"The Baron"
Steuben walking with Washington through Valley Forge camp
"If George Washington was the father of the nation, then von Steuben, was the father of the United States military." - Mark Segal
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian military captain who was interviewed by Benjamin Franklin in Paris, France and eventually sent to America to help train the troops (Segal). He arrived at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778 and "After inspecting the troops and conferring with senior officers, Steuben told Washington that the continentals were the finest raw material for an army he had ever seen" (Wright 141).
Steuben first had to break the language barrier and was assigned two subordinated to accompany him at all times as translators. Steuben began to train the army on issues such as rapidly loading muskets as well as bayonet fighting and he personally trained the "model company" issued by Washington to use to help train other companies at Valley Forge and eventually spread to the rest of the Continental Army. (Wright 142).
He would train the troops to maneuver on the battlefield and he left the officers with a better understanding of tactics and drilling. In addition to his training of the army he also implemented sanitary standards and organization of the camp which helped to limit the spreading of illnesses (Segal). He wrote down all the drills and aspects of service he had shared with them at Valley Forge in "The Blue Book" (officially known as, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, Part 1) and it was given out to all officers as an official field manual (Wright 144).
Steuben would be granted a commission by Congress in the Continental Army and he would go on to serve as Inspector General and continue to help the revolutionary cause. (Wright 145) The army that entered camp that winter at Valley Forge could have never comprehended the transformation it would undergo that winter. This winter is one of the single biggest turning points in American history because it gave rise to the United States Continental Army; not just a collection of militias and men fighting for a cause anymore but a well trained army of American Regulars fighting for a country and its freedom.
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian military captain who was interviewed by Benjamin Franklin in Paris, France and eventually sent to America to help train the troops (Segal). He arrived at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778 and "After inspecting the troops and conferring with senior officers, Steuben told Washington that the continentals were the finest raw material for an army he had ever seen" (Wright 141).
Steuben first had to break the language barrier and was assigned two subordinated to accompany him at all times as translators. Steuben began to train the army on issues such as rapidly loading muskets as well as bayonet fighting and he personally trained the "model company" issued by Washington to use to help train other companies at Valley Forge and eventually spread to the rest of the Continental Army. (Wright 142).
He would train the troops to maneuver on the battlefield and he left the officers with a better understanding of tactics and drilling. In addition to his training of the army he also implemented sanitary standards and organization of the camp which helped to limit the spreading of illnesses (Segal). He wrote down all the drills and aspects of service he had shared with them at Valley Forge in "The Blue Book" (officially known as, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, Part 1) and it was given out to all officers as an official field manual (Wright 144).
Steuben would be granted a commission by Congress in the Continental Army and he would go on to serve as Inspector General and continue to help the revolutionary cause. (Wright 145) The army that entered camp that winter at Valley Forge could have never comprehended the transformation it would undergo that winter. This winter is one of the single biggest turning points in American history because it gave rise to the United States Continental Army; not just a collection of militias and men fighting for a cause anymore but a well trained army of American Regulars fighting for a country and its freedom.
*Steuben picture & Steuben with Washington picture provided by WikiSpace.com