Born in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1746, Tadeusz Kocuiszko became an American military hero during the Revolutionary War. He immigrated to the colonies in 1775, joined the Continental Army shortly thereafter, and rose to the rank of colonel and then head engineer. In this final position, he oversaw the fortification of such strategic areas as the city of Philadelphia, the Delaware River,and West Point, the site of the future military academy. Kocuiszko was also recognized as a military hero in his homeland, where he fought against invading Russian troops in 1792.
