After the death of his father - a colonel of the regiment - nineteen year old Tadeusz decided to follow in his footsteps. He went to Warsaw, where he came under the patronage of an influential Czartoryski family. In the capital the young man started his education at the School of Knights – a facility preparing future soldiers for service. Since the first months of his studies, Kościuszko showed remarkable military talent. The subject of his particular interest was military engineering.

During his studies Kościuszko went to France, using the royal scholarship he received. In theory, he was there to study fine arts, in practice, his love for all things military won. Tadeusz was still learning the art of the military, but this time by private tutoring.

Return to his homeland turned out to be a hard collision with reality for Kościuszko. Despite his good education, the military man was not able to find decent work for himself. In order to feed himself, he decided to travel across the ocean to America.

The US Army was reluctant to hire a professional officer, whom they had to pay dearly. Kościuszko quickly proved his worth, and his skills in building fortifications proved to be crucial in American victory at Saratoga in 1777 and during the subsequent battles, resulting in the failure of the Europeans. For his merits, Kościuszko was promoted to a rank of American general.

After returning home he lived modestly. The ideals of freedom acquired in America influenced his perception of reality. Kościuszko adhered to the principles of equality, as evidenced by the fact that despite the difficult financial situation he cut his peasants' taxes.

The libertarian with military experience and a rank of general proved to be a valuable asset for Poles fighting against the Russian army. Kościuszko acted in defence of the Constitution of May 3 enacted in 1791, and in 1794 he led the uprising, known as the Kościuszko Insurrection. Despite many successful battles - including the daring victory in the Battle of Racławice – the uprising collapsed, and with it, the country of Poland.

The captured Kościuszko was taken to St. Petersburg. After his release from captivity he went to America to get his overdue wages, and then settled in Europe. He died in Switzerland in 1817. A year later, his body was buried in the royal crypt at Wawel Castle in Krakow. Kościuszko's heart rests in a separate urn at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Do you know?

• Kościuszko's name is derived from his ancestor - Constantine, who was called the diminutive Kostiuszka. Constantine was a courtier of King Sigismund I.
• For his contribution in the War of Independence, Kościuszko received from the future President George Washington a pair of pistols and a sword with the inscription: America and Washington for his friend, Thaddeus Kościuszko.
• In America, Kościuszko received a country estate. He ordered its sale and spent the earned money on buying and freeing black slaves.
• During the Kościuszko uprising, Kościuszko tried to involve peasants in the fighting. On his initiative the so-called Połaniec Proclamation was issued, whereby each peasant taking part in the fighting, could count on easing his tax burden.
• Many monuments are devoted to the memory of Kościuszko, as well as names of streets and places around the world. Australia's highest peak is called Mount Kościuszko. In 1823, a mound, commemorating the Polish general, was raised in Kraków. Quite recently, in 2010, a statue of Kościuszko was unveiled in Warsaw at Plac Żelaznej Bramy.
• Tadeusz Kościuszko was the patron of the legendary fighter Squadron 303, which became famous during the defence of Britain during World War II. There's some irony here - Kościuszko fought against the British as an American general.