Book Review-"The Peasant Prince" by Alex Storozynski

by Pete Holly

The story of this polish man from an upper middle class family-who owned a
significant ammount of land which was worked on by serfs.His father,unlike many of the
larger land holders of the day in poland, treated his serfs with respect and dignity. "Thaddeus
Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution",the subtitle of the book,gives some indication of the
gigantic role the polish Thaddeus played in The American Revolution and latter in The Polish
and French Revelotion.Trained at elite school in Paris in the Art of Military Stratagy and as
an engineer of Military Fortifications and ramparts-he ended up being America's Chief
Military Engineer during all 8 years of The American Revolution.He was a very close
friend both to Washington and to Adams and he designed and built the first fortifications
at West Point on the Hudson River.He spent many years building West Point and then
he served as the southern army's army's chief military engineer and statagist's playing
a decisive role in the Southern Army's defeat of The British Forces.This man is truelly
a forgotten hero of enormous talent and Military Genuis who played an vital role
In America's victory over the British Force's during The American Revolution.
This book is a must read-for it shines a great deal of light not only on the life Thaddeus
Kosciuszko but also contains a very detailed account of The American Revolution;much of
which appears here for the first time.A fasinating read.