Diogenes
Nemo me impune lacessit
He turned a ragtag group of militiamen into a disciplined force who took down the mighty British army.
Here’s how…
Born into a military family, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was always destined to make warfare a career.
At a mere 14 he observed the 1744 Siege of Prague, and at 17 he enlisted in the Prussian army—the most disciplined fighting force in Europe.
Here he fought in several battles during the Seven Years' War, was promoted to captain, and even served as an aide under Frederick the Great.
But his Prussian military career ended abruptly when he was discharged in 1763, allegedly due to the scheming of a rival officer.
Nonetheless, Steuben's destiny lay outside Europe. After a decade-long position as court chamberlain for the prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, a small German principality, the newly appointed baron yearned for war.
Through mutual contacts with American ambassadors, the baron arranged to join the Continental army as a volunteer.
In 1778 he arrived at Valley Forge and immediately established a presence. One soldier described him: “He seemed to me a perfect personification of Mars.".
Steuben’s initial impression of the camp was poor. There was no set arrangement of tents and huts and sanitation was poor.
He laid out a plan to have tent rows for command, officers, and soldiers, and established proper locations for kitchens and latrines.
The administrative state of the army was described as “incompetence, graft, war profiteering." Poor bookkeeping meant that no one knew how many supplies were available.
Steuben initiated strict record-keeping and regular inspections, saving the army countless supplies over time.
Despite his organizational and administrative accomplishments, Steuben’s most lasting contribution was the training program he developed for the Continental Army.
Picking 120 men from various regiments, Steuben created an honor guard who set the template for the rest of the troops. The honor guard was used to demonstrate the baron’s training and in turn they would train other personnel.
Steuben’s eccentricity and charisma created a mystique around him. He wore full military dress to each training session, a stark contrast to his soldiers who had little proper clothing at all, while his frequent use of profanity and hands-on approach endeared him to the soldiers.
On a tactical level, Steuben introduced the bayonet charge as an effective maneuver. Bayonets had previously been relegated to tools rather than weapons, but the baron taught soldiers how to use them properly.
At the Battle of Stony Point in 1779, the Continental Army used Steuben's training and charged the British lines, winning the battle with their bayonets. The only muskets that were fired were used as a diversion.
Steuben was integral to the Americans’ success in the Revolutionary War. It’s possible without his expertise, the US as we know it would not exist today.
He was rewarded for his service when an act of the Pennsylvania legislature granted him citizenship in 1784.
Steuben’s service to the American people highlights the adaptability of the early US, and how it welcomed outsiders if they contributed to America’s goals.
Today the US is caught up in endless debates over immigration policy. Should we look to Steuben as an example?
The ancient fabled God of War...
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