Tadeush Kostiushko
His name ia amoung of the world famous fighters for freedom. Our countryman, who fought for independence of the peoples of North America and Eastern Europe, produced unforgettable impression with his energy, courage and devotion to the ideas of freedom. Andrew Tadeush Kostiushko was bom in 1746 in today's Brest region. He belonged to a very old aristocratic family. He got his primary education in the religious school. He left school in 1760 and then continued his studies in Warsaw. After graduating he went to Paris to complete his education. Tadeush Kostiushko studied for 5 years at Paris Military Academy. There he got his revolutionary ideas. When Tadeush Kostiushko came home from France, he could not find any job. So he had to leave his native land and in 1776 he went to North America. The country then was an English colony and the young officer went to America to fight for its independence from the British power. For seven years he served in the American army. He became a general and was rewarded the highest order of the USA. George Washington and Thomas Gefferson were among his friends. Thanks to Kostiushko's talent the Republicans won some victories, the most important one was by Saratoga in 1777. He became a hero of the USA. He was rich, he was famous, but he came back to his Motherland. For 5 years he lived in Sahnovichy, one of his estates in Belarus. He was not wanted at home and there was no job for him for a long time. Tadeush Kostiushko took part in the uprising against Russia and Prussia in 1794. Three countries fought against the rebels to support Russian and Prussian troops. Austria entered the fighting against the rebels. Tadeush Kostiushko was injured in a battle, captured by tzarist troops and imprisoned in Petro-Pavlovskaya Fortress in the Russian capital of that time Snt. Petersburg. Russian Emperor Paul the First freed Kostiushko from there in 1796. Since that time he lived abroad. In 1817 Tadeush Kostiushko died in Switzerland. Tadeush Kostiushko is a hero of Poland. There is a town named after him in the state of Mississippi, the USA. One of the Australian mountain peaks is also named after him. Nowadays a monument to Tadeush Kostiushko, the brave soldier, national hero of the USA, honourable citizen of France, born on the territory of contemporary Brest region of Belarus can be seen in Lafayette Square opposite the White House in Washington. There are also monuments to him in Krakow, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee. We know not very much about him, but he was born in Belarus, he fought for it's independence and we can be proud of him.