The intriguing and mystifying relationship between Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz (1858–1841) and Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746–1817) extended through some of the most dramatic and devastating years in Polish history, 1794–1798. Niemcewicz served as Kosciuszko’s aide-de-camp during the doomed 1794 Uprising. Both were wounded and captured at the Battle of Maciejowice and transported to St. Petersburg where they remained as prisoners-of-war until their release by Paul I (1754–1801) at the end of 1796. Forced to make a humiliating vow of loyalty to Paul, the two traveled together to the United States, arriving in Philadelphia in August, 1797. The relationship came to an abrupt end in May, 1798 when Kosciuszko, to Niemcewicz’s surprise and anguish, returned to France leaving his faithful adjutant and companion behind through the assistance of then Vice-President Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) to ease Franco-American tensions and seek French support in the continued struggle for Polish independence.
The present study is an attempt to arrive at a composite “portrait” of Kosciuszko made by Niemcewicz as gleaned from his journals and memoirs; his prison memoirs for the years 1794–1796; a poem written as an appeal to Kosciuszko from 1813 in the aftermath of the defeat of Napoleon and finally his Pochwała Kościuszki or Praise of Kosciuszko from 1821, a belated epitaph after the death of the Commander in 1817. Memoir and journal writings are notoriously subjective, at times self-serving and susceptible to self-censorship. Niemcewicz’s situation as a highly patriotic writer of extremely politically charged subject matter was impacted by the Russian censor as well as the real threat of retribution by Russian authorities.
