The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army

Mr. Lockhart read every document in the de Steuben collections before writing this great account of his life. Totally well done. The book design is kind of funky, with weird margins and hardly any space at the top of each page. I wonder if the copy I got was a discard the way it was cut. That aside, I have no interest or knowledge of military tactics, but Mr. Lockhart did a great job of giving me enough background to understand what made Steuben so valuable to the Continental line.

Every "miserable, whiny, babyfaced, mamasboy", recruit who has ever slumped into a barracks with feet that ached like fire after an unending forced march knows The Baron. Everyone who has stood in an ordered line in the rain, knows him too. And when the non-com puts his face within six inches of his own and bellows out the immortal, resounding words, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!", that recruit knows who to blame.But at the same time when he thinks of that, he might think also of 1991 when Saddam's hordes stood petrified like a rat in the eyes of a cobra as the Baron's spiritual children swarm round through and above them in a manner that the Baron's King Fredrick, Old Fritz himself wouldapprove. And think of the thousands that came home that would not have if his spirit had not lived on. For if George Washington was the Father of his Country, Baron von Steuben was the father of the US Army.The Baron is a forgotten hero of the American Revolution. In many ways, he was an anomaly. He was brought up in the best traditions of eighteenth century monarchial states. He was trained to value loyalty, order, and efficiency. Yet he finally gained glory in the cause of a people whose values were different, the values of neighborliness, mutual respect, political liberty, and easy-going administration. And when these values clashed he chose the second rather then the first. But to defend the second value system, something had to be borrowed from the first. And it was the Baron who knew how.The Baron was raised to be a Prussian officer. In legend "Prussian millitarist" denotes rigidity and a martinet like behavior. There was more then a little of that(it could not be avoided in an army which had a large number of Shanghaied soldiers). But in real life, it also included professional dedication, work and application of the mind. Ironically despite the seeming difference, Prussia and America were alike in their reverence for the "work ethic". And von Steuben was to be, besides a war-hero, a classic example of that legendary American archtype, the up from the bootstraps immigrant.Steuben fought for Fredrick the Great valiantly. Then the greatest nightmare for a European petty noble came about-peace. For ordinary people, peace meant lower taxes and no more press-gangs or foragers in their fields. For officers it meant unemployment. In desperation the Baron hawked his services from state to state as a mercenary. Finally he found someone who wanted him. The most desperate soldier of fortune found the most desparate cause.Recruited by Benjamin Franklin, Steuben came to America. He found the Continental Army, valiant but ill-schooled. The camp was unsanitary and the soldiers clumsy at drill. If not exactly a rabble, they were certainly not Frederick's men. Steuben set to training them. By some miracle of insight he knew that what was best in Prussia, was not best in America. While he was no gentle taskmaster(according to legend, he had an aide beside him when he directed drill, assigned for the purpose of helping him swear in English). But neither did he rule by the knout. He built a drill system that was practical rather then ornamental, one which in some ways anticipated the changes of the Napoleanic era.Steuben all this time wrestled with the mutual incomprehension and culture shock. With the American ruling class inability to understand his military perfectionism and his inability to understand the American ambiguity toward a professionalised millitary. Steuben overcame these obstacles and made an army that was formidable enough, not merely to stand against the British but to defend America through the years. He wrote the "Blue Book" regulations, helped found the Academy at West Point, and helped give Americans the confidence to match themselves against Europeans.Americans, who are paradoxically warlike and peace-loving at the same time, seldom remember the Baron. He represents a system of hierarchy and discipline, which Americans protected by the ocean have long and rather self-righteously disdained. We honor George Washington for his virtue, honor, and selflessness. We honor Franklin for his good-nature and his genius. But whenever we celebrate our Independance, we might spare a thought for the Baron. The ordinary people of America learned liberty of their own. The signers of the Constitution built the political system on which it was founded. But it was the Baron who taught us how to guard it. And if the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, it is the Baron who taught us how to be vigilant.

Lockhart’s biography of Steuben is enjoyable reading that also will give the reader information not found in most histories of the Revolution. Almost everyone familiar with the Revolution knows that Steuben was largely responsible for organizing the highly demoralized troops at Valley Forge into a cohesive fighting army and giving the men a new sense of morale and purpose. What most people do not know is what came before and after. Lockhart fills in all the details in a highly readable book.The first part of the book deals with Steuben’s background in Europe and especially his experiences in the Prussian army – both the advantages and disadvantages of that. What almost no one knew at the time of his work in America was how much he had exaggerated his past. Steuben’s past was mixed. He worked hard and was honored by the army of Frederick the Great, made significant advances, and then was basically banished from the army for somewhat murky reasons that Lockhart discusses. He bounced around Germany and France for some time, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. He was made a “Baron” (a rough translation of the German) by a small German state and was also given there the large military decoration he wore for official portraits. The one thing he never forgot was the training he received in the Prussian army which Lockhart claims with good justification was the best army in Europe. The armies of Frederick William and Frederick the Great were more than just well-oiled human machines. They displayed a relationship between officers and men that was unique and far more conducive to good discipline and respect than the armies of Britain which (contrary to the typical American historical view) Lockhart says were not in the same league. This information and the perspective Lockhart gives were totally new to me and provided critical background for the ups and downs of Steuben in America.Steuben was made Inspector General by Washington over several American competitors but after Valley Forge he floated between assignments. (Steuben claimed falsely that he was a Lieutenant General under Frederick the Great which raised a few concerns among the other European military leaders in America who had never heard of this great man.) Throughout the rest of his life in America a combination of his often difficult personality and ability to organize men created jealousies among his contemporaries. Lockhart spells these out. I learned a great deal about the skirmishes between the British and Americans that involved Steuben’s men up to Yorktown. In some of these Steuben played a key role in American success; in others it was his training that helped make a difference. He feuded with Jefferson during a frustrating stay in Virginia. As a military man he was mentally lost after the war ended. A man who was never good with money was always out of it and never used it well when he finally was granted some by Congress. Again, as in the first part of the book, the reader will pick up a lot of details almost never discussed in most histories.Sometimes Steuben deeply impressed me, especially in his relationship with his men and his organizing skills. Other times he infuriated me with his arrogance, his false claims about his past and his inability to work with people. Much of the latter was not his fault, since, after the war, the fact that he was “foreign” led to many problems. He both deserved more in terms of praise and money and at the same time often thought he deserved more than was ever realistic. This excellent biography fleshes out the life of this complex man who helped Washington in ways no one without Steuben’s Prussian training could ever have done. I highly recommend the book.

ok

Sehr detailiert und interessant geschrieben.Gut geeignet für wissenschaftliche Arbeiten.Wunderschöner englischer Schreibstil.Ausführliches Quellenverzeichnis.Zur geographischen Einordnung der Ereignisse sind teilweise Karten vorhanden.