Gaspar Tochman
Encyclopedia
Kasper Tochman (1797 – December 20, 1880) was Polish-born American lawyer and soldier who formed the Polish Brigade (14th and 15th Louisiana regiments) of Johnson's
Division.
. Vicechairman of the Polish Patriotic Society, he was a good friend of the Commander-in-Chief of the November Uprising
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
as well as Joachim Lelewel
and Maurycy Mochnacki
. A renowned speaker and writer he acted in the Society for Upbringing Orphans after the Fallen Polish Knights (Polish
: Towarzystwo Wychowania Dzieci po Poległych Rycerzach Polskich).
or even major
according to various sources) during the November Uprising
. After the Battle of Białołęka he was awarded Virtuti Militari
as a testimony to his bravery.
With the defeat of the Insurgents Tochman was forced to flee with gen. Maciej Rybiński
's Corps. He emigrated to Avignon
, France where he served as secretary of the Polish Council and later traveled through France in hopes of gathering more supporters. During that time he joined the Eagle and Pahonia freemason lodge. In 1837 Tochman became persona non grata for the French government and decided to emigrate to United States
.
He worked as French
teacher in New York
until 1840 when he was granted citizenship and began studying American civil law - this enabled him to acquire attorney licence and start a practice of law
in Washington D.C. in 1845.
He was an active member of the Polish diaspora- from 1840 to 1844 he gave over a hundred lectures on the situation of then partitioned Poland
. His speeches were published in 1844 in Lecture on the social, political and literary condition of Poland, and her future prospects. Tochman tried both to integrate the Polish community - by establishing the Polish-Slavonic Literary Society which gathered also many Americans - as well as sought contact with prominent US officials; his house in Virginia was visited by Abraham Lincoln
, William Seward
or Samuel Tilden among others. As an active sympathiser of the Democratic Party
he was elected Virginia State Elector.
Tochman represented the Kościuszko family during the inheritance court battle between them and the Russian Empire
represented by the Russian diplomatic representative Aleksandr Bodisko.
Tochman, a pro-slave farm owner organised the 14th and 15th Louisiana Regiments as part of the famous Louisiana Tigers
brigade. The Polish Brigade fought at Gettysburg
as part of 2nd Corps, Johnson's
Division. On July 2, it sustained heavy casualties. Despite the fact that Tochman called himself General he was "only" a Colonel
. Tochman's joining the Confederate Army was criticised by Lelewel and the Polish emigrants close to him.
Tochman died at his farm near Washington on December 20, 1880.
Edward Johnson (general)
Edward Johnson , also known as Allegheny Johnson , was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
Division.
Early life
Tochman was born in Łętownia in 1797. He studied Law and Administration at Warsaw University and after graduation worked as an attorney in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Vicechairman of the Polish Patriotic Society, he was a good friend of the Commander-in-Chief of the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki
Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki was a Polish general, Commander-in-Chief of the November Uprising .He was born in Żebrak, Siedlce County in 1787. After completing his education at the Lwów University, he entered the Polish Legion formed in the Duchy of Warsaw, as a common soldier and won his lieutenancy at...
as well as Joachim Lelewel
Joachim Lelewel
Joachim Lelewel was a Polish historian and politician, from a Polonized branch of a Prussian family.His grandparents were Heinrich Löllhöffel von Löwensprung and Constance Jauch , who later polonized her name to Lelewel.-Life:Born in Warsaw, Lelewel was educated at the Imperial University of...
and Maurycy Mochnacki
Maurycy Mochnacki
Maurycy Mochnacki was a Polish publicist and independence activist. He participated in the November Uprising as a soldier and chronicler - Powstanie narodu polskiego w roku 1830 i 1831. After the defeat, he emigrated. In his early life, he was a supporter of Polish Jacobins ideology. He died in...
. A renowned speaker and writer he acted in the Society for Upbringing Orphans after the Fallen Polish Knights (Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: Towarzystwo Wychowania Dzieci po Poległych Rycerzach Polskich).
November Uprising and Emigration
Tochman served as an officer (lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
or even major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
according to various sources) during the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
. After the Battle of Białołęka he was awarded Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
as a testimony to his bravery.
With the defeat of the Insurgents Tochman was forced to flee with gen. Maciej Rybiński
Maciej Rybinski
Maciej Rybiński , Polish general, last chief of State of November Uprising....
's Corps. He emigrated to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, France where he served as secretary of the Polish Council and later traveled through France in hopes of gathering more supporters. During that time he joined the Eagle and Pahonia freemason lodge. In 1837 Tochman became persona non grata for the French government and decided to emigrate to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He worked as French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
teacher in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
until 1840 when he was granted citizenship and began studying American civil law - this enabled him to acquire attorney licence and start a practice of law
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
in Washington D.C. in 1845.
He was an active member of the Polish diaspora- from 1840 to 1844 he gave over a hundred lectures on the situation of then partitioned Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
. His speeches were published in 1844 in Lecture on the social, political and literary condition of Poland, and her future prospects. Tochman tried both to integrate the Polish community - by establishing the Polish-Slavonic Literary Society which gathered also many Americans - as well as sought contact with prominent US officials; his house in Virginia was visited by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, William Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
or Samuel Tilden among others. As an active sympathiser of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
he was elected Virginia State Elector.
Tochman represented the Kościuszko family during the inheritance court battle between them and the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
represented by the Russian diplomatic representative Aleksandr Bodisko.
Civil War
After the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Tochman, a pro-slave farm owner organised the 14th and 15th Louisiana Regiments as part of the famous Louisiana Tigers
Louisiana Tigers
Louisiana Tigers was the common nickname for certain infantry troops from the state of Louisiana in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a brigade, and eventually to all Louisiana troops...
brigade. The Polish Brigade fought at Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
as part of 2nd Corps, Johnson's
Edward Johnson (general)
Edward Johnson , also known as Allegheny Johnson , was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
Division. On July 2, it sustained heavy casualties. Despite the fact that Tochman called himself General he was "only" a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Tochman's joining the Confederate Army was criticised by Lelewel and the Polish emigrants close to him.
Postbellum
After the defeat of the Confederacy Tochman was nominated Virginia Immigration Commissary gathering people to settle in the state.Tochman died at his farm near Washington on December 20, 1880.