So he turned to his next-best prospect: America. In September , the disgraced baron sailed from France to volunteer for the Continental Army, bankrolled by a loan from his friend, French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Only the highest recommendation would make an impression back home. Congress, desperate for volunteers earlier in the war, had been overwhelmed by unemployed Europeans eager for military jobs, and the number of officers from overseas had begun to stir resentment among American-born officers.
Von Steuben landed at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on December 1, , with four French aides to translate for him and a large dog named Azor. His exaggerated reputation spread fast. In Boston, he met John Hancock, who hosted a dinner for him, and chatted up Samuel Adams about politics and military affairs.
Next, von Steuben headed to York, Pennsylvania, the temporary American capital while the British occupied Philadelphia. Aware that the Continental Congress had soured on foreign volunteers, von Steuben offered to serve under Washington and asked to be paid only if America won the war. They took the deal and sent von Steuben to Valley Forge. A less courageous or less bankrupt man would have quit on the spot.
Now—following common military practice of the era—they had camped for the winter. But Valley Forge, their winter quarters, was nearly as punishing as battle: hastily built huts, cruel temperatures, scarce food. The baron found soldiers without uniforms, rusted muskets without bayonets, companies with men missing and unaccounted for. Short enlistments meant constant turnover and little order. Regiment sizes varied wildly. Different officers used different military drill manuals, leading to chaos when their units tried to work together.
If the army had to fight on short notice, von Steuben warned Washington, he might find himself commanding one-third of the men he thought he had. One soldier's first impression of the Baron was "of the ancient fabled God of War … he seemed to me a perfect personification of Mars.
The trappings of his horse, the enormous holsters of his pistols, his large size, and his strikingly martial aspect, all seemed to favor the idea. 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 such circumstances. 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 in French, the military language of Europe at the time. The drills were then translated into English by his secretary, Duponceau, with help from John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton, two of Washington's aides-de-camp. They were then given to the brigade inspectors, who made copies of the next lesson in the orderly book for each respective brigade and regiment.
Copies were taken from the orderly book to each company and then to each officer. The Baron used the Commander in Chief's personal guard unit and men from each state, about men total, as a model company to demonstrate each new lesson. Steuben would write the new drills at night, staying only several days ahead of the whole army. He tried to fit his drills to the men he was teaching in the quickest possible time, by making them as simple as possible.
In this way, uniform maneuvers and discipline was given to the army in a very rapid and orderly fashion. 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 office. Consequently, on June 15, , Washington issued orders to govern the Inspector General's office until Congress took further steps.
The Baron's willingness and ability to work with the men, as well as his use of profanity in several different languages , made him popular among the soldiers. On May 6, , the Continental Army showed off its newly acquired skills when they celebrated the news of the French Alliance.
Many of the soldiers, officers, and civilians noticed the marked improvement and increased professionalism demonstrated by the American troops. The battle was essentially a draw, but the Continental Army fought the British to a standstill. In the winter of , General von Steuben went to Philadelphia to write his book of regulations. Lieutenant Colonel Francois de Fleury, a French volunteer serving in the Continental Army, assisted in writing the original French text. Duponceau and Captain Benjamin Walker translated it into English.
General von Steuben rejoined the Continental Army on April 27, , and he served throughout the remainder of the war. Without any luck of finding another job, von Steuben decided to accept and set out to the British colonies.
Von Steuben met with Congress, which arranged for von Steuben to be paid based upon the outcome of the war and his contributions. With a letter of introduction tucked in his pocket and a Russian wolfhound strolling alongside, von Steuben headed toward the Continental Army winter encampment at Valley Forge.
His mission was to observe the American soldiers, equipment, skills, and living conditions. Von Steuben was extremely discouraged by the state of the Continental Army, yet the men that would soon fall under his tutelage were impressed.
He wrote the drills in French since he could not speak English and had his military secretary translate the drills into English. Copies of the drills were given to each company and officer.
He worked with the troops directly and delivered the drills in a quick and simple manner. They also appreciated his use of colorful words in several different languages, including relying on an aide to curse at the soldiers in English when warranted.
In approximately two months, a complete transformation in the army took place, with the army tackling the basic drills, from firearm control to line and marching formations.
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