New Bedford’s Pulaski School Was Named for a Revolutionary Hero

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — Students in New Bedford’s Far North End have been attending the Casimir Pulaski Elementary School for nearly 50 years, but those who don’t go there and learn of the history of its namesake may be wondering who he was and why there is a school in the city named for him.

According to the school’s website, Casimir Pulaski was a Polish nobleman, born in 1748, and who at the age of 15 fought alongside his father Count Joseph Pulaski and other members of the Polish nobility in opposing the Russian and Prussian interference in Polish political affairs.

As word of his bravery spread throughout Europe, he met Benjamin Franklin while the two were both in Paris, France. Franklin convinced Pulaski to come to the American colonies and join in the fight for independence against the British that became known as the American Revolution.

Not only did he join the fight, he became one of its leaders, aiding General George Washington at Brandywine and proving to be a brilliant military tactician on multiple occasions during the war.

He served as Brigadier-General of the Four Horse Brigades and, upon the establishment of the Cavalry in 1778, put in charge of that – henceforth becoming known as “The Father of the American Cavalry.”

Because the burgeoning new nation had few finances, Pulaski used his own money to purchase equipment for his troops.

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He was later injured by a cannon blast at the Battle of Savannah in 1779.

“It is said, the General’s enemies were so impressed with his courage, that they spared his life and permitted him to be carried from the battlefield,” the school’s website reads. “However, two days later, on October 11 Pulaski died.”

October 11 was later established as General Pulaski Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for the man who made the ultimate sacrifice to help the birth of a country that was not even his own.

The Pulaski School is just one of many tributes to him across the nation, and it got its name in 1975 at the behest of a member of New Bedford’s Polish community.

Standard-Times writer Laurie Los Lee chronicled in 2019 her discovery that it was her own grandfather that led the charge to name the school in Pulaski’s honor.