Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Savior of the Continental Army
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794) of Prussia was a veteran of the Seven Year’s War who introduced important tactical, organizational, disciplinary and training techniques to the Continental Army as the first American inspector general.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Savior of the Continental Army
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794) of Prussia was a veteran of the Seven Year’s War who introduced important tactical, organizational, disciplinary and training techniques to the Continental Army as the first American inspector general.
Von Steuben was born in fortress Magdeburg to a lieutenant engineer and was educated by Jesuits before entering the Prussian Army at age 17. He served with distinction in the Seven Year’s War, attaining the rank of captain, and became an aide to Frederick the Great. After being discharged from the Army, von Steuben gained the title of baron after taking a position as lord chamberlain in the principality of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Wanting to seek fame and fortune, he tried to enlist in other European armies but to no avail, in part because of accusations of homosexual pedophilia. In summer 1777, von Steuben went to Paris where he met Benjamin Franklin and, with the French war minister’s endorsement, was recruited for the American cause.
He arrived in America in 1778 and offered his services to the Revolution without rank or pay, coming to the Continental winter encampment at Valley Forge in February. Von Steuben presented his credentials to Continental Congress and Gen. George Washington as a baron and former lieutenant general on King Frederick’s staff, which was a lie, but the Continental Army was in such desperate need of experienced European military officers that it didn’t matter.
Despite not knowing English and communicating through French-speaking officers, von Steuben was appointed inspector general and immediately implemented a new training program, one that recognized the philosophical difference between American Patriots and European soldiers and conscripts. To expedite the training, von Steuben simplified drill tactics and personally trained officers who could then train their comrades. He wrote "Regulations of for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States," which remains a virtually unchanged official training manual today. As inspector general, the former Prussian officer also did his best to eliminate wasteful use or loss of armaments. The Army’s morale was weakened by losses at Germantown and Brandywine and the evacuation of Philadelphia before encampment, and von Steuben’s drills and discipline bolstered the Patriot resolve and convinced them they could fight any army they faced. The Continental Army fought the British to a draw at Monmouth on June 28.
In 1779, von Steuben traveled south to join Gen. Nathanael Greene’s command, and he commanded a division of Continentals at Yorktown in 1781. Von Steuben became an American citizen and was honorably discharged from the Army in 1784. With a federal pension of $2,500 a year, von Steuben retired to New York, where he became a leading citizen.
Von Steuben Day is celebrated in September in the United States, and three naval vessels, Steuben Field at Hamilton College and Steuben County in Indiana and New York are named in his honor. Statues of von Steuben stand at Valley Forge, at Monmouth Battlefield State Park and in Washington, D.C.
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