A lifelong bachelor, he threw dinner parties rather than dine alone. He taught them how to reload their muskets quickly after firing, charge with a bayonet and march in compact columns instead of miles-long lines. Why Was Ostia Important to the City of Rome? He was schooled in Breslau by Jesuits and by the age of 17.was a Prussian officer in the military. He appears to be much of a gentleman, and as far as I have had an opportunity of judging, a man of military knowledge and acquainted with the world. Washingtons confidence in von Steuben grew quickly. The Army still uses some portions of it in training manuals today, including von Steubens instructions on drill and ceremonies. Once the individual could handle himself and his musket he was placed in groups of three, then in groups of twelve, and taught to wheel, to dress to the right and to the left. Washington appointed von Steuben as temporary inspector general. Lieutenant Colonel Francois de Fleury, a French volunteer serving in the Continental Army, assisted in writing the original French text. What [Steuben] discovered was nothing less than appalling, wrote Fleming in Washingtons Secret War. By the mid-1770s, he had restyled himself as a baron, but was in fact desperate for money and a better position. On Washingtons recommendation, in May 1778, Steuben was appointed inspector general of the army with the rank of major general. In April 1779, von Steuben returned to the Continental Army and served throughout the remainder of the war as GeneralNathanael Greenes instructor and supply officer. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 125 Battlefield Acres in Virginia, Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More, Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act, Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History. He worked directly with the soldiers and became popular amongst them for his use of foul language, which needed translation from his native German to French and finally to English. Von Stueben recognized the democratic nature of the American army. Von Steuben Day - Wikipedia He reached America with a small entourage of aides and secretaries in December of 1777. Short enlistments meant constant turnover and little order. Von Steuben was discharged from the Prussian army at the rank of captain on April 29, 1763, shortly after the Treaties of Paris and Hubertusburg ended the war. By the end of the six-month encampment, some 2,000 menroughly one in sixdied of disease. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/valley-forge. Join us online July 24-26! Date of Birth - Death September 17, 1730 - November 28, 1794 Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben was born on September 17, 1730, in the fortress town of Magdeburg in Prussia but spent most of the first decade of his life in Russia with his father. In French, it was "Lieutenant General Quarters Maitre," so Franklin wrote "Lieutenant General" in his letter of introduction, which gave the impression that Steuben held this specific rank in the Prussian army. "Baron Steuben to George Washington, 6 December 1777," The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition: Revolutionary Series, Volume 12, edited by Ted Crackel (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008), 567. Frederick the Great was one of the greatest military tacticians of his age, and von Steuben was put into one of his training programs in the art of war and leadership. While the many Americans who feted Baron von Steuben from Portsmouth to Boston and finally to York might have been impressed General Washington was more taken with the general's sincerity. Baron von Stueben was born in 1730 in Magdeburg, Prussia. On one such occasion, Walker . In this way, uniform maneuvers and discipline was given to the army in a very rapid and orderly fashion. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Known as the Blue Book, the manual guided the American army all the way through the War of 1812. Washington later learned that Steuben had only risen to the rank of captain, however, the Barons expertise in military training was second to none. One soldier's first impression of the Baron was "of the ancient fabled God of War he seemed to me a perfect personification of Mars. The Prussian military during the Seven Years War was one of the most impressive on the European continent and under the tutelage of Fredrick the Great, General von Steuben earned a first-class military education. Courtesy National Center for the American Revolution/Valley Forge Historical Society. He was a member of an infantry unit and a staff officer in the Seven Years War, later being made a member of the General Staff serving in Russia periodically. Then he joined the King's personal class on the art of war, where young officers were trained in the complicated art of leadership. New York While Steuben Day is celebrated in many cities all across the United States, the largest crowds gather in New York City. Washington and his weary troops occupied Valley Forge, located in eastern Pennsylvania along the banks of the Schuylkill River some 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, six days before Christmas in 1777. Baron von Steuben longtime Prussian soldier in the powerful, disciplined, victorious army of Frederick the Great arrives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from France aboard the 28-gun French . He taught them to efficiently load, fire and reload weapons, charge with bayonets and march in compact columns of four instead of miles-long single-file marches. flashcard set. He was instructor and supply officer for General Nathanael Greene's southern army, which fought the key battles that led to the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. When the Continental Army finally marched out of Valley Forge in June 1778, the well-trained Americans nearly bested theBritish at Monmouth. Monmouth vindicated Steuben as an organizer, wrote Lockhart. If anything, the curses contributed to Steubens reputation as an exotic character who was good for a laugh now and then, wrote Fleming. At Monmouth, the Americans were driven off the battlefield, but they technically fought the British to a tactical draw in one of the largest engagements of the war. Upon his military discharge, von Steuben became employed in the court of Josef Frederick Wilhelm, the prince of Hodenzollern-Hechingen. Prussian officer Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben developed a simplified system of drill and discipline during the Valley Forge encampment of 1777-1778 that helped to forge the Continental Army into an effective fighting force. The string of humiliating defeats had led some members of the Continental Congress to want to replace Washington, believing he was incompetent. Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Steuben, better known as Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian officer who is credited with forming the amateur Continental Army into a professional fighting force. Fourth, he worked with George Washington after the war to demobilize the army, and he offered practical suggestions on defense strategy for the new nation. "The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution," by Erick Trickey, April 26, 2017. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. It was during this time that he began referring to himself by the royal title 'baron' based on a fictitious lineage established by his father. Stueben laid out a plan to have rows for command, officers and enlisted men. This monument's imposing presence is due in part to its height, with an 8 foot tall statue mounted on top of a 6 foot 8 inches tall granite pedestal. Importantly, he demanded that latrines be placed, facing downhill, on the opposite side of camp as the kitchens. As he stated himself: 'You say to your soldier, 'Do this' and he does it. Notes:1. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The never-proven, anonymously reported rumor destroyed von Steubens reputation in Germany. He was in charge of training the troops. A few months later, Washington and thousands of his troops would arrive at the site. After the war Steuben settled in New York City, where he lived so extravagantly that, despite large grants of money from Congress and the grant of 16,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of land by New York state, he fell into debt. Steuben also worked with Alexander Hamiltonand the Marquis de Lafayetteto create a training manual for the Continental Army. At this time, Steuben was a second lieutenant. In the harsh Pennsylvania winter, Baron von Steuben instructed a company of future leaders in basic military movements and tactical skills; those Baron von Steuben was one of three commanders at Yorktow.n He also helped Washington demobilize the army after the Revolutionary War ended. Rank by rank, with not a single straying step, the battalions swung past General Washington and deployed into a double line of battle with the ease and swiftness of veterans, Fleming wrote. The primary reason was most likely the fact he was living off the prospect of financial compensation from the United States government which was unrealized until June of 1790 when he was granted a yearly pension of $2,500. He finally reached the winter encampment of the Continental Army on February 23, 1778, at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. Membership came with a title: Freiherr, meaning free lord, or baron. When their discipline broke down, he swore at them in German and French, and with his only English curse: Goddamn!. Congress was in York Pennsylvania, after being ousted from Philadelphia for the winter and on February 5, 1778, Steuben was with them. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. Duponceau and Captain Benjamin Walker translated it into English. Steuben had also received training with a special detached corps and as a general staff officer when the two concepts were virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Consequently, on June 15, 1778, Washington issued orders to govern the Inspector General's office until Congress took further steps. All Rights Reserved. Interacting with the soldiers on a daily basis, von Steuben was shocked by the extreme shortages of nearly all essential materials but was encouraged by the fighting spirit of the army, despite their unprofessional training. He served as Greene's supply officer and instructor. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben enlisted in the Royal Prussian Army at the age of 17. Why? As noted in the beginning of this lesson, von Steuben was one of a number of European advisors in the American Revolution, but he was, undoubtedly, the one who contributed the most to military training and preparation. Through the mistranslation of Steuben's position in the Prussian army, he was presented to Congress as a much higher rank. Today, the site is the home of the Valley Forge National Historical Park. Later in 1761, he was taken prisoner when Major General von Knoblock surrendered at Treptow on the Russian front.