Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
March 1777
Primary Source Reference:
Du Simitière Memorandum Books, Library of Congress, fol. 19r
Notes:
Engraving by Peter Paul Benazech (ca. 1744-ca. 1783) after Pietro Lucatelli (ca. 1630-after 1690), Compagne de Grèce (Paris, 1770?).
The donor was Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), a Polish-Lithuanian military engineer, statesman, and military leader who became a national hero in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and the United States. In 1776, Kosciuszko moved to North America, where he took part in the American Revolution as a colonel in the Continental Army. An accomplished military architect, he designed and oversaw the construction of state-of-the-art fortifications, including those at West Point, New York. In 1783, in recognition of his services, the Continental Congress promoted him to brigadier general.
