History & Heroes: Five Fast Facts- Casimir Pulaski

Pulaski County, Missouri is named in honor of Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski, more commonly known as Casimir Pulaski.

Image via Wikipedia

1. Pulaski saved George Washington’s life during the Battle of Brandywine. The battle was Pulaski’s very first engagement with the British.
2. The cornerstone of the Casimir Pulaski monument in Savannah, Georgia was laid by General Marquis de Lafayette in 1825.
3. In 2009, 230 years after his death, Congress and President Obama proclaimed Pulaski an honorary United States citizen.
4. The annual Pulaski Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City has been a tradition for 80 years, beginning in 1937.
5. Pulaski is often recognized as the “Father of the American Cavalry.”

Sources:
https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ94/PLAW-111publ94.htm
http://www.pulaskiparade.org/
https://www.nps.gov/fopu/learn/historyculture/casimir-pulaski.htm

History & Heroes: Five Fast Facts is an occasional series of interesting facts regarding namesakes and historical figures in Pulaski County, Missouri.