Search results
- Todd Andrlik
- Andrew Jackson, 9.
- (Major) Thomas Young, 12.
- Deborah Sampson, 15.
- James Armistead, 15.
Born into a military family in 1730—at first, his last name was the non-noble Steuben—he was 14 when he watched his father direct Prussian engineers in the 1744 siege of Prague.
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben, German-born soldier, was born at Magdeburg, Prussia, in 1730, the son of William Augustine Steuben (1699 – 1783), also a soldier. At fourteen he served as a volunteer in a campaign of the Austrian Succession War.
- Military career
- Early career
- Title
- Aftermath
- Results
- Writing
- Background
- Later years
- Legacy
From 1775 onward, Baron von Steuben began looking for work in some kind of military capacity. He inquired about serving in the British, French, and Austrian armies, but no positions materialized. In 1777, he traveled to France, where he heard talk of glories and riches to be won in a revolution across the Atlantic Ocean. Through St. Germain, Steube...
Upon his return to Prussia, Steuben was unable to find suitable employment. He therefore returned to France and prepared to set out for America, strictly as a volunteer without promise of pay or rank. His passage to America was paid by the French government. On September 26, 1777, Baron von Steuben, his Italian greyhound, Azor, Louis de Pontiere, h...
When the Baron met with Congress, he presented them with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. The letter introduced him as \"His Excellency, Lieutenant General von Steuben, Apostle of Frederick the Great.\" Actually, Steuben had only been a captain. Through the translation of Steuben's position in the Prussian army, he was made a higher...
Arrangements were made for Steuben to be paid following the successful completion of the war according to his contributions. Congress told the Baron to report to General Washington at Valley Forge. He arrived at the camp on February 23, 1778. One soldier's first impression of the Baron was \"of the ancient fabled God of War he seemed to me a perfe...
Steuben made a favorable enough impression upon Washington to be appointed temporary Inspector General. He went out into the camp to talk with the officers and men, inspect their huts, and scrutinize their equipment. What he found was an army short of everything, except spirit. He was quoted as saying \"no European army could have held together in ...
His first step was to write the drills for the army. At this time, each state used different drills and maneuvers, patterned upon various European methods. As Inspector General, Steuben's task was to create one standard method, thus coordinating the entire Continental Army. As he could not speak or write English, Steuben originally wrote the drills...
Up to this time, the American officers had accepted the British practice of letting the sergeants drill the men, as it was thought to be ungentlemanly for officers to do so. Steuben set a precedent by working with the troops directly. The American officers felt threatened by this practice, as well as by the seemingly unlimited powers of Steuben's o...
Throughout the war, Steuben had continually asked Congress for more money for his expenses. After the war, he continued petitioning for compensation for his services. Congress did pay a portion of the amount Steuben expected, but not all. New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia granted him land, of which he sold portions, but these payments never quit...
Although he never received the financial rewards he expected, Steuben will never be forgotten in the annals of American history. His administrative brilliance in organizing, training, and preparing the Continental Army for battle will ensure his legacy in the cause of American independence.
Sep 5, 2019 · By John Danielski. He was the saviour of America’s Continental Army but he looked nothing like a messiah. He was 47 years old, had stubby legs on a portly frame, and his full face displayed incipient jowls. His eyes were lively, his movements energetic, his manner cheerful.
He became an American citizen by act of Pennsylvania legislature in March 1784 (and later by the New York authorities in July 1786). He was discharged from the military with honor on March 24, 1784. He established residency in New York where he became a very prominent figure.
People also ask
Who was Baron de Steuben?
How old was Steuben when he joined the Prussian army?
Was von Steuben a general?
What did von Steuben do in the Revolutionary War?
Baron von Steuben. 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.
