Andrew Tadeush Kostiushko

Till the age of five, as just all the children of poor nobility (shlyakhta), he was brought up at home, without tutors and teachers. Later, together with his brother Joseph he entered a school of one of the monk orders at place Lubjashev, Pinsk uyezd (administrative unit), where he studied for 5 years. He learned order and work following the life of monk asceticism and discipline. He studied Latin, Polish, French and German at school, basics of arithmetic. Father’s death stopped his studies. Kostiushko’s ancestors did not take high posts, but always were distinguished for their nobleness, along with modesty.

Tadeush learned these norms from early childhood. Tadeush Kostiushko considered himself to be a Litvin. That was the way of calling contemporary Belarusians several centuries ago. He wrote: "I was born a Litvin... and I do not have a lot of years to live ahead, and my motherland’s future is still in twilight as well as the future of its numerous outskirts ". In 1772 the first convention about the first division of the Rech Pospolita was signed in St. Petersburg. Latgalia and Eastern Belarus went to Russia. In 1764 Stanislav August Ponyatovskiji, who was born in Belarus, was elected as a king. His adherent, governor of Polotsk province Joseph Sosnovskiji was favorably disposed to the Kostiushkos family. After his protection Tadeush entered newly opened Knight school of cadets created after the king’s initiative. At the same time famous magnate families children studied at this military school: princes Kazimir Sapega, Anton Radzivill, Mathew Yablonskiji. They prepared youths for military and state service there. His connections with Free Masons played an important role in his life. After graduation from the cadet military school, in accordance with the order and with financial assistance of the king, Tadeush went to France. In Paris he took lessons of artillery and tactics, military architecture, studied construction of bridges, sluices, roads and dams. He took courses at the Academy of art and sculpture. In France, under the influence of such enlighteners as Voltaire, Montesqueu, Rousseau he became a republican. Kostiushko traveled to Holland, England, Italy, Switzerland. After five years of absence he returned to his motherland, but did not manage to make a successful military career as it was necessary to pay for getting a position, and he did not have money. Having found no application for his skills at his motherland he decided to go to America, where there was a war for independence of the English colonies.

Brigade-general.

In August 1776 Tadeush Kostiushko arrived to America and October 18 he was enrolled as a colonel. In spring 1777 the Northern army was created, where he was appointed as the head engineer. Victory at Saratoga was the first large success in the struggle for independence and a starting stage of the English defeat in the war. The Englishmen did not manage to overcome the fortifications built after the colonel’s orders. The name of Tadeush Kostiushko became famous for all America. George Washington wrote that he was "… a man of science and high qualities. In accordance with the attestation, that I have about him, he deserves having one’s eye on him ". October 13, 1783 higher legislative body of the country gave him a rank of brigade general, and the future first president of the country presented him two pistols, a finger-ring and a sword with an inscription "American and Washington to his friend Т. Kostiushko".

In 1784 Tadeush Kostiushko came back to his motherland. But he never forgot America, where he returned in 14 years. In 1789 after the Seim (Parliament in Poland) recommendation the king confirmed him a rank of major-general. The French revolution that started July 14, 1789 influenced a lot the reorganisation of the Rech Pospolita. In accordance with the constitution of 1791 the state order was determined as a state monarchy. Tadeush Kostiushko swore allegiance to the Constitution May 3rd. After that the king had to accept the ultimatum of Katherine II and entered the Torgovitskaya confederation, Kostiushko and some other officers tendered their resignation making a protest.

Head of the rising.

Rising started in Krakow, March 24, 1794. And April 4, 1794 rebels army headed by Tadeush Kostiushko gained the first significant victory by the village Ratslovitsy. A decisive factor was an attack of peasants armed with scythes at artillery positions. The Russian, Prussian and Austrian troops attacked. October 10, 1794 Kostiushko was seriously wounded and taken prisoner during an unsuccessful fight. The troops ordered by Suvorov took Warsaw in less than a month. In the beginning of December Kostushko was brought to the Petropavlovskaya fort. Prisoner’s position changed after the death of Katherine II. After long-lasting speculations Tadeush Kostiushko swore allegiance to the czar, as the fate of his fellow-countrymen depended on his decision. At the basis of the czar order dating from December 12, 1796 about 20 thousand of people were set free, among them there were 14 thousand from Siberia. Kostiushko was allowed to quit for America. In 1798 Kostiushko went to Paris, where he met general Bonapart. However, after the Brumer 18th coup d’etat Kosiushko called Bonapart "a respublic’s grave-digger " and demonstrated his enmity to the first consul openly.

Kostiushko spent his last years in a Swiss family of the Zeltners. Tadeush Kostiushko died October 15, 1817.