The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1982 (9. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1982-09-01 / 9. szám
September, 1982 THE EIGHTH HUNGARIAN TRIBE Page 5 The members of the American Hungarian Holy Crown Guard present the Bicentennial Memorial Plaque to the Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ambeau. When he became the commander of the legion, he was able to protect the French-American Army, together with the Duke de Lauzon legion, marched from Newport, R. I., through seven States and arrived in Yorktown, Virginia, where they surrounded the British troops of General Earl Cornwallis on October 19, 1781. General Cornwallis surrendered that day, virtually ending the war. After 1781, Count Polereczky moved to Dresden, Maine. He married a French settler’s doughter, raised eight children, and in 1788 his pending application for citizenship was accepted and signed by John Hancock. In 1830 he died in Maine at the age of 83, and in 1981 his grave was decorated with the insignia of the soldier of the American Revolution. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the victory at Yorktown, Virginia, a celebration was held on October 16—19, 1981. The festivities were attended by President Reagan, Vice President Bush, and President Mitterand of France. Relatives of the Polereczky and de Lauzon families attended and were honored. During the year of 1981 special proclamations were issued by various cities and States designating a Count Pelereczky Day to honor his memory. In addition, six memorial plaques honoring Polereczky , Bercsényi and the Hungarian hussars were presented by the Col. Kovats Historical Society, Dr. Andrew T. Udvardy, president, in various cities during the Bicentennial year. At a ceremony in Gloucester, Virginia, Dr. Udvardy compared the American War of Independence with the Hungarian nation’s struggle for freedom in an eloquent speach: We are a small nation today, but everytime we voted, we voted and fought for the freedom which God did give us as He did to you 200 years ago. 40 years after World War II, the land of our ancestors still occupied by the Russian Army, even after so many years of struggle like yours 200 years ago. Hence, we don’t want you to forget that we Hungarians were in the United States Army in 1777, ’78, ’79, and ’81. We don’t want you to forget that we were here in Gloucester, as well as in many previous battles when you fought for your freedom. We fought with you for your liberty and your freedom, and we saved your city of Charleston, South Carolina. Later, our Hungarian hussars helped to win the battle in Yorktown, Virginia. You won your freedom, and we are are proud of the role of our fore-fathers in helping to win the freedom for this new nation 200 years ago. The Hungarian nation lost in 1849 and 1956, and we hope you will remember their fallen heroes here in the USA. And, when the time comes, you will help them to regain their freedom and their 1,000 year old national integrity. The cover painting and the inside one were painted by Sándor Bodó for this occasion.
