Baron Von Steuben Thesis

Kyle Michael
Ellis
U.S. History 1
03MAR2017
Baron Von Steuben There are few men throughout the short history of the United States who have made a lasting impact such as Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, commonly known as ‘Baron von Steuben’. Forever shall Steuben’s name be remembered by historians when the birth of America is discussed. Though Generals such as Gen Washington or Gen Lafayette are well known tacticians, credited for winning against the odds with a rag tag army, no other man could be credited with giving what is perhaps the most important gift to any military force; order and discipline. Steuben took the militia fighting the British and trained it into a fit fighting force worthy of the title ‘Continental Army’. Born in 1730 to …show more content…
After bolstering on the part of Benjamin Franklin and being presented to Gen Washington as a Prussian General, Steuben was appointed as Inspector General. It was during his inspection of the Continental Army’s camp that he was disgusted by what he witnessed. He saw the camp in a state of chaos, with the officers’ tents mixed in with the soldier’s tents, men urinating right outside their tents and the mess area, as well as the scavenged remains of animals that died in the camp. Steuben did, however, see an Army with determination and a will to fight, a fire in the soldier’s eyes. It was this spirit that was the deciding factor for Steuben to help the Continental Army. This task was made difficult due to Steuben not knowing English, though he spoke French well enough to communicate through translators to the Army. Steuben took the Gen Washington’s honor guard, the top 120 men in the Army and created a drilling company. The drill company’s job was to perfect their skills and drill, then move to demonstrate the proper training to regular regiments and units. The primary goal of the company was to standardize training and drill across the continental army, and create simple to follow fighting techniques that could stand up to the …show more content…
Steuben gave the Army what is possibly the one thing it could not survive without, the knowledge to fight and act like an Army. As a testament to his legacy, the blue book lives on today in the Army. Every soldier receives a training manual, named “The Soldier’s Blue Book” as a nod to Steuben’s contribution, to read and review that covers major rules, regulations, standards, and disciplines that they must study, learn and adhere to when becoming a soldier. This manual discusses the history of the army and gives a paragraph honoring the work Steuben put in to helping the Army fight and survive. Though the rules, equipment, and strategies of running an Army have changed, there is one thing that continues to stay the same. The need for a disciplined and standard force. Without Steuben’s guidance, the army very well could have failed to fight the British to a stalemate, the revolution may have been quelled, and the United States would not exist today. There are few men who are as underrated in their influence on history than Baron von

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