The Green Dragoon

 This edition of Yankee Doodle Spies has been a long time coming—one of the true “bad boys” and “bad asses” of the American Revolutionary War has captured the imagination of both sides during the struggle and by historians since. Banastre Tarleton was no enigma. What you saw was what you got—a ruthless and effective military leader who specialized in raids and savage hit-and-run tactics.

Banastre Tarleton

Fist Sighting

The Yankee Doodle Spies series first saw him in book two, The Cavalier Spy, where he gallops across its pages as a junior officer. It was exciting to have him return in book six of the series, The South Spy, where his personality and actions add a certain panache wherever he appears.

From the Mersey to the Military

Born in Liverpool in 1754, Banastre Tarleton was the son of John Tarleton, a prominent Liverpool merchant, ship owner, slave trader, and mayor of the city.  The father’s money and prestige helped the younger Tarleton purchase a commission as a cornet (cavalry second lieutenant) in the 1st Dragoon Guards in 1775. 

The British Legion

Arriving in America in 1776, the ambitious young officer quickly proved his worth. He fought in the failed British assault on Charleston that June and later distinguished himself by leading the raid that captured American Major General Charles Lee in New Jersey--all captured in The Cavalier Spy.  By 1778, he commanded the British Legion, a mobile mixed force of Loyalist cavalry and infantry known for its speed and aggression under his leadership. Early actions in the northern campaigns showcased his skill in rapid marches and surprise strikes, earning him a promotion to lieutenant colonel.

Kidnapping Charles Lee

Monk’s Mauler

It was in South Carolina during the 1780 Southern Campaign that Tarleton’s reputation was forged. In February 1780, he accompanied General Sir Henry Clinton’s expedition against Charleston. On April 14, Tarleton led a night attack at Monck’s Corner. His green-jacketed Legion dragoons and mounted infantry charged at 3 a.m., completely surprising Patriot forces under Brigadier General Isaac Huger (the subject of last month's blog post), who were guarding escape routes along the Cooper River. The sudden assault routed the Americans. Many fled into swamps, leaving behind horses, weapons, and supplies that greatly strengthened Tarleton’s command. British losses were negligible.

Monk's Corner

Send in the Empty Horses

A few weeks later, on May 6 at Lenud’s Ferry on the Santee River, Tarleton struck again. With about 150 dragoons, he ambushed Patriot cavalry under Lieutenant Colonels Anthony White and William Washington. The Legion dragoons mashed the American formation, captured about 100 horses, and freed 18 British prisoners. These swift victories helped seal Charleston’s fate, and the city surrendered on May 12.

Lenud's Ferry

Tarleton’s Quarter!

With the surrender of Charleston, Clinton directed Tarleton to destroy the remaining organized rebel resistance. He pursued Colonel Abraham Buford’s 3rd Virginia Regiment northward. On May 29, near Waxhaws, Tarleton’s force of about 270 men overtook Buford’s roughly 350 Continentals. After a brief clash, many Patriots attempted to surrender. Amid the ensuing chaos, Tarleton’s dragoons pressed the attack with sabers and bayonets. More than 100 Americans were killed, and scores more were wounded or captured. The episode, widely condemned by Patriots as the “Waxhaws Massacre,” gave rise to the bitter cry “Tarleton’s Quarter!”—meaning no mercy would be shown. The event inflamed resistance throughout the backcountry.

Waxhaws

Search and Destroy

After the British victory at Camden in August, Tarleton turned to partisan warfare in South Carolina’s steamy, low-country swamps. His most notable action came on August 18 at Fishing Creek, when he surprised Thomas Sumter’s militia encampment in a lightning attack. His Legion killed about 150 rebels, captured more than 300, and freed British prisoners, though he himself escaped. Tarleton then hunted the elusive Francis Marion through swamps and forests, but the “Swamp Fox” repeatedly evaded him, using superior local knowledge.

Fishing Creek

Beaten Back at Blackstock

In November, Tarleton clashed with Sumter again at Blackstock’s Farm. Though Sumter was wounded, his men fought from strong defensive positions and repelled Tarleton’s assaults. The British withdrew after heavy fighting—Tarleton’s first significant check in the South.

Blackstock

Cowed by Morgan

But a larger one was coming at a large cattle field called Cowpens on January 17, 1781. Sent by Lord Cornwallis (placed in charge of mopping up rebel resistance by Clinton) to crush Brigadier General Daniel Morgan’s command, which was separated from the main Continental Army.

Cowpens

Tarleton advanced aggressively with about 1,100 men. Morgan skillfully positioned his forces on high ground. His militia executed a feigned retreat, drawing Tarleton’s Legion and infantry forward into a devastating counterattack. Continental regulars and cavalry under William Washington enveloped the British flanks.

Aftermath of Cowpens

Tarleton’s command was shattered; hundreds were killed or captured, and the survivors fled. Tarleton himself escaped with only a remnant of his cavalry. The defeat at Cowpens broke British momentum in the Carolinas and became a turning point in the war.

Saber Flash

Throughout his South Carolina operations, Tarleton demonstrated exceptional skill in mobile warfare—using speed, surprise, Loyalist intelligence, and relentless pursuit. His daring exploits kept Patriot forces off balance for months, yet the very ruthlessness that marked his victories, especially at Waxhaws, helped ignite a fierce guerrilla resistance that ultimately undermined British control of the state.

The Green Dragoon

Undaunted, Tarleton would carry his brand of warfare north the following year, where the Green  Dragoon would blaze across the Old Dominion like the flash of a saber.

 

 

Defender of the Charleston Neck

In the spring of 1780, the American cause in the South hung by a thread. British forces under Sir Henry Clinton descended on Charleston like a gathering storm, and one South Carolina officer found himself holding a critical—and ultimately doomed—position at the city’s northern approaches. That officer was Brigadier General Isaac Huger, a steady Continental commander tasked with guarding the Charleston Neck and the vital supply lines feeding the besieged garrison. Though not a major figure in the fictional plot, Huger’s actions in and around Charleston are captured in my novel, The South Spy.

Isaac Huger

South Carolina Son

Like so many South Carolina patriots, Isaac Huger came from solid Huguenot stock. Born in 1743 near Charleston, he grew up on the family plantations along the Santee River. Like many sons of the Low Country elite, he gained early military experience during the Cherokee War of 1760-61. Those frontier campaigns taught him the hard lessons of irregular warfare in swamps and pine barrens—knowledge that would serve him well in the Revolution. When the troubles with Britain escalated in the 1770s, Huger aligned with the patriots. He served in the Provincial Congress and helped raise South Carolina troops. By 1776, he held the rank of colonel, and his performance in the Southern theater earned him promotion to brigadier general in the Continental Army in 1779. He fought at Savannah and earned a reputation as a reliable leader capable of commanding mixed forces of regulars, militia, and light troops.

Hunger gained military experience 

against the Cherokee\

British Invasion!

By early 1780, General Benjamin Lincoln’s command in Charleston faced mounting pressure. To keep the northern lifeline open, Lincoln dispatched Huger to Monck’s Corner, about thirty miles northwest of the city. The position centered on Biggin Bridge and nearby Biggin Church—a key crossroads where the road from the interior crossed swampy terrain between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.

Charleston and environs

Huger commanded roughly 500 men: remnants of Pulaski’s Legion dragoons, South Carolina militia, and a handful of Georgia horsemen. Many were farmers in homespun, armed with whatever muskets they could find. Equipment was scarce—some infantry companies lacked adequate powder and ball. Huger’s orders were clear: hold the causeway and bridge to prevent British forces from cutting off the city.

The threat materialized quickly. In mid-April, intelligence indicated a rapid British advance led by the hard-charging Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his British Legion.

Night Attack

On the night of April 13-14, Tarleton struck. His mounted infantry and dragoons thundered out of the darkness in a classic surprise assault. American pickets managed a few ragged volleys, but the speed and shock of the British cavalry quickly overwhelmed the position. In the moonlight, fighting swirled around the bridge and church grounds. Huger rallied what men he could, but the attackers' numbers and momentum favored them. 

Tarleton's Attack

The result was a decisive American defeat. Casualties approached one hundred, with many killed, wounded, or captured. Worse, the British seized nearly four hundred horses—precious mounts Charleston desperately needed for mobility and supply. Huger himself escaped with part of his force, slipping northwest through the pine barrens. He sustained minor wounds but lived to fight another day.

Consequences

The action at Monck’s Corner (sometimes called Biggin Bridge) proved decisive. With the northern approaches severed, Lincoln’s garrison lost its last practical hope of reinforcement or resupply. Isolated and under constant siege, Charleston surrendered on May 12, 1780—the Revolutionary War’s largest American capitulation. For the patriot cause in the South, it marked a bitter low point.

Fall of Charleston

Later Service and Legacy

Yet Isaac Huger’s story did not end in the swamps of 1780. He recovered and continued to serve under Nathanael Greene during the grueling Southern Campaign of 1781. He commanded troops at Guilford Courthouse in March and contributed at Hobkirk’s Hill in April, helping to erode British strength through persistent operations.

Guilford Court House

After the war, Huger returned to his life as a planter and to public service. He represented South Carolina in the Continental Congress and supported ratification of the new U.S. Constitution. He died in 1797, remembered as one of the steadfast Southern officers who held the line when the odds were longest.

Serving in Congress

In the era of the Yankee Doodle Spies, figures like Isaac Huger rarely made the headlines or entered the annals of legend. No dramatic espionage coups or flashy charges defined him. Instead, he embodied the quiet determination that kept resistance alive despite defeat after defeat. His stand on the Charleston Neck could not save the city, but it exemplified the grit that ultimately helped turn the Southern theater—and the war—around in the years that followed.

Stoic Patriot

A key historical figure in my upcoming novel, The South Spy, was ironically a northerner who made his career in the South. A New Englander entrusted with his nation's destiny, he was appointed to oppose the new British Southern Strategy. And it was in the South that the new nation and Benjamin Lincoln would encounter tragedy and triumph.

Benjamin Lincoln

Yankee Farmer: Prominence and Work

Born on January 24, 1733, in Hingham—a lively Puritan town southeast of Boston—Benjamin was the son of a successful farmer and militia colonel. The family name was well-respected—his ancestors had crossed the Atlantic during the Great Migration, establishing roots in New England's tough soil. Young Benjamin spent his early years working in the fields and shaping tools in his father's blacksmith shop, but his ambitions went beyond the farm. 

New England Farm

By his twenties, Cupid had called. Young Benjamin married Mary Cushing, fathered eleven children, and started public service as Hingham's town constable and clerk. Politics came naturally.  He served in the provincial assembly, advocating for colonial rights amid rising tensions with the Crown.

Citizen Soldier: The Militia Man

As the storm of revolution gathered, Lincoln's military career began, following the New England tradition where most young men served in the militia. He joined the Suffolk County militia under his father's command, rising to major by 1755 during the French and Indian War—although he saw no frontline combat. 

Militia Life

By 1772, he was a lieutenant colonel, drilling men on Hingham's green. When Lexington's shots rang out in 1775, Lincoln mobilized his regiment and marched to Cambridge to support the siege of Boston. His administrative skills were notable: organizing supplies, strengthening defenses, and calming chaos among inexperienced recruits. Promoted to brigadier general in the Massachusetts militia, he oversaw coastal defenses and recruitment efforts. 

Major Promotion: Major Battles

In February 1777, Congress promoted him to Continental Major General, placing him in George Washington's circle. Lincoln's first major achievement came at Saratoga that fall. Tasked with disrupting British General John Burgoyne's supply lines, he led bold raids across the Hudson River, sabotaging communications and bolstering American forces with militia reinforcements. During the critical second battle at Bemis Heights on October 7, Lincoln commanded the right wing, attacking Burgoyne's flanks. Although a musket ball shattered his ankle—leaving him lame for life—his efforts helped secure the British surrender ten days later. Saratoga's victory, which gained a French alliance, built Lincoln's reputation as a dependable leader. However, Washington, focusing on the vulnerable South, had bigger plans for the injured general. 

Bemis Heights Action

Command of the Southern Theater: A Descent into the Crucible

By late 1778, the war had moved southward, where British strategists saw Loyalist support and economic benefits in the tobacco-rich Carolinas and Georgia. In September, Congress appointed Lincoln to command the Southern Department, a large force stretching from Virginia to Florida, troubled by partisan clashes, Indian alliances, and tropical illnesses. When he arrived in Charleston in December, Lincoln found a ragtag group of 3,500 Continentals and militia, poorly armed and demoralized after the British took Savannah. His task was to retake Georgia and bolster the Carolinas against invasion. However, resources were limited—Congress delayed supplies, local governors argued, and slaves fled to the British, enticed by promises of freedom. Lincoln quickly began reorganizing. He drilled the troops in the hot lowcountry, formed alliances with local planters, and examined British positions.

Charleston 1780

Marching to Georgia: Savannah

 In the spring of 1779, he launched expeditions to Augusta and Beaufort, securing small victories that boosted morale. However, the main challenge was retaking Savannah. Supported by a French fleet commanded by Admiral d'Estaing, which arrived in September, Lincoln led 2,000 Americans to join 3,500 French troops outside the fortified port. The allies laid siege to the city for weeks, bombarding redoubts held by 3,200 British troops under General Augustine Prevost. 

Desperate Gambit: The Assault

On October 9, in a desperate attack, Lincoln led units through fog-covered marshes toward Spring Hill redoubt. Cannon fire ripped through the air; French and American charges faltered under grapeshot and musket volleys. Heroes like Count Casimir Pulaski (see my blog post, The Legend and the Legion) were fatally wounded, and Lincoln's men suffered over 800 casualties in the war's bloodiest retreat. Forced to withdraw, the allies quietly pulled back, leaving Savannah in British hands—a bitter defeat that showed the fragility of Franco-American coordination.

Assault on Savannah

From Offense to Defense: Charleston

Undeterred, Lincoln retreated to Charleston, strengthening the city with earthworks, abatis, and a canal across the neck. He called for reinforcements, boosting his garrison to over 5,000 by early 1780. However, British General Henry Clinton, sailing from New York with 8,500 redcoats and a naval fleet, landed south of the city in February. Systematically, Clinton surrounded Charleston, crossing rivers and digging parallels in a textbook siege. Lincoln's defenders stayed strong initially, repelling probes and launching sorties. Yet supplies ran low; smallpox devastated the troops, and civilian panic grew as British batteries battered homes and wharves. By April, Clinton's trap tightened—trenches moved close to American lines, and fire ships threatened the harbor.

Siege of Charleston 1781

Forlorn Hope: Tragic Surrender

Lincoln faced a tough choice: evacuate and leave the South's largest port, or fight on and risk being wiped out. He chose to stand his ground, but his options disappeared. On May 12, after 42 days of shelling, with ammo gone and mutiny brewing, Lincoln surrendered—the biggest American surrender of the Revolution. Over 5,000 troops, including his entire Continental force, marched out to lay down arms; large quantities of powder and cannon fell into enemy hands. Paroled and exchanged later that year, Lincoln took some blame in certain areas, although his persistent defense had tied down Clinton's army for months, buying time for the patriot cause elsewhere.

American Troops Surrendered

Redemption and Legacy in the Twilight

Exchanged in November 1780, Lincoln rejoined Washington, his limp a badge of endurance. At Yorktown in 1781, he commanded a division during the siege and, in poetic justice, accepted Cornwallis's sword on October 19—avenging Charleston. Postwar, he served as Secretary of War, streamlining the army's demobilization. Back in Massachusetts, he crushed Shays' Rebellion in 1787, safeguarding the fragile republic. Retiring to Hingham, Lincoln dabbled in diplomacy and land speculation until his death on May 9, 1810. Not a dashing spy or a fiery orator, Lincoln embodied the Revolution's quiet heroes: farmers-turned-generals whose unyielding spirit forged a nation from the ashes of defeat. 

Shays' Rebellion

Commander in the Crucible

The first edition of the Yankee Doodle Spies Blog continues to highlight historical characters featured in the series. In this case, we begin looking at the characters in my upcoming novel, The South Spy, book six in the series. We'll start with the man who was there at the start, but was given overall command of British forces in North America midstream.

New World Origin

Henry Clinton, born April 16, 1730, in Newfoundland, was the son of Admiral George Clinton, a Royal Navy officer and colonial governor of New York (1741–1751). This early exposure to America shaped his career, though he chose the army over the navy. 

Admiral George Clinton

Gone to Soldier

At age 15, he joined the New York militia as a lieutenant in 1745, gaining initial experience before returning to England in 1749. In 1751, he was commissioned in the Coldstream Guards, advancing through merit and patronage to become aide-de-camp to Sir John Ligonier in 1756. 

During the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), he rose to lieutenant colonel in the 1st Foot Guards by 1758. He served in Germany from 1760, fighting at Villinghausen (1761), Wilhelmsthal (1762), and Nauheim (1762), where a severe wound as an aide-de-camp to Prince Ferdinand ended his active campaigning. These experiences sharpened his tactical skills and forged ties with future Revolutionary figures such as Charles Lee, Lord Stirling, and Charles Cornwallis. 

Battle of Villinghausen

Marital Interlude Disrupted

After the war, Clinton married Harriet Carter in 1767; they had five children, but her death in 1772 from childbirth complications plunged him into prolonged grief. Promoted to major general in 1772, he entered Parliament (Boroughbridge 1772–1774, Newark-on-Trent 1774 onward) through the Duke of Newcastle's influence and briefly toured Russian forces in 1774 during the Russo-Turkish War. The American crisis called him back to service. 

Joining the Dream Team

In February 1775, Clinton sailed to Boston as third-in-command under Thomas Gage (along with William Howe and John Burgoyne, a sort of DreamTeam of military leaders), arriving on May 25. As second-in-command under Howe after Gage's recall, he urged aggressive action. At Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775), he rallied reserves amid heavy losses and later deemed it a "dear-bought victory." 

Bunker Hill

The Boston siege ended with an evacuation to Halifax in March 1776. In 1776, Clinton led a southern expedition to the Carolinas but failed at Sullivan's Island (June 28) against strong defenses. Rejoining Howe, he supported a flanking plan that secured victory at Long Island (August 27), though Howe's caution prevented annihilation. Clinton conducted landings on Manhattan and in Westchester, but growing friction with Howe over tactics soured their relationship. He occupied Rhode Island in December 1776 with ease. 

Frustration and Knighthood

Frustrated, Clinton sought resignation in early 1777 and returned to England briefly. Knighted (Knight of the Bath, April 1777) to retain him, he resumed as Howe's deputy in New York that July. Denied the northern command (which was given to Burgoyne), he criticized isolating Burgoyne and warned of disaster. In October, his diversionary Hudson River attack captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery but came too late to relieve Burgoyne at Saratoga. 

Sir Henry Clinton

Commander in Chief

Appointed Commander-in-Chief in America (February 1778, assumed in May after General William Howe's resignation), Clinton faced France's alliance with America, prompting troop transfers to the Caribbean and a defensive posture in the north. He withdrew from Philadelphia to New York (June 1778), clashing indecisively at Monmouth. Repelling a French threat at Newport (August), he shifted to a Southern Strategy to exploit Loyalist support, disrupt rebel economies, and rally sympathizers in Georgia and the Carolinas. 

Monmouth: First Battle as Commander in Chief

By spring 1778, the American War for Independence had entered its final phase—a global war that would make the Caribbean and its valuable spice islands a major theater. This was precipitated by France’s formal entry into the war and its open alliance with America in 1778, and was further complicated by Spain’s declaration of war against Britain in June 1779.  

Southern Strategy

Lord George Germain and the British commander-in-chief, Sir Henry Clinton, devised the so-called Southern Strategy amid mounting frustration. Stymied by inconclusive northern campaigns and the transfer of several crack British regiments to the islands after the French alliance in 1778, Clinton advocated shifting the focus to Georgia and the Carolinas to rejuvenate British fortunes and form a secure flank for the valuable British possessions in the West Indies.

George Germain

Clinton hoped to capitalize on perceived Loyalist sympathy, seize coastal strongholds to rally supporters, disrupt rebel economies, and threaten the Continental Army. A sound strategy, but one fraught with logistical nightmares, including overextended supply lines and unreliable intelligence on Loyalist numbers.

Savannah Success

In late 1778, Clinton dispatched Archibald Campbell with 3,000 troops; Savannah fell swiftly (December 29) with minimal losses, restoring royal control in Georgia. A Franco-American siege of Savannah (September–October 1779) under d'Estaing and Benjamin Lincoln failed disastrously on October 9, with allied losses exceeding 800, while the British suffered fewer than 150. Clinton hailed it as the war's greatest event, though subordinates such as Augustine Prévost acted semi-independently. 

Success at Savannah

Clinton in Charge

Clinton personally led the decisive Charleston campaign, departing New York in December 1779 with 8,500 troops and Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot's fleet. Storms delayed the arrival until February 1780; Clinton suffered from seasickness and fretted over losses. Landing south of Charleston, he methodically encircled the city, crossing the Ashley River by late March and digging siege lines against Lincoln's 5,000 defenders. 

Charleston

Cavalry raids, including Banastre Tarleton's at Monck's Corner (April 14), seized supplies. Arbuthnot's delays in blockading the harbor intensified Clinton's impatience. Artillery bombardment, including heated shot, devastated Charleston. Clinton rejected Lincoln's "honors of war" plea and demanded unconditional surrender on May 8. 

Charleston Victory

On May 12, Lincoln capitulated, surrendering over 5,000 prisoners—the war's largest American surrender—and vast munitions. This triumph vindicated Clinton's southern pivot. After occupying South Carolina, Clinton initially paroled militia members who pledged neutrality to win support. But in June 1780, he revoked the paroles, requiring active loyalty or imprisonment—a decision driven by fears of resurgence that alienated civilians and ignited guerrilla resistance. 

The Fall of Charleston

War on Remote

Leaving 8,000 troops under Cornwallis, Clinton sailed north in June, intending to oversee operations from New York. Cornwallis advanced inland, winning at Camden (August 1780), but defeats at King's Mountain (October) and Cowpens (January 1781) eroded those gains. Clinton's micromanagement, via delayed dispatches, rigid policies toward the Carolinians, poor relations with Admiral Arbuthnot and the theater commander, Lord Cornwallis, and underestimating partisan tenacity undermined the strategy. 

Lord Cornwallis

Legacy of Failure

This confusion led to Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown, effectively ending major combat and prompting serious negotiations. Clinton was replaced as commander-in-chief in early 1782, and General Guy Carleton (Governor General of Canada) took his place in May. Clinton returned to England, serving in Parliament and rising to the rank of full general. His post-war years were marked by ongoing controversy over his conduct of the war rather than by further major commands.

The Legend and the Legion

Polish Bad Ass

In a war that saw many "bad asses" serve on both sides, Kasimierz (Casimir) Pulaski ranks near the top. And if not for a stray round of grape, he might have fought his way to the top of the list. He fought for freedom on two continents and stayed undaunted throughout a career marked by professional setbacks. Although he never saw his homeland freed, he helped push a nascent republic toward hard-won freedom. Something tells me he was glad to sacrifice himself for a cause that changed the world.

Bad Ass on two continents

Lineage

Kasimierz (Casimir) Pulaski was born in Podolia, Poland, on March 4, 1747, to Count Josef Pulaski, a member of the minor Polish gentry. He came from a family with knightly traditions—primarily in warfare. Pulaski’s family fought under Poland’s King John III Sobieski against the Turks in the 17th century—a campaign that helped save Europe. During the siege of Vienna in September 1683, the decisive battle of the campaign, the famous Polish winged hussars, heavily armored lancers, charged into the enemy and forced a retreat, marking the start of the long decline of the Ottoman Empire. Pulaski’s lineage can be traced back to these brave horsemen.

Charge of Winged Hussars at Vienna

Fighting For Poland

And Poland needed men of fighting spirit. By the time Kasimierz was born, the once-powerful Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth faced intense political pressure from its increasingly strong neighbors. Austria, Prussia, and Russia had managed to manipulate the weak King Stanislaw II. Pulaski was well educated, and in 1768, he joined the Confederation of the Bars, formed by his father to oppose the Russians. He fought in several successful actions, including the famous defense of the monastery fortress of Czestochowa in 1771, but he was eventually defeated and exiled to Turkey. As a result, Poland underwent its first partition (of three). Pulaski spent his years in Turkey trying to rally support against their common threat, the Russians. When this effort failed, he sailed for France, now penniless and broken. But then he learned of the American Revolution!

Pulaski led forces of the Bar Confederation
at Czestochowa in 1771

Fighting for Freedom

If he could not free Poland, he would dedicate his sword to a new cause for freedom. Pulaski approached American agents in France, Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin, seeking a commission in the Continental Army. Franklin provided him with a letter of introduction, and the excited nobleman sailed for Boston in July 1777. After consulting with members of the Continental Congress, the young Pole volunteered his services to General George Washington as an aide. He served alongside Washington at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Although this resulted in a defeat for the Americans, quick and decisive actions by Pulaski may have saved the Continental Army from total destruction. He fought at Germantown, covering Washington's retreat, patrolled the area around Valley Forge during the winter, moved to Trenton, and then, under Gen. Anthony Wayne, fought the British at Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Pulaski was one of many foreign officers who
served the cause of freedom

Failure to Communicate

Nobody doubted Pulaski’s heroism under fire or his dedication to the Cause, but he was quarrelsome, headstrong, and overly sensitive about rank—like many Americans. His hot temper caused problems that were made worse by his limited English skills; he often spoke in French to communicate. His constant arguing and fussing reached a peak when he had a falling-out in spring 1778 with General Anthony Wayne, who was also quick to anger. Pulaski even threatened to resign over it. Washington convinced him to stay with the army and asked Congress for a separate command. This request was granted, and on March 28, 1778, Congress authorized Kazimierz Pulaski to form a unit that would soon be called the Pulaski Legion.

I am Legion

The Legion's Banner

A legion is an old term for a combined arms force. During the Revolutionary War, this typically meant infantry and cavalry – but occasionally, a few light cannons were also included. The Pulaski Legion was recruited near Baltimore and consisted of Americans, Germans, Frenchmen, Irishmen, and Poles. It flew a red banner. Pulaski’s unit originally had 200 infantry and 68 cavalry armed with, believe it or not… lances. Polish cavalry was famous for its lancer units, which often charged to victory over Cossacks, Russians, Turks, and Germans. No wonder the brave Pole made his own version.

The Legion saw immediate action along the New Jersey coast, where it tasted its first blood at Egg Harbor on October 4, 1778. Unfortunately, it did not earn glory. The renowned British Major Patrick Ferguson led his own legion and surprised Pulaski’s force in camp, resulting in heavy casualties. It turned out that one of Pulaski’s men deserted and provided the British with intelligence about the unit positions.

Major Patrick Ferguson

Washington sent Pulaski’s unit to a quiet area to recover. The Legion garrisoned the upper Delaware to defend against Indian raids. Pulaski’s pride was wounded, and he became angry over the assignment. His stern nature caused another issue. Pulaski court-martialed his subordinate, Major Stephen Moylan, over a perceived insult. He also threatened to resign once again. With the patience of Job, General Washington stepped in once more. He reassigned the quarrelsome Pole and his Legion to the Southern theater.

Cavalry and Infantry of the Legion

Since the center of gravity had shifted south, this move not only took Pulaski out from under Washington’s direct oversight, but it also guaranteed him a tough fight to match his combative nature.

For the South

So in the spring of 1779, Pulaski and his Legion joined American forces defending Charleston, South Carolina. He arrived just in time for a whirlwind! The British strategy had shifted southward, hoping that an overwhelming show of force would break the will of the patriots in the region. In late 1778, they had taken Savannah, Georgia, and now they aimed to move north toward the Carolinas.

The British Strategy turned South to separate
the Carolinas and Georgia from the rebellion

The British under General Augustin Prevost threatened the southern capital and prepared for a siege. In a daring move, Pulaski attacked the British on May 11, 1779. Outnumbered, the Legion was defeated and pushed back. When he returned to the city, he learned that morale was low and patriot resolve was waning. The steadfast Pulaski urged the inhabitants not to surrender so easily. They held out long enough for the American southern commander, General Benjamin Lincoln, to arrive with reinforcements. Pulaski often suffered from bouts of malaria contracted in the hot, swampy coastal lowlands of the south. But the stubborn and proud officer refused to leave active service.

At the start of September, General Lincoln prepared to launch a mission to retake Savannah with long-awaited French support. Cavalry would be involved, and Pulaski was sent to Augusta, Georgia, to join General Lachlan McIntosh. Lachlan and Pulaski’s forces protected the advance of Lincoln’s attack. Pulaski captured a British outpost near the Ogeechee River. His Legion then served as an advance guard for the allied French units under Admiral Charles Hector, Comte d'Estaing.

But d’Estaing faced a tight deadline. Relying on his naval support and with hurricane season quickly approaching, he chose to risk everything on a surprise attack on October 9, 1779. Pulaski was appointed commander of the entire combined Franco-American cavalry force. Impulsive as ever, Pulaski launched a full-scale cavalry charge against heavily fortified British defenses. However, Pulaski was hit by a grape shot, and the attack was thoroughly repelled.

Pulaski was mortally wounded by grapeshot

Mortally wounded, Pulaski was transferred to a transport ship, the Wasp, in hopes of reaching Charleston. However, the brave Pulaski died two days later—February 11, 1779. He was buried at sea. And his Legion? His men were reassigned to Colonel Charles Armand’s legion for the rest of the war.

Pulaski monument in his native Poland

Legacy

Despite his haughty and quarrelsome nature, Casimir Pulaski is remembered in many ways. Naturally, in Poland, he is recognized as a man who fought for freedom on two continents and bears the title "Soldier of Liberty." In America, his service and sacrifices are honored through the many streets, bridges, counties, and towns that bear his name.

Monument to Pulaski in Washington, DC

Pulaski gave his last full measure outside Savannah, Georgia, where a large monument honors his sacrifice fighting for the city during the American Revolution. In 1833, the new fort being built on Cockspur Island outside Savannah was named Fort Pulaski in honor of Casimir Pulaski.

Fort Pulaski

Primarily, he is the man who gave the American colonists their first real mounted legion. The U.S. cavalry later adopted its guidons in red and white, the national colors of Poland, to honor the bravest cavalryman of the War for Independence, cementing his legacy as "The Father of the American Cavalry."