Born in Poland in 1748, Casimir Pulaski had achieved a European reputation as a first-class military commander by age 25 and, at 26, offered his services to the American colonists in their quest for independence. As a Revolutionary hero, he distinguished himself in the battles at Germantown and Brandywine, and after Washington cited him for bravery, he was promoted to brigadier-general with full command of the cavalry. He later organized the famous Pulaski Legion and in February 1779 proceeded to South Carolina, performing heroic deeds. In an effort to wrest Savannah, Georgia, from the British, Pulaski, while commanding the French and American cavalries, was mortally wounded and died on October 11, 1779. His charge at Savannah was one of the most daring efforts of the whole Revolution, and he was remembered as a true knight of liberty who lived and died not for his homeland but for the freedom and independence of America.