The American Revolution Today – November 2009
Citizenship for Foreign Patriot and Preservation in the North
Nov 9, 2009
General Casimir Pulaski now is an American citizen. On Friday, November 6, just 230 years after the Polish nobleman died fighting for the as yet-unborn United States, he became an honorary U.S. citizen.
Pulaski's contribution to the American colonies' effort to become an independent country began with a lot of flair. He wrote a letter to General George Washington with the declaration: "I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it."
Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who is a Polish-American, has been pushing for the honor since 2005. He lives in Cleveland, which has a significant amount of citizens who trace their roots to the land of Pulaski.
Washington had heard about Pulaski from Benjamin Franklin, who advised about Pulaski's exploits that had made him "renowned throughout Europe for the courage and bravery he displayed in defense of his country's freedom."
Pulaski made a name for himself as a skilled horseman and has become known as the "father of the American cavalry." But, he died in battle before the American Revolution was decided. During October 1779, he led a cavalry assault in Savannah, Georgia. He was wounded and taken aboard the American ship USS Wasp. He died on the ship two days later.
The Continental Congress suggested the construction of a moment in Pulaski’s memory, and in 1825 it finally was unveiled in Savannah. During 1929, Congress declared October 11 as Pulaski Day in the United States.
British Route Marked in New York
The route taken by British troops in upstate New York, when they burned the city of Kingston during 1777, has received interpretive markers. More than 60 new signs between Kingston Point and the city's Stockade Historic District were funded by a $7,500 grant from the Hudson River Greenway Conservancy. They highlight and interpret the recreational trail that commemorates the attack.
The British invasion involved 30 vessels that landed on the Hudson River shore, opened fire and disembarked troops that burned the city. The purpose of the attack was to crush the spirit of the colonists. The plan backfired. It united residents against British rule.
General Greene Homestead
The 1770 home built by Nathanael Greene, one of Washington’s most capable generals, is historically known as the “Homestead.” Originally, it was called “Spell Hall.”
It sits on the same hillside on which it was built in today’s Coventry, Rhode Island. At the time it was built, it was well sheltered on the west by natural woods. Today, it is surrounded by a residential community.
The land spreading out from the front of the house slopes eastward toward the Pawtuxet River. Originally, it overlooked a broad area of open woodland meadow. Today, the two and on-half story structure sits on 13 acres of combined open space and woodlands. The back of the house actually faces the modern road.
The two main floors of Greene’s home each consist of four rooms. Two rooms are located on each side of a dominant central hall. Each room features a paneled fireplace and three large double-hung windows.
The completely intact interior was restored from 1919 to 1924, when the building was established as a museum. A more recent restoration included paint analysis for a more correct perspective of the house when the general, a Quaker, lived there. The eight display rooms are furnished with period pieces and Greene family memorabilia. The hardware found throughout the house was wrought at the nearby forge owned by the Greene family.
After the war, Nathanael and his wife Caty moved away. His brother, Jacob, along with Jacob’s wife, Margaret, purchased the home. It stayed in the family for two more generations until the death of Nathanael’s grand-niece Elizabeth Market (Greene) Warner during 1899.
For more information and hours of operation, call (401) 821-8630. The home and grounds are the property of the Nathanael Greene Homestead Association, a private nonprofit organization that welcomes donations to maintain this site.
 |
