For things named to honor Kazimierz Pułaski, see: Pulaski (disambiguation).

Kazimierz Pułaski

Kazimierz Pułaski (in the USA referred to as Casimir Pulaski) (March 6, 1745 – October 11/15, 1779), born near Warsaw (Winiary-Warka area), Poland, was a Polish soldier and military commander who fought against the Russian (tsarist) Empire in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 1768 to 1772, he took part in a confederation against the Russians called the Confederation of Bar (Konfederacja barska).

Kazimierz Pułaski monument in Washington, DC.

From 1777 to 1779, he fought for independence of the United States in the American Revolution under the command of George Washington. Pulaski was a noted cavalryman and played a large role in training Revolutionary troops. He took part in the sieges of Charleston and of Savannah. During a cavalry charge, he was wounded in the thigh and was taken aboard the brig the USS Wasp. Two days later, on October 11, he died of wounds without regaining consciousness and was buried at sea.

The city of Chicago has celebrated Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of March since 1977, no doubt due to the large Polish population of the city; Pulaski Avenue, one of the city's major arteries, is named after him. The first official celebration of Pulaski Day was in 1978.

The Pulaski Skyway in northern New Jersey and the Pulaski Bridge in New York City are dedicated to him. By Presidential Proclamation, every October 11 is "General Pulaski Memorial Day", dedicated to Pulaski's memory and the heritage of Polish-Americans. Additionally a US submarine, USS_Casimir_Pulaski_(SSBN-633), was named after him.