Thaddeus Kosciuszko led the sort of sweeping life worthy of an HBO miniseries -- brilliant military engineer and strategist, freedom fighter, a man who won the trust of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin.

It was Kosciuszko, a Polish nobleman who arrived in Philadelphia in 1776 in time to play significant roles in significant events in the American Revolution, who designed the plans for the impenetrable fort at West Point.

These would be the same plans Benedict Arnold attempted to sell to the British.

"Every child in America learns at the age of 5 who Benedict Arnold was," said Alex Storozynski, author of the well-received biography "The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution."

But Kosciuszko? He devised the strategy for the Battle of Saratoga and, after the war, returned to Poland to lead a peasant revolt leading to the first democratic constitution in Europe.

But his story remains largely untold in this country.

"He has an unpronounceable name. He was a humble guy who didn't seek out the limelight, even though his impact on the revolution was great," Storozynski said.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author who also serves as president and executive director of the Kosciuszko Foundation will be lecturing on Kosciuszko's life and times today at the University of Pittsburgh. The event is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in Posvar Hall on Bouquet Street in Oakland. Later, he'll conduct a 7 p.m. book signing at the Waterfront Barnes & Noble in Homestead.

At a United Nations luncheon of world leaders last week in New York, Poland President Lech Kaczynski presented President Barack Obama with a copy of "Peasant Prince," inscribed by the author: "To President Obama, May Kosciuszko inspire you to learn more about Poland, the country whose motto is, For Your Freedom and Ours."

Storozynski, the son of Polish immigrants, will be honored by the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem with the Military Order of Saint Louis Oct. 15.

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