Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month March 1778
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
By March there was a new enthusiasm as the weather moderated and signs of spring began to appear. The crisis had passed; more supplies and new enlistees were coming to Valley Forge. In previous years it would have been time to build a new army around the few veterans remaining. This year it was only necessary to further train the old soldiers and incorporate the new recruits.
France as well as Commander-in-Chief General George Washington believed that until the Americans could openly and decisively defeat a major British army on the open field that total victory could not be assured and that independence could not be obtained from Britain.
Friedrich von Steuben
In 1777, Count St. Germaine, French Minister of War, persuaded a professional soldier, Fridrich Wilhelm, the Baron von Steuben, to come to America to help Washington build an army which could stand up to the British army in open combat. He volunteered to serve the American army, asking only to be accepted on his own experience and merit to improve the quality of the army. He was approved and recommended to Congress by Benjamin Franklin as an excellent teacher of Prussian military tactics, an outstanding recommendation as Prussia was noted for it's military excellence.
Washington had just seen the end of the Conway Cabal and was leery of any new appointments for foreign officers but von Steuben was unique and his credentials were impressive. He was born into a family of lesser Prussian nobility, which for years had produced soldiers of merit. He led a soldier's life from his 14th birthday, becoming an aide-de-camp to King Frederick throughout the Seven Years War. For the next ten years he was chamberlain for the Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen.
By the first of March he had begun to train the Continental Army. A tireless taskmaster, he personally drilled the men, even in the snow. Previously officers had not concerned themselves with drill or training; that was a duty for sergeants. Von Steuben insisted that officers train and drill their men so that everyone could understand and obey commands. He trained small units first, and then the small units trained larger units until the day came when the entire army moved as one. In European armies when an order was given it was obeyed without question. Von Steuben found that Americans had to be told why an order or maneuver was necessary, then they responded cheerfully. Under his tutelage the soldiers learned to understand military commands and to execute complicated battle maneuvers. The result was a more orderly, better disciplined army that was prepared to meet the enemy on his own terms, which meant to not only withstand but also win a battle against that terror of patriot soldiers - the charge of British professionals using the cold steel of bayonets on an open field.
It was just the beginning of von Steuben's devoted service to the United States of America. After General Horatio Gates was defeated at Camden in 1780 von Steuben was placed in command of the District of Virginia with the mission of training recruits for the Southern Army. He remained in that command until 1781 when he was succeeded by General Lafayette. For his service Congress in 1784 gave him a vote of thanks, a gold hilted sword and later a pension of 2,500 dollars. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia gave him grants of land for his services in training their soldiers. Retiring from the army after the war, he spent the rest of his life in the town named for him, Steubenville, New York, where he died in 1794.
Von Steuben wasn't the only one responsible for this turnaround in the Continental Army. First there was the tough, resilient bodies and spirit of the common soldier and their officers. The result of living in and coping with life in this mostly new and raw land. Under such conditions only the strong survived. Couple that with an unswerving desire for independence and you have an army that could and did survive the rigors of that winter at Valley Forge. Finally, there was Washington!
The difference between von Steuben and Washington might be summed up as the difference between gratitude and a liking for von Steuben's earthiness and training ability. They respected Washington's ability and they were confident in his character and leadership. He had nurtured and led this army through good times and bad. He had never asked his men to do what he would not do, nor, had he ever needlessly sacrificed men in battles that he did not expect to win. He had always gone into battle confident that the army could win. When the army faltered as it did at Princeton, he entered the forefront of the fray encouraging and urging them on to victory. His troops appreciated the fact that Howe could not pin him down, and that Washington always had a safe way out planned and available to lead his men to safety in event their position became untenable.
Note: The names of the ministers for war, Germain from Britain and St. Germaine of France are purely coincidental. The similarity of names may stem from the numerous invasions of England, particularly the invasion and subjection of England by the Norman French under William the Conqueror in 1066 and the continued reign of William over both England and his previous Norman possessions in France.
References: Christopher Ward's "War of the Revolution", Encyclopedia Britannica "The Revolutionary Years", James Thomas Flexner's "George Washington, The Indispensable Man".
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