Res. No. 421
Title
Resolution declaring October 11 as Casimir Pulaski Day in the city of New York.
Body
By Council Members Holden, Van Bramer, Gjonaj, Ulrich, Vallone and Rivera
Whereas, Casimir Pulaski was born in Warsaw, Poland, on March 6, 1745; and
Whereas, At the age of fifteen, Casimir Pulaski joined his father, Count Josef Pulaski, and other members of the Polish nobility, to oppose the Russian and Prussian interference in Polish affairs; and
Whereas, The Polish American Center states that Casimir Pulaski, after fighting throughout Europe in defense of Polish liberty, was forced to flee to Paris, where he met Benjamin Franklin and became a strong supporter of the American colonists within the American Revolution; and
Whereas, In 1777, Casimir Pulaski arrived in Philadelphia, meeting George Washington, and volunteering his services to help the American colonists fight England; and
Whereas, The National Park Service asserts that on September 15, 1777, the American congress promoted Pulaski to the rank of Brigadier General in command of the Four Horse Brigades, due to his vast military experience and successes; and
Whereas, According to the Polish American Center, Casimir Pulaski became known as the "Father of the American Cavalry," demanding much of his men and training them in tested cavalry tactics, many of which he used in his fight for freedom in Poland; and
Whereas, In May 1778, Pulaski began to form an independent cavalry unit later known as the Pulaski Legion, of which he personally financed in order to assure his forces had the finest equipment and received the best training; and
Whereas, Casimir Pulaski and his Legion were instrumental in protecting America's independence, including being involved in action along the New Jersey coast in October 1778, defending Charleston, South Carolina in May 1779, and fighting in the Siege of Savannah in Georgia in October 1779; and
Whereas, On Octobe...
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