Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Revolutionary Hero

Most people tend to think of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette, and folk heroes Betsy Ross and Molly Pitcher when they think of heroes of the American Revolution. There is another individual whose vast contributions are too often overlooked, however: General Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben, later known more simply as Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.

Von Steuben was born in the city of Magdeburg in what is today the country of Germany on September 17, 1730. He was born into a militaristic family, his father having been an engineer lieutenant himself in the military. He lived for a time in Russia with his family until he was ten years old, then returned to Germany. By the time he was seventeen years old, von Steuben was already an officer in the Prussian military. At one point he was even under the service of Frederick the Great.

For reasons that are today unclear, von Steuben was discharged from the army at the age of 33. In the year that followed he was granted the title of Baron (the German Freiherr) after having been in the court of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. He then found himself in France, where he was lauded by the French Minister of War, Count de St. Germain. Von Steuben was quickly recognized for his military ability. His General Staff training with the Prussian army led Germain to persuade him to fight with the colonists in America for the cause of liberty. Von Steuben subsequently met Benjamin Franklin who indeed found him to be a perfect candidate for the job of contributing his services to the Revolution.

After having had his credentials made to sound loftier than they actually were, Baron von Steuben arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 26, 1777. (He had previously been introduced in a letter to General Washington as a "Lieutenant General in the King of Prussia's Service" by Franklin.) He spent the winter in Valley Forge with Washington and his men, where he volunteered his services without rank or pay.

The army von Steuben found was a loosely organized, meager one with few comforts in the way of food and clothing. Although he didn't speak any English, he was able to communicate in French with some of the officers. Alexander Hamilton was one to assist in this area. The Baron would swear at the soldiers first in French and German, and then even have them cursed at in English by one of his aides for him.

The copyright of the article Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Revolutionary Hero in Germanic Culture is owned by Colleen Thomas Ryor. Permission to republish Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben: Revolutionary Hero in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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