Washington found a way to honor Pulaski and at the same time make a gesture to boost the morale of Kosciuszko and the Poles serving in his army. Washington was staying at Moore House, his headquarters in West Point, when he gave the sentries a new password to distinguish between friend and foe. On November 17, 1779, he set the parole (query) and countersign (password) for crossing military checkpoints as “Pulaski” and “Poland.”52 General Pulaski’s heroic death enshrined his name in American history. It also made Colonel Kosciuszko the highest-ranking Pole in the Continental Army, and made him
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