April was a crazy month in Revolutionary news with a new Smithsonian Channel documentary discussing the achievements and staggering DNA results of war hero, General Pulaski, a Polish Count who died of battle wounds supporting the American Cause at Savannah in 1779. Last month, it was revealed that he was not really a “he” after all.

What Pulaski’s DNA Reveals About Us

The historian in me loves it when new information helps us piece together a truer version of the past’s facts. DNA was the proof to substantiate a speculation that General Pulaski was born intersex or with reproductive organs that aren’t either typically female or male.

The writer in me loves how we insert solutions based on only what we know or believe at the time. It used to be said, for instance, that Pulaski’s hips were shaped more like a woman’s because he rode horses so much. (Immediately, I have questions about generals Washington and Lee now.)

The comedian in me loves how new information can reveal human folly. Case in point is the insight my friend and fellow Revolutionary historian, John Millar, shared with me about Pulaski’s long-time followers:

“Right after [Pulaski’s] death, some of his friends in Williamsburg founded the Pulaski Club in his honor, which is still going strong. Members of the Club sometimes meet at some nice sidewalk wooden seats on Duke of Gloucester Street near the corner of Nassau Street, where a plaque recognizes the club. In spite of Pulaski’s legendary moustache, the forensic specialists found that Pulaski’s pelvis was that of a woman, so Pulaski was actually a woman in disguise (and yes, the DNA was matched to a member of Pulaski’s family). The Pulaski Club, which permits itself to have as many members as the number of years elapsed since Pulaski’s birth in 1745, limits its membership exclusively to men: no women … Ooops!”

Ooops, indeed. Reexamining our past is important so we can be better going forward. Perhaps the truth of Pulaski might help us recognize that being a great military leader or a contributing citizen in our country has nothing whatsoever to do with gender.

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