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-{{For|ships named after General von Steuben|Von Steuben (disambiguation)}}
-{{Infobox military person
-|name    = Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
-|image   = [[Image:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.jpg|200px]]<br>[[File:Appletons' Steuben signature.jpg|150px]]
-|caption = Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, by [[Charles Willson Peale]]
-|born    = September 17, 1730
-|died    = {{Death date and age|1794|11|28|1730|9|17}}
-|placeofbirth=[[Magdeburg]], [[Duchy of Magdeburg]]
-|placeofdeath=[[Utica, New York]]
-|placeofburial=[[Steuben Memorial State Historic Site]]
-|placeofburial_label=
-|allegiance={{flag|Prussia|1750}}</br>{{flag|United States of America|1777}}
-|branch=
-|serviceyears=1744-1762; 1777-1783
-|rank=Inspector General
-|unit=
-|commands=
-|battles='''War of 1744'''
-*Siege of Prague
-'''[[Seven Years' War]]'''
-*Battle of Prague
-*Battle of Colberg
-*Siege of Schweidnitz
-'''[[American Revolutionary War]]'''
-*[[Battle of Monmouth]]
-*[[Siege of Yorktown|Battle of Yorktown]]
-|awards=
-|relations=
-|laterwork=
-}}
-'''Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben''' (born '''Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben'''; September 17, 1730 &ndash; November 28, 1794), also referred to as the '''Baron von Steuben''',<ref name="ushistory.org">[http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/steuben.html Ushistory.org]</ref>  was a [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]]-born aristocrat and military officer who served as [[inspector general]] and Major general of the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of [[military drills]], tactics, and disciplines.<ref name="Fleming">[http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/1/2006_1_58.shtml Thomas Fleming] "The Magnificent Fraud," ''American Heritage'', Feb./March 2006.</ref> He wrote the [[Revolutionary War Drill Manual]], the book that became the standard [[United States]] drill manual until the [[War of 1812]], and served as General [[George Washington]]'s [[chief of staff]] in the final years of the war.
-==Early years==
-Friedrich von Steuben was born in [[Magdeburg]], [[Duchy of Magdeburg]], within today's [[Germany]], the son of [[Wilhelm Augustin von Steuben]] (1699–1783), a lieutenant of engineers. His mother was [[Elizabeth von Jagvodin]]. Steuben accompanied his father to the [[Russian Empire]] when [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Friedrich Wilhelm I]], [[Kings of Prussia|King of Prussia]] and [[Elector of Brandenburg]], ordered Wilhelm into the service of [[Anna of Russia|Czarina Anna]]. The family returned to [[Prussia]] after the accession of [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]] to the throne in 1740.
-Steuben was schooled in [[Breslau]] by [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] and, by the age of 16, was an officer in the Prussian military. During the [[Seven Years' War]] he was a member of an infantry unit but served primarily as a [[staff officer]]. By 1761 he had risen to the rank of captain and was serving in the Prussian general headquarters as aid-de-camp of the king. Captain Steuben was granted a canonry in [[Havelberg]] Cathedral, paying an annual stipend of 1,200 German florins. In 1762 he was selected as one of thirteen members of the "special class for the art of war" (Spezialklasse der Kriegskunst). Headmaster of this class was the king himself. The army was greatly reduced in size at the end of the war, and Steuben was one of many Prussian officers suddenly without work. His Prussian military career would later be exaggerated—he was not one of Frederick the Great's generals—but his experience on a professional [[general staff]], an agency then practically unknown outside of Prussia, would prove to be valuable in his American career.
-==Service in Hohenzollern-Hechingen==
-[[File:Baron von Steuben by Ralph Earl.jpeg|thumb|left|190px|Baron von Steuben portrait by [[Ralph Earl]]]]
-In 1764 Steuben became [[Chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]] to [[Fürst]] [[Josef Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen|Josef Friedrich Wilhelm]] of [[Hohenzollern-Hechingen]]. In 1769, he started using the title of [[baron]], based on a falsified lineage prepared by his father.<ref name="ANB">Philander D. Chase. "Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm von". ''[[American National Biography Online]]'',  February 2000.</ref> He was the only courtier to accompany his incognito prince to [[France]] in 1771, hoping to borrow money. Failing to find funds, they returned to Germany in 1775, deeply in debt.<ref name="ushistory.org"/>
-In 1776, he was alleged to be homosexual and was accused of improper sexual behavior with young boys.<ref name="ANB" /> Whether or not Steuben was actually intimate with other men is not entirely known, but the rumors compelled him to seek employment elsewhere.<ref name="ANB" /> Steuben tried employment in several foreign armies including [[Habsburg Monarchy|Austria]], [[Baden]], and [[France]].
-Steuben traveled to [[Paris]] in the summer of 1777. As luck would have it, he had formally been introduced to the French Minister of War, [[Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain]]. The Count, fully realizing the potential of an officer with Prussian general staff training, further introduced him to [[Benjamin Franklin]]. Upon the Count's recommendation, Steuben was introduced to [[George Washington]] by means of a letter from Franklin as a "Lieutenant General in the King of Prussia's service," an exaggeration of his actual credentials that appears to be based on a mistranslation of his service record. He was advanced travel funds and left Europe from [[Marseilles]].<ref>Lockhart, Paul Douglas. The drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the making of the American Army. HarperCollins, New York 2008, p. 50. von Steuben left on Friday, September 26, 1777 from Marseilles on board the "Flamand"</ref>
-==American Revolution==
-[[File:General Von Steuben 1930 Issue-2c.jpg|thumb|right|210px|'''General Von Steuben''', 1930 Issue]]
-On September 26, 1777, the Baron, his [[Italian greyhound]], Azor (which he took with him everywhere), his young aide de camp [[Louis de Pontiere]], his military secretary [[Peter Stephen Duponceau|Pierre Etienne Duponceau]], and two other companions, reached [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] and by December 1, was extravagantly entertained in Boston. Congress was in [[York, Pennsylvania]], after being ousted from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] by the British advance. By February 5, 1778, Steuben had offered to volunteer without pay (for the time), and by the 23rd, Steuben reported for duty to Washington at [[Valley Forge]]. Steuben spoke little [[English language|English]] and he often yelled to his translator, "Here! Come swear for me!"{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} Colonel [[Alexander Hamilton]] and General [[Nathanael Greene]] were of great help in assisting Steuben in drafting a training program for the Army, which found approval with Washington.
-===Training program===
-Steuben's training technique was to create a "model [[Company (military unit)|company]]", a group of 120 chosen men who in turn successively trained other personnel at Regimental and Brigade levels. Steuben's eccentric personality greatly enhanced his mystique. He trained the soldiers, who at this point were greatly lacking in proper clothing themselves, in full military dress uniform, swearing and yelling at them up and down in German and French. When that was no longer successful, he recruited Captain Benjamin Walker, his French-speaking aide, to curse at them for him in English. Steuben introduced a system of progressive training, beginning with the school of the soldier, with and without arms, and going through the school of the regiment. This corrected the previous policy of simply assigning personnel to regiments. Each company commander was made responsible for the training of new men, but actual instruction was done by selected sergeants, the best obtainable.
-Another program developed by Steuben was camp sanitation. He established standards of sanitation and camp layouts that would still be standard a century and a half later. There had previously been no set arrangement of tents and huts. Men relieved themselves where they wished and when an animal died, it was stripped of its meat and the rest was left to rot where it lay. Steuben laid out a plan to have rows for command, officers and enlisted men. Kitchens and latrines were on opposite sides of the camp, with latrines on the downhill side. There was the familiar arrangement of company and regimental streets.
-Perhaps Steuben's biggest contribution to the American Revolution was training in the use of the [[bayonet]]. Since the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]], Americans had been mainly dependent upon using their ammunition to win battles. Throughout the early course of the war, Americans used the bayonet mostly as a cooking skewer or tool rather than as a fighting instrument. Steuben's introduction of effective bayonet charges became crucial. In the [[Battle of Stony Point]], American soldiers attacked with unloaded muskets and won the battle solely on Steuben's bayonet training.
-The first results of Steuben's training were in evidence at the [[Battle of Barren Hill]], 20 May 1778 and then again at the [[Battle of Monmouth]] in June 1778. Steuben, by then serving in Washington's Headquarters, was the first to determine the enemy was heading for Monmouth. Washington recommended appointment of Steuben as [[Inspector General]] on April 30; Congress approved it on May 5. During the winter of 1778-1779, Steuben prepared ''Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States,'' commonly known as the "Blue Book."<ref>[http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics/drill_and_ceremony/drill-and-ceremony-study-.shtml ArmyStudyGuide.com] Drill and Ceremony #43.  Website accessed 9 April 2009</ref><ref>The current revision of this book is available for download from the US Army directly [https://akocomm.us.army.mil/usapa/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_aa/pdf/fm3_21x5.pdf The United States Army]</ref> Its basis was the training plan he had devised at [[Valley Forge]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Lockhart |first=Paul Douglas |title=The drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the making of the American Army |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |year=2008 |isbn=0061451630 }}.</ref>
-===Southern campaign===
-In 1780 Steuben sat on the [[court-martial]] of the [[British Army]] officer Major [[John André]], captured and charged with espionage in conjunction with the defection of General [[Benedict Arnold]]. He later traveled with [[Nathanael Greene]], the new commander of the Southern campaign. He quartered in Virginia since the American supplies and soldiers would be provided to the army from there. During the spring of 1781, he aided Greene in the campaign in the south, culminating in the delivery of 450 Virginia Continentals to [[Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette|Lafayette]] in June.
-He was forced to take sick leave, rejoining the army for the final campaign at Yorktown, where his role was as commander of one of the three divisions of Washington's troops. Steuben gave assistance to Washington in demobilizing the army in 1783 as well as aiding in the defense plan of the new nation.  He was discharged from the military with honor on March 24, 1783.
-==Final years==
-Steuben became an American citizen by act of the Pennsylvania legislature in March 1784 (and later by the New York authorities in July 1786). With the war over, Steuben resigned from service and first settled on [[Manhattan Island]], where he became a prominent figure and elder in the [[German Reformed Church]]. However, even with Congress giving him large sums of money, he still managed to become largely indebted. Thus, Congress gave him a pension of $2,500 a year which he had to keep until his death.
-Steuben eventually settled on a small estate in the vicinity of [[Utica, New York]], on land granted to him for his military service. He later assisted in the founding of the [[Society of the Cincinnati]] and was appointed a Regent for what evolved into the State University of New York. He never married and had no children. He left his estate to General [[Benjamin Walker (representative)|Benjamin Walker]] and Captain [[William North]], who had served as his [[aide-de-camp|aides-de-camp]] during the war, and with whom he had had an "extraordinarily intense emotional relationship ... treating them as surrogate sons".<ref>William B. Skelton. "North, William"; ''[[American National Biography Online]]'', February 2000.</ref> He is buried at what is now the [[Steuben Memorial State Historic Site]].
-<center>[[Image:Appletons' Steuben House.jpg|300px]]<br><small>Steuben's log cabin residence north of Utica, NY</small><ref>{{Cite Appleton's|Steuben, Frederick William Augustus Henry Ferdinand von|year=1900|author=Joel Tyler Headley}}</ref></center>
-==Legacy==
-[[Image:Von Steuben at Valley Forge.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of Steuben at [[Valley Forge]]]]
-[[Image:Steuben Monument by Albert Jaegers in Lafayette Park Washington, DC.jpeg|thumb|Steuben Monument by [[Albert Jaegers]] in [[President's Park#Lafayette Park|Lafayette Park]]]]
-Every year in September, the [[German-American Steuben Parade]] is held in New York City. It is one of the largest parades in the city and is traditionally followed by an [[Oktoberfest]] in [[Central Park]] as well as celebrations in [[Yorkville, Manhattan]], a German section of New York City. The German-American Steuben Parade has been taking place since 1958.<ref>http://www.germanparadenyc.org</ref>
-Chicago also hosts a von Steuben Day parade, which is featured in the American movie ''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]''.  Philadelphia is host to a smaller Steuben Parade in the Northeast of the city.
-Generally, [[Von Steuben Day]] takes place in September in many cities throughout the United States. It is an often considered the [[German-American]] event of the year. Participants march, dance, wear German costumes and play German music, and the event is attended by millions of people.
-To further honor Steuben, the [[Steuben Society]] was founded in 1919 as "an educational, fraternal, and patriotic organization of American citizens of German background". In the difficult post-World War I years the Society helped the German-American community to reorganize. It is now one of the largest organizations for Americans of German extraction.
-A warship, a submarine, and an ocean liner (later pressed into military service) were named in von Steuben's honor. In [[World War I]] the captured [[German Empire|German]] ship {{SS|Kronprinz Wilhelm}} was renamed as USS ''Von Steuben'', and in World War II there was the [[Dampfschiff General von Steuben|Dampfschiff ''General von Steuben'']], an ill-fated German luxury passenger ship which was turned into an armed transport ship during the war.  During the [[Cold War]], the US Navy submarine {{USS|Von Steuben|SSBN-632|6}} was named for him.
-Several locations in the United States are also named [[Steuben]], most of them in his honor. Examples include [[Steuben County, New York]], [[Steuben County, Indiana]], and the city of [[Steubenville, Ohio]].
-Several buildings are named for Steuben, among them [[Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], as well as one of the cadet barracks buildings at [[Valley Forge Military Academy and College]].
-Von Steuben is one of four European military leaders who assisted the American cause during the Revolution honored with a [[statue]] in [[President's Park#Lafayette Square|Lafayette Square]] just north of [[The White House]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]. Other statues of Steuben can be found in Utica, New York, the garden of the German Embassy in Washington, DC, as well as in [[Potsdam]] and in Steuben's home town of [[Magdeburg]].
-The [[Steuben House]] presented to Steuben as a gift for his services in the [[Continental Army]] is located At [[New Bridge Landing]] in [[River Edge, New Jersey]].  Originally belonging to a Loyalist family, the house and surrounding farmland were seized in 1781. It was bought by the county of [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen]] in 1996 for $9,000 and preserved as a national monument and public museum.  The area around the house is used for both Revolutionary and Civil War re-enactments.
-Other tributes to the General include Steuben Field, the stadium of the [[Hamilton College]] football team.<ref>[http://www.nescac.com/Records/fbrecordbook.htm NESCAC Football Record Book]</ref>  The field is named for Baron von Steuben who laid the cornerstone of the school acting as [[Alexander Hamilton]]'s surrogate.  Upon graduating, all Hamilton seniors receive a cane as a gift from the college.  The cane's design features a tricorn hat at the top of the cane to honor von Steuben.
-The various depictions of Steuben in popular (American) media include portrayals by [[Nehemiah Persoff]] in the 1979 U.S. TV Miniseries ''The Rebels'', [[Kurt Knudson]] in the 1984 TV miniseries ''George Washington'', and being voiced by Austrian-American [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] in the animated series ''[[Liberty's Kids]]''.
-There are many books on von Steuben. Most recently, Paul Lockhart, a professor at [[Wright State University]] in [[Dayton]], [[Ohio]], wrote "The Drillmaster of Valley Forge" as the first comprehensive biography of General von Steuben in more than 80 years.<ref>http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061451638/The_Drillmaster_of_Valley_Forge/index.aspx</ref> Von Steuben has also been cited in other works, most notably by [[Randy Shilts]] in his book ''[[Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military|Conduct Unbecoming]]'' as an early example of a homosexual in the military.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hrw.org/reports/2003/usa0103/USA0103FINAL-02.htm |title=Uniform Discrimination |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |accessdate=2007-09-18}}</ref>
-In 2007, a popular documentary DVD was released by LionHeart FilmWorks and Director Kevin Hershberger titled "Von Steuben's Continentals: The First American Army." The 60-minute, live-action documentary details the life, uniforms, camp life, food, weapons, equipment and drill of the Continental Soldier 1775-1781, as taught and developed by Baron von Steuben.<ref>LionHeart FilmWorks, 2010" [http://www.lionheart-filmworks.com Source 2]", 2/21/2010</ref>
-==See also==
-* [[Revolutionary War Drill Manual]]
-* [[Ushistory.org]]
-==References==
-{{Reflist}}
-==External links==
-{{Wikisource author}}
-*[[Francis Bowen]], Charles Hayward, [http://books.google.com/books?id=n9U5AAAAcAAJ Lives of Baron Steuben, Sebastian Cabot, and William Eaton] (1838)
-*[http://www.lebenusa.com/pdf/Leben-V1Issue4.pdf Baron Von Steuben: An account of a 19th century visit to America by his German relatives]
-*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4921 Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben at Find-a-grave.]
-*http://www.steubensociety.org
-{{S-start}}
-{{S-mil}}
-{{Succession box|title=[[List of Inspectors General of the U.S. Army|Inspector General of the U. S. Army]]|before=[[Thomas Conway]] |after=[[William North]]|years=May 5, 1778-April 15, 1784}}
-{{S-end}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              =Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Von
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
-| DATE OF BIRTH     =September 17, 1730
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    =[[Magdeburg]], [[Duchy of Magdeburg]]
-| DATE OF DEATH     =November 28, 1794
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =[[Utica, New York]]
-}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Von}}
-[[Category:1730 births]]
-[[Category:1794 deaths]]
-[[Category:Continental Army generals]]
-[[Category:Continental Army staff officers]]
-[[Category:German immigrants to the United States]]
-[[Category:German people of the American Revolution]]
-[[Category:American military personnel of German descent]]
-[[Category:German nobility]]
-[[Category:German Christians]]
-[[Category:Inspectors General of the United States Army]]
-[[Category:Prussian Army personnel]]
-[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
-[[Category:People from Magdeburg]]
-[[Category:People from the Duchy of Magdeburg]]
-[[Category:Members of the Society of the Cincinnati]]
-[[de:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[es:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[eo:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[fr:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[it:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[ko:프리드리히 빌헬름 폰 슈토이벤]]
-[[nl:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[ja:フリードリッヒ・ヴィルヘルム・フォン・シュトイベン]]
-[[no:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[pl:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[pt:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]
-[[ru:Штюбен, Фридрих Вильгельм фон]]
-[[fi:Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben]]

Revision as of 18:26, 25 January 2011