When General von Steuben first set foot at Valley Forge in 1778, a soldier described him as “the ancient fabled God of War”.
When General von Steuben first set foot at Valley Forge in 1778, a soldier described him as “the ancient fabled God of War”.
He turned a ragtag group of militiamen into a disciplined force who took down the mighty British army.
Here’s how
Born into a military family, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was always destined to make warfare a career.
At a mere 14 he observed the 1744 Siege of Prague, and at 17 he enlisted in the Prussian army—the most disciplined fighting force in Europe.
Here he fought in several battles during the Seven Years' War, was promoted to captain, and even served as an aide under Frederick the Great.
But his Prussian military career ended abruptly when he was discharged in 1763, allegedly due to the scheming of a rival officer.
Nonetheless, Steuben's destiny lay outside Europe. After a decade-long position as court chamberlain for the prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, a small German principality, the newly appointed baron yearned for war…
After failing to find a position in any European armies, he looked toward America.
Through mutual contacts with American ambassadors, the baron arranged to join the Continental army as a volunteer.
Due to his military exploits in Prussia and willingness to volunteer, General George Washington looked at him favorably and appointed him temporary Inspector General of the American forces.
In 1778 he arrived at Valley Forge and immediately established a presence. One soldier described him:
“...he seemed to me a perfect personification of Mars. The trappings of his horse, the enormous holsters of his pistols, his large size, and his strikingly martial aspect…”
Steuben’s initial impression of the camp was poor. There was no set arrangement of tents and huts and sanitation was poor.
He laid out a plan to have tent rows for command, officers, and soldiers, and established proper locations for kitchens and latrines.
The administrative state of the army was described as “incompetence, graft, war profiteering." Poor bookkeeping meant that no one knew how many supplies were available.
Steuben initiated strict record-keeping and regular inspections, saving the army countless supplies over time.
Despite his organizational and administrative accomplishments, Steuben’s most lasting contribution was the training program he developed for the Continental Army…
Picking 120 men from various regiments, Steuben created an honor guard who set the template for the rest of the troops.
The honor guard was used to demonstrate the baron’s training and in turn they would train other personnel.
Steuben’s eccentricity and charisma created a mystique around him. He wore full military dress to each training session, a stark contrast to his soldiers who had little proper clothing at all, while his frequent use of profanity and hands-on approach endeared him to the soldiers.
Stueben wrote down his drills, originally in French—the military language of Europe at the time—but eventually in English, and developed a manual for the Continental Army. Colonel Alexander Hamilton and General Nathanael Greene assisted him in drafting the program.
The baron’s program took a progressive approach. Beginning with the school of the soldier with and without arms, it then introduced soldiers to regimental instruction to fight collectively—only a regiment of strong individual soldiers could be an effective fighting unit.
On a tactical level, Steuben introduced the bayonet charge as an effective maneuver.
Bayonets had previously been relegated to tools rather than weapons, but the baron taught soldiers how to use them properly.
At the Battle of Stony Point in 1779, the Continental Army used Steben’s training and charged the British lines, winning the battle with their bayonets. The only muskets that were fired were used as a diversion.
Steuben’s manual served as the basis for the book “Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States,” or more commonly known as the “Blue Book’. It was used by the US Army until 1814, and influenced their tactics and drills until the mid 18th century.
Steuben was integral to the Americans’ success in the Revolutionary War. It’s possible without his expertise, the US as we know it would not exist today.
But Steuben also symbolized something that all nations can learn from…
The baron represents the proper integration of foreign talent into a nation. He came as a willing volunteer, offering up his expertise that benefitted his host nation.
He was rewarded for his service when an act of the Pennsylvania legislature granted him citizenship in 1784.
Steuben’s service to the American people highlights the adaptability of the early US, and how it welcomed outsiders if they contributed to America’s goals.
Today the US is caught up in endless debates over immigration policy. Should we look to Steuben as an example?
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