. Assessments of these battles vary: the museum in Warka speaks of a moral victory, while some American historians criticize the actions of the Legion.

Grapeshot at Savannah and the Dispute over the Date of Death

On October 9, 1779, during the assault on British-occupied Savannah in Georgia, Pułaski was mortally wounded by a grapeshot ball in the right groin. Surgeon Dr. James Lynah removed the projectile, which is now kept by the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Museum catalog in Warka.

The date of death is disputed. It is officially observed on October 11, according to accounts from Legion officer Paul Bentalou and Marquis Lafayette. President Obama's proclamation from 2010. Researcher Edward Pinkowski pointed to October 15 based on a letter from the captain of the ship Wasp, which mentions the death of one of the wounded Americans on that day, but does not name him. Edward Pinkowski on Pułaski's burial. Pułaski died aboard the ship Wasp. The Congressional Act refers to it as "USS Wasp," but it was a privateer ship, not a U.S. Navy vessel.

Washington paid special tribute to the deceased. According to the museum in Warka, in an order dated November 17, 1779, he designated the password "Pułaski" and the response "Poland." Museum in Warka, page about the patron. Pułaski's saber was given to Washington after his death. At a symbolic funeral in Charleston on October 21, 1779, a chestnut horse fully equipped with the general's gear was led. Museum catalog in Warka.

Buried at Sea or on a Plantation?

Bentalou and Lafayette wrote that Pułaski was buried at sea, and Bentalou claimed to have witnessed it. AP via NBC News, 2005. The second version states that the body was buried on the Greenwich plantation near Savannah. In the 1850s, the remains from this grave were moved to a crypt under the Pułaski monument in Monterey Square in Savannah. Edward Pinkowski on burial. The cornerstone for the monument was laid by Lafayette in 1825. Public Law 111-94.

In 1996, during the renovation of the monument, the crypt was opened, and a metal box containing a skeleton was found. The skeleton matched Pułaski's age and height, and a fused fracture of the right hand corresponded to an injury that Pułaski himself described in a letter. However, DNA tests conducted until 2005 did not provide a resolution. Historian Chuck Powell stated: "To our great frustration, we have not been able to solve the mystery." AP via NBC News, 2005. In October 2005, the remains were reburied under the monument in an oak coffin brought from Poland. The procession was drawn by four white horses from the Arlington Cemetery funeral unit. Poles in America Foundation, funeral in 2005.

The Mystery of the Skeleton: What Was Really Established in 2019

As early as 1996, researchers noted that the bones appeared female: the pelvis and facial features had characteristics typical of women. At that time, the simplest explanation was that it simply was not Pułaski. In 2019, a team including anthropologist Dr. Virginia Hutton Estabrook from Georgia Southern University revisited the case in the Smithsonian Channel documentary "America’s Hidden Stories: The General Was Female?" Georgia Southern University, 2019 announcement.

Lakehead University in Canada compared mitochondrial DNA from the bones with DNA from a tooth of a female relative of Pułaski. The result was consistent. Estabrook stated: "Now we know that it was Pułaski." The George-Anne, interview with Dr. Estabrook. Since the skeleton belonged to Pułaski and exhibited female characteristics, researchers proposed the hypothesis that Pułaski was intersex. He may have had congenital adrenal hyperplasia, in which a genetically female body produces a lot of male hormones. Fox News, 2019.

What is Certain and What is Hypothesis

• Probably Certain: The remains from under the monument in Savannah have mitochondrial DNA matching a female relative of Pułaski, and the bones exhibit characteristics typical of a female skeleton.
• Hypothesis: Intersex, especially a specific condition. Mitochondrial DNA testing does not determine chromosomal sex. In the sources we accessed, there is no information about such testing, and the assertion that Pułaski was genetically female arises from the bone structure.
• No Peer Review: We did not find a peer-reviewed scientific publication with the results from 2019. We know them from the documentary and the press. Doctor Gerald Rutecki, who analyzed this hypothesis, himself called it "hypothetical." Hektoen International, 2019.

Headlines like "Pułaski was a woman" are simplifications. Estabrook herself cautioned that it is unknown how intersex conditions affect skeletal development, and emphasized: "He never perceived himself as anything other than a man." The George-Anne. Pułaski was baptized as a boy, had facial hair, and lived his entire life as a man.

Honorary Citizen of the USA and Two Pulaski Days

On November 6, 2009, Public Law 111-94 came into effect, posthumously declaring Kazimierz Pułaski an honorary citizen of the United States. Public Law 111-94. This distinction has been granted to only a few individuals in U.S. history. Sources differ on whether Pułaski was the seventh or eighth such person.

In the USA, there are two days dedicated to Pułaski. The federal General Pulaski Memorial Day falls on October 11. Congress established it in 1929, and presidents issue proclamations or messages each year on this occasion, most recently on October 11, 2026. White House, message from 2026. In Illinois, Casimir Pulaski Day is celebrated on the first Monday of March. The Pulaski Parade in New York has been held annually since 1937. Fox News. Practical information about the parade can be found in our guide to the Pulaski Parade in New York.

Counties, Fort, and Viaduct Named After Him

In the USA, there are seven Pulaski counties: in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia. The presidential proclamation from 2001 also mentions numerous cities and streets named after him, as well as an equestrian monument in Washington, which has stood since 1910. 2001 proclamation.

Fort Pulaski on Cockspur Island near Savannah has an interesting history. A young lieutenant, Robert E. Lee, who later became the commander of the Confederate army, worked on its construction from 1829 to 1831, and in 1861 he visited the fort as a general. National Park Service, Fort Pulaski. In New Jersey, Pułaski's name is borne by the Pulaski Skyway, a viaduct between Newark and Jersey City. In 2000, the United States transferred a frigate to Poland, which was named ORP "Gen. K. Pułaski." Museum catalog in Warka.

Museum in Warka and the "Vivat Pułaski" Picnic

The Kazimierz Pułaski Museum in Warka-Winiary was opened in 1967 in the former family estate of the Pułaski family. It is dedicated to Pułaski and Polish emigration, especially in the USA. The palace was built around 1689 according to the design of Augustyn Locci, and in 1787 it hosted King Stanisław August. Museum in Warka, history of the museum. Since 2005, on the first Sunday of July, in celebration of American Independence Day, the museum has organized the "Vivat Pułaski" picnic. Museum catalog in Warka. It is a good destination for a trip if you visit Poland with children raised in America.

Myths and Inaccuracies about Pułaski