This week marks the birthday of Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779), a Polish noble and soldier who joined the Continental Army during the American Revolution and played a central role in the creation of the US cavalry, and like many notable individuals of the era he had a connection to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Moravians.

Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski was born in Warsaw, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, on March 4th or 6th, 1745, to a prominent family and began his military career at a young age. He and his father were both part of the Bar Confederation [1], an organization of Polish nobility that opposed influence from the Russian Empire and sought to limit the authority of King Stanisław II August. This conflict eventually erupted into civil war, in which Pulaski gained renown as a cavalry commander. Following his involvement in a controversial plot to kidnap the king and the defeat of the Bar Confederation Pulaski was living in exile in France in 1777, when he was recruited by Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane to support the newly formed United States in the Revolutionary War. Pulaski became a brigadier general in the Continental Army, where he played a major role in training and organizing the cavalry. Due to conflicts with other officers, which appear to have stemmed from the language barrier and conflicting ideas of the cavalry’s importance and role, Pulaski eventually stepped down and founded a new cavalry unit known as Pulaski’s Legion. He led this force during the Siege of Savannah, an attempt by American and French forces to claim Savannah, Georgia, from the British and was fatally wounded by cannon fire in October 1779.

The diaries of the Bethlehem congregation and of the Single Brothers note that Pulaski visited Bethlehem in the spring of 1778 and describe how he and some of his soldiers attended church services. The page from the Bethlehem Diary shown above described visitors and reads in part:

““On Sunday, the 17th [of May 1778], Mr. Samuel Adams, a delegate to Congress from Massachusetts Bay, Dr. [Isaac] Foster and several other gentlemen, spent the day in Bethlehem today—to their satisfaction—and were present in the public services, as well as the General Pulaski who, with a solemn procession of some from his corps, attended the English sermon held by Brother Früs.”

It is believed that this was when the group’s banner was made by the Moravian Single Sisters, an illustration of this banner made by Rufus Grider in 1878 can be seen below.

The banner, now at the Maryland Center for History and Culture, is made from silk and measures approximately 21 x 23 inches. It features the letters “US” and the Latin text “Unita Virtus Forcior” (United Valor is Greater) on one side and on the other the Eye of Providence and “Non Aluis Regit” (No Other Governs).  It is believed that the banner was designed by Pulaski’s second in command, Michael Kováts (1724-1779).  A Hungarian noble, Kováts was also central to the establishment of the new nation’s military and he and Pulaski are often referred to as the “Fathers of American Cavalry”, he was killed in battle in Charleston, South Carolina the same year.

Further Reading:

Pulaski Banner. Maryland Center for History and Culture. Accessed 2/26/2025 https://tinyurl.com/drunan7e

Örlős, László and Anna Smith Lacey. “The Forgotten Hungarian Origins of the Pulaski banner” Journal of the American Revolution, December 3, 2024. Accessed 2/26/2025 https://tinyurl.com/5n73fs54

Weinstein, Quinton. “Casamir Pulaski” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Accessed 2/26/2025 https://tinyurl.com/4xst566r

[1] Named for the city of Bar in modern Ukraine where the group was founded.