The Peasant Prince

March 30, 2009
Prize-winning journalist Storozynski pulls military strategist and engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746–1817) back from the brink of obscurity by including almost every documented detail to create the first comprehensive look at a man who once famously symbolized rebellion. His were the plans sold to the British by Benedict Arnold. And Kosciuszko's years of devotion to the American cause framed his efforts to transform Poland into a self-governing republic freed from the oversight of Russia's interests. He antagonized Catherine the Great and, later, Napoleon. Kosciuszko rallied the first Jewish military force since biblical times to fight for Polish independence, and consistently supported equality and education for peasants, Jews, Muslim Tatars and American slaves—which earned him the devotion of the masses and lectures by the upper classes. Readers of military and American history should take note: the minute details will enthrall devotees. Casual readers will benefit from Storozynski's expert crafting of a readable and fact-filled story that pulls readers into the immediacy of the revolutionary era's partisan and financial troubles.

April 1, 2009
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Storozynski debuts with a biography of an exemplary Polish engineer who fought for liberty in Poland and in America.

Fired up by the Enlightenment notions of liberty and equality then being tested in the American colonies, Thaddeus Kosciuszko jumped at the chance to aid the Patriots; he would return later to his country and inject these incendiary ideas into the ailing old order. Forced to flee his homeland because of a failed elopement that provoked the ire of the girl's father, Kosciuszko was among the first foreign officers shipped to America in June 1776, as part of French playwright Beaumarchais's secret mission—financed by the French crown—to aid the fledgling revolutionaries. Soon after his arrival, he ingratiated himself with Benjamin Franklin and distinguished himself in his work as an engineer outlining and preparing defenses against British attack. At General Washington's behest, Kosciuszko was instrumental in fortifying West Point, despite Benedict Arnold's attempts to undermine its strength. Humble, loyal and staunchly abolitionist, Kosciuszko returned to Poland after seven years of war, where he pushed for the enfranchisement of serfs and Jews in the bold May 3, 1791, Constitution, the first in Europe. Autonomy was not forthcoming, however, and the Polish revolution was quickly quelled. Despite Kosciuszko's pleas to his friend Thomas Jefferson and to Napoleon, no one helped the Poles. Storozynski proves a dutiful, attentive biographer, but the narrative suffers from an uneven pace and merely serviceable prose.

A rousingly sympathetic portrayal, but workmanlike and occasionally clunky.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 15, 2009
One of the largely forgotten heroes of the American Revolution was a Polish immigrant with a virtually unpronounceable last nameThaddeus (Tadeusz) Kosciuszko (kosh-chew-sko). A brilliant military engineer, Kosciuszko arrived in Philadelphia in August 1776 and, on Benjamin Franklin's doorstep, volunteered his services to the Revolution. He proceeded to construct defenses for Philadelphia, helped devise a successful battle plan at Saratoga, and designed the defenses at West Pointthe plans that Benedict Arnold was so interested in selling to the British. Much to the chagrin of his French counterparts, he was appointed chief engineer of the army and participated in the final campaign at Yorktown. Kosciuszko returned to Poland eager to emulate the American independence movement there, leading the Polish army against the Russian invasion. Unfortunately, that cause was lost, and he was captured but later pardoned by Tsar Paul I. For the rest of his life, he championed human rights. Using new archival sources in Switzerland and Poland, Storozynski has written a complete biography of a truly great republican. Strongly recommended for both lay readers and specialists.David Lee Poremba, Cagan Crossings Community Lib., Clermont, FL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Although he isnt as celebrated as Pulaski or Von Steuben as a foreign fighter for American independence, Kosciuszko made contributions thatwere at least as significant. Born into a humble but once-aristocratic Polish family in a village in present-day Belarus, Kosciuszko arrived in the American colonies in 1776 already imbued with the revolutionary ideas that were percolating in Europe and America. He had received a minimal formal military training, but he quickly showed great aptitude for designing fortifications and was named head engineer of the Continental army. As Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Storozynski shows, Kosciuszko was far more than a skilled military professional. He was a passionate republican, a committed revolutionary, and a Polish patriot. Returning to Poland in 1784, he continued to fight for liberal causes and was a staunch, if unsuccessful, fighter against Russian occupation. Professional historians may quarrel with some aspects of Storozynskis portrayal, which verges on hagiography. Still, this is a well-written tribute to an interesting and certainly admirable man.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)