KOSCIUSZKO, kos-i-fis'kii (Polish kiis choosh'kep), Thaddeus (Polish TADEUSZ), Pol ish patriot: h Mereczowszczyzna, Lithuania. 12 Feb. 1746; d. Solothurn, Switzerland, 15 Oct. 1817. He was educated in the military school at Warsaw; and completed his studies in France. On his return to Poland he became suitor to the daughter of Sosnovski, marshal of Lithu ania, but his love meeting no return he betook himself to America (1777). Having attracted the notice of Washington, he was appointed engineer, with the rank of colonel, and after ward general of brigade. He performed excel lent service and at the end of the war received the thanks of Congress, with the brevet of major-general. He returned to Poland in 1786, and on the occasion of the reorganization of the Polish army in 1789 was appointed major general, and having declared for the constitu tion of 3 May 1791, he fought in the war which soon after broke out, with the rank of lieuten ant-general. When Stanislaus Augustus in 1793 agreed to the second partition of Poland, Kos auszko withdrew from the army and retired to Leipzig. At this time the Legislative Assem bly in France conferred on him the title of French citizen. When a new insurrection broke out in Poland in 1794 for the purpose of delivering the country from the Russians, Kosciuszko was recalled and made commander in-chief of the insurgent army. He defeated
the Russians at Raclavice, but at the battle of Maciejovice his army was defeated and he him self wounded and taken prisoner. He remained in captivity for two years, and then proceeded to England, and thence to America. In 1798 he returned to Europe on a mission from Con gress to France, and contributed to bring about an understanding between the latter country and the United States. In April 1814, he ad dressed a petition to Alexander I, emperor of Russia, requesting him to grant an amnesty to all expatriated Poles, to accept the title of king of Poland and to give that country a free constitution similar to that of England; but the petition remained without effect. In April 1817 he issued a letter of emancipation to the serfs on his estate in Poland. His death was occasioned by a fall from his horse. In 1818 his body was removed at the expense of the Emperor Alexander of Russia to Cracow, where it was buried in the cathedral and a monument erected to him. Consult (Lives' by Falkenstein (1834), German; Chodzko (1837), French; Paszkovski (1837), Komon (1911), Polish; Evans (1883), English.