Casimir Pulaski Monument

CrowMike

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

General Count Casimir Pulaski began his military career by rebelling against the last king of Poland, Stanislaw II. Having been condemned to death for his actions in Poland, he escaped and made his way to Paris. It was there in Paris where Benjamin Franklin recruited Pulaski to join the American cause for liberty. Upon arrival in America July 1777 Pulaski was recruited as a brigadier-general to assist with the cause for freedom from the crown. Before organizing his own legion in Maryland, Pulaski fought with General Washington in Brandywine and Germantown. General Pulaski was mortally wounded on the 9th of October 1779 while fighting with the Pulaski Legion during the Siege of Savannah, he died two days later. In testimony to Pulaski’s loyalty, John Stevens, who also served under Washington wrote, “the brave Pulaski who despairing of the cause of liberty in his own country had…sacrificed his life while contending for the freedom of ours…. .” Until 1852, the monument served as a memorial to Nathanial Greene and To Casimir Pulaski, both Revolutionary heroes. The cornerstone for the proposed Pulaski monument had been laid in Chippewa Square by Lafayette during his historic tour of the United States in 1824-25. By 1852, enough additional money was earned by the lottery to erect a high-style monument to great man. The two surviving commissioners, William Bowen and William Robertson asked the state legislature to appoint Dr. Richard D. Arnold to serve with them for the purpose of choosing a sculptor and design for the Pulaski monument. They left it to the Sculptor, Launitz, to choose a site, and he chose Monterey Square. In 1912 the Park and Tree Commission noted that the Pulaski monument was in need of some unspecified repairs and again in the 1960s. In 1990 some of the ornamentation fell off due to deterioration. The Monument had numerous cracks and patched places. On October 11, 1958, the anniversary of Pulaski’s death, the first annual pilgrimage of Polish Americans to Savannah took place, and in 1986 the Pulaski Society performed honors at the monument in 1986. In 2001, the Pulaski Monument Restoration was complete. For years it was thought that Pulaski had been killed aboard the Wasp, however in 1996, while dismantling the monument to repair certain damage, workers came upon a metal box. Inside this rusted metal box were human remains and attached to the top of the box was a silver-plate inscribed with the name “Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski” The County Coroner, Dr. James Metts, Jr., and Dr. Karen Burns, a forensic anthropologist from the University of Georgia in Athens, found DNA from the bones highly conclusive as Pulaski's. He was reinterred at the base of the monument. The 226th anniversary of the Siege of Savannah, the city organized special funeral services and a final re-interrment ceremony at Monterey Square to honor the fallen hero.

TravoBum06

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

Historic place right in front of Forsyth Park. The great Revolutionary war hero is buried here right next to his monument. The Father of the American Cavalry, he paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure American independence. My wife is Polish, and she spent some time admiring the monument. Definitely worth the time and paying respects to a great independence hero.

Anand

3 out of 5 stars★★★☆☆

A monument for general Pulaski within Monterey Square. Always strange seeing statues for confederate soldiers. Not sure what the message is. This is the closest square to Forsyth Park on the north side. Its a fairly busy area with lots of pedestrian and vehicular traffic nearby. Can be difficult to find parking in the area. Especially if there is an event going on in Forsyth Park.

Pan Smo

5 out of 5 stars★★★★★

Mile Polonicum w sercu historycznej dzielnicy Savannah