Casimir Pulaski, hero of the war of independence, could have been a woman or an intersex

April 5, 2019, 16:40 GMT

By Corky Siemaszko

Casimir Pulaski, hero of the war of independence and pride of the Polish-US community, might need a new pronoun – he could have been a woman or even one of them.

Researchers who used DNA to identify Pulaski's bones are convinced that the brave Pole who died fighting for America's freedom was either a biological woman who lived as a man or was potentially intersex, that is, a person whose body did not fit the standard definition of men or women. female.

This is the takeaway of a new Smithsonian documentary titled "The General Was Female?", Which makes its first appearance on Monday and is part of the series "America's Hidden Stories".

"One of the differences between male and female skeletons is the pelvis," said Virginia Hutton Estabrook, assistant professor of anthropology at Georgia Southern University. "In women, the pelvic cavity has a more oval shape. It is less heart-shaped than in the male pelvis. Pulaski looks very feminine. "

While Pulaski's skeleton exhibited obvious signs of extensive riding and a battle injury to the general's affected right hand, the facial structure and jaw angle were resolutely feminine, said Estabrook. .

Estabrook said that his team was not the first to suspect that Pulaski was not possibly a man. Others have also noticed the delicate bone structure after extracting the skeleton of the Pulaski Monument in Savannah, Georgia. The general measured only between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 4 inches.

"Part of the reason why it was not more publicized at the time is that without confirmation of the DNA that it was about Pulaski, it was easy to deny it, "said Estabrook.

This changed after a team of scientists including Estabrook was able to confirm that the bones matched the DNA taken from Pulaski's little niece.

Was Pulaski aware of being different from the men around him?

"Probably he was not fully aware," said Estabrook. "What we do know about Pulaski, is that there were enough androgens (male hormones) in the body for it to have facial hair and male pattern baldness." . Obviously, there was a genital development because we have his baptismal records and he was baptized as a son. "

But Pulaski never married. And although Pulaski's letters reveal that "he had a close relationship with a woman who ended up marrying a Polish prince," it is not clear that there were other women in Pulaski's life. .

"Many biographies show this angle of lost love," said Estabrook.

What is clear, added Estabrook, "is that he was a charismatic leader".

"People seemed to be attracted to him and willing to give him power," she said. "His letters reveal that members of Congress were annoyed by his extreme exigency. But they seemed to respect him. It was clear that people were reacting to his spirit and daring. "

Born in 1745, Pulaski was a member of the Polish nobility and a qualified cavalry officer who fought against the Russians when they attempted to take control of Poland. Pulaski escaped to Paris when it was discovered that he had participated in a plot to assassinate Moscow from a puppet king imposed on Poland.

Pulaski met Benjamin Franklin, who sent the young officer to the rebel American colonies to join George Washington's army.

Pulaski proved effective in 1777 by preventing British troops from capturing Washington during the Battle of Brandywine.

A grateful Washington made Pulaski a Brigadier General, and the Poles set out to transform the Continental Army's cavalry into a well-trained fighting force, even though Pulaski spoke almost no English.

"His letters to Congress calling for better resources for the cavalry, these were written in English," said Estabrook. "He was working with a translator."

Pulaski was only 34 years old when he was fatally wounded in 1779 while he was leading a cavalry charge at the Savannah headquarters. He was later dubbed the "father of the American cavalry".

Since then, many cities, counties and schools have been named in honor of Pulaski, as well as major thoroughfares such as General Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey and Pulaski Road in Chicago.

US-Polish police officers in New York are part of the Pulaski Association.

There is also the Pulaski Day parade, held annually since 1937 in New York and following the same path to Fifth Avenue as the St. Patrick's day parade.

Richard Zawisny, president of the annual Pulaski Day parade, said: "I've heard about it before, but I'm a little shocked."

"But nowadays, I do not think it will matter to most people," he said. "I really think the majority will not care, and the fact that Pulaski was a Polish-American hero does not take anything away."