Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

For ships named after General von Steuben, see Von Steuben (disambiguation).

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, 1780
Birth nameFriedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben
Nickname(s)Baron von Steuben
Born(1729-09-17)September 17, 1729
Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Prussia
DiedNovember 28, 1794(1794-11-28) (aged 64)
Steuben, New York, U.S.
Buried
Steuben Memorial State Historic Site, Remsen, New York, U.S.
Allegiance
  •  Prussia (1744–1762)
  •  United States (1778–1783)
Service / branch
Years of service
  • 1744–1762
  • 1778–1783
Rank Major General
Battles / wars
AwardsCross of the Order of De la Fidelite
SignatureCursive signature in ink

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard The Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (German: [fɔn ˈʃtɔʏbm̩]), was a Prussian military officer who played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War by reforming the Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force.[1] His contributions marked a significant improvement in the performance of U.S. troops.[2]

Born into a military family, Steuben was exposed to war from an early age; at 14 years old, he observed his father directing Prussian engineers in the 1744 siege of Prague. At age 16 or 17, he enlisted in the Prussian Army,[3][4] which was considered the most professional and disciplined in Europe.[3] During his 17 years of military service, Steuben took part in several battles in the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), rose to the rank of captain, and became aide-de-camp to King Frederick II of Prussia, who was renowned for his military prowess and strategy.[5] Steuben's career culminated in his attendance of Frederick's elite school for young military officers, after which he was abruptly discharged from the army in 1763, allegedly by the machinations of a rival.[4]

Steuben spent 11 years as court chamberlain to the prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, a small German principality. In 1769, the Duchess of Wurttemberg, a niece of Frederick, named him to the chivalric Order of Fidelity, a meritorious award that conferred the title Freiherr, or 'free lord';[6] in 1771, his service to Hohenzollern-Hechingen earned him the title baron.[7] In 1775, as the American Revolution had begun, Steuben saw a reduction in his salary and sought some form of military work; unable to find employment in peacetime Europe, he joined the U.S. war effort through mutual French contacts with U.S. diplomats, most notably ambassador to France Benjamin Franklin. Due to his military exploits, and his willingness to serve the Americans without compensation, Steuben made a positive impression on both Congress and General George Washington, who appointed him as temporary Inspector General of the Continental Army.

Appalled by the state of U.S. forces, Steuben took the lead in teaching soldiers the essentials of military drills, tactics, and discipline based on Prussian techniques.[8] He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, which remained the army's drill manual for decades, and continues to influence modern U.S. army manuals.[6][9] Steuben also addressed widespread administrative waste and graft, helping save desperately needed supplies and funds. As these reforms began bearing fruit on the battlefield, in 1778, Congress, on Washington's recommendation, commissioned Steuben as Inspector General with the rank of Major General. He served the remainder of the war as Washington's chief of staff and one of his most trusted advisors.[4][10]

After the war, Steuben was made a U.S. citizen and granted a large estate in New York in reward for his service. In 1780, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, a learned society that included many of the nation's most prominent Founding Fathers.[11]

  1. ^ "Baron von Steuben | Biography & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Trickey, Erick. "The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 31, 2022. Though his name is little known among Americans today, every U.S. soldier is indebted to von Steuben – he created America's professional army.
  3. ^ a b Trickey, Erick. "The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Blakemore, Erin. "The Revolutionary War Hero Who Was Openly Gay". History.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  5. ^ Armstrong, O.K. (1947). "He Transformed a Rabble Into an Army". Prairie Schooner. 21 (4): 381 – via JSTOR.
  6. ^ a b Trickey, Erick. "The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "General von Steuben – Valley Forge National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  8. ^ Stephen C. Danckert, "Baron von Steuben and the Training of Armies." Military Review 74 (1994): 29–34 in EBSCO
  9. ^ "After 230 years, the 'Blue Book' still guides NCOs". www.army.mil. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  10. ^ Fleming, Thomas (February–March 2006). "The Magnificent Fraud". American Heritage.
  11. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved March 31, 2021.