August 26, 2025 • 38 mins
When Baron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, he was met with a dismal sight. The soldiers were starving, undisciplined, and freezing. The Baron had a daunting task ahead of him: give them a fighting chance against the British.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. On the
chilly morning of February twenty fourth, seventeen seventy eight, in
the middle of one of the worst winters of the
American Revolutionary War, a carriage emerged from the Pennsylvanian wilderness
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and drove up towards the army's camp. After a long
ride from York, Pennsylvania, Baron Friederic William von Steuben and
his aides de camp finally arrived at Valley Forge. For
our American listeners, that name might ring a bell. Valley
Forge was the winter camp for the Continental Army during
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the thick of the American Revolutionary War, and this particular
winter has gone down in infamy for the horrible conditions
the soldiers faced, But the baron didn't know just yet
what he had gotten himself into. As the army camp
came into view, the Baron's heart started racing with excitement.
(01:12):
The noise of the nearly two thousand acre campgrounds grew
louder as the baron and his men rode in the
sounds of thousands of soldiers alongside The many women and
other noncombatants at the camp were so familiar to the baron.
He had missed the routine and camaraderie of the military
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immensely after a decade without military employment of wandering around
the continent. It felt like he was finally returning home.
He had journeyed all the way from Paris to be here,
a trip that had taken many months of excruciating travel.
With the camp now in sight, he was practically champing
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at the bit to get back into the thick of it.
General George Washington rode out to welcome the noble newcomer
and his caravan. After perfunctory pleasantries, the General led the
baron into camp. Their ride together was rather quiet, as
George Washington had much on his mind, but the Baron's
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anticipation and excitement buoyed both of their spirits. That excitement
was soon replaced with the sobering realization of what life
at Valley Forge actually looked like. In a letter written
that winter, Washington described the conditions as quote little less
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than a famine. The supply chains for the camp's food
and clothing had broken down, so there was barely any
clothing to keep people warm. Or food for them to eat.
For that matter, the little food that did make it
to camp arrived rotted. People were so desperate that they
had taken to boyling whatever leather they could find, just
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so they could have something to eat. Soldiers lay around
half dressed on the brink of frostbite, and two thousand
men had already succumbed to hunger, typhoid, or dysentery. One
congressional delegate described the soldiers at Valley Forge as this
skeleton of an army. Thank god, it wasn't raining or
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snowing when the Baron arrived, but there wasn't much else
to redeem the state of the military camp. Upon arriving
at his cabin, the Baron reflected on the work before him.
He was assigned the monumental task of turning this motley
ragtag army into a trained military machine. Before he let
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his worries consume him, he decided that work would begin tomorrow.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey, settled into a
chair by the fire, and relished his return to the military.
While he could, the familiar sounds of shouted commands and
ringing axes lulled him to sleep. Despite all of the
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obstacles in his path and the frankly pathetic state of
the army he had just enlisted in, Baron von Steuben
would practically save the Continental Army and be a major
factor in allowing the colonists to win the American Revolution.
He would turn the Continental Army into a disciplined and
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formidable fighting force, build morale amongst the revolutionary forces, remedy
the supply chain issues that held them back, and write
the military handbook that still influences US military guidelines today.
But Baron von Steuben wasn't just a Prussian noble and
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a hero of the American Revolution. He was also a
queer man who had immigrated to the United States in
search of opportunity. His story exemplifies the importance of immigrants
and queer people to the success of the United States,
even if some people prefer to pretend that they didn't exist.
(05:21):
With this episode, I think it's important to provide a
historical reminder that they always did. I'm Dana Schwartz, and
this is Noble Blood. Despite the United States having never
been a monarchy. Here on Noble Blood, we find ourselves
occasionally telling stories about Americans who became nobles or nobility
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who find their way to America. Take for example, our
episode on the dollar Princesses of the Gilded Age, or
our more recent episode entitled Count and Cavalry Commander about
Casimir Pulaski. As I mentioned in our episode about Pulaski,
there were many Europeans who rushed to America to make
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their fame and fortune during the Revolutionary War, including some
nobility like the Marquis de Lafayette and the subject of
today's episode, Baron von Steuben. In order to explain how
the Baron came to be one of the most consequential
figures in the Revolutionary War, we must start with the
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Baron's life b a or before America. Everything about Baron
von Steuben's birth and upbringing predisposed him to becoming an
influential military general. Baron von Steuben was born Friedrich Wilhelm
Ludolph Gerhardt Augustine von Steuben, or Steuben as we americanize
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it most frequently, on September seventeenth, seventeen thirty in Madgeburg
in the Kingdom of Prussia, formerly somewhat of a small principality,
maybe even considered a European backwater. By the time the
baron was born, Prussia was a military superpower, and Von
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Steuben was poised perfectly to take advantage of that accomplished
Prussian position. Not only did he descend from a long
line of military men of the Yunker class or the
Prussian class of minor nobility, but the baron's father had
so distinguished himself in the military that Frederick the Great
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had agreed to serve as the young Von Steuben's godfather,
hence the baron's first name Friedrich Wilhelm. Logically, as soon
as he could, at about sixteen, von Steuben enlisted in
the army. He served in the military for over fifteen years,
fighting in the Seven Years War, rising through the ranks
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and showing immense promise as a military thinker. Suddenly, though,
Von Steuben's promising career was cut short as he was
discharged from the army in seventeen sixty three. Von Steuben
later admitted that he had gotten on the bad side
of one of his comrades, who was notorious for getting
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his enemies discharged. Once he earned the rancorps of this
quote implacable enemy, there was no redemption, so forced out
of the only profession he ever knew. Now without any
sense of purpose, Von Steuben drifted around Europe and kept
himself afloat with a variety of positions, just waiting really
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for another opportunity to return to his true passion of
military service. It was actually during this time that he
acquired the title of baron, which is similar to modern knighthood,
from Princess Friedrika of Wurtemberg in May seventeen seventy seven.
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After over a decade of taking whatever positions he could
to get by, the Baron happened to strike up a
conversation with an English cartographer who was an undercover agent
for Benjamin Franklin, the new American ambassador to France. The
Englishman explained the rebellion currently going on in the British
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colonies in America and encouraged the Baron to seek enlistment
in the Continental Army. Seeing at last an opportunity to
return to the military and even to achieve a high
ranking position, the Baron set out enthusiastically for Paris to
enlist with the by now famous Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately, for
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the Baron, enlisting would not be quite as easy as
he thought it would be. When the Baron arrived in
Paris to make his case for a commission in the
Continental Army, Benjamin Franklin refused his request. The baron couldn't
have known, but he was just barely too late. So
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many foreign mercenaries had enlisted in the Continental Army that
the colonists were basically getting jealous of their commissions and
growing frustrated. There were simply too many European noblemen trying
to fight in America, thus Franklin's refusal. The baron, however,
didn't know any of that, and was infuriated by the rebuff,
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but his spirits were quickly buoyed by news that he
had been summoned for an open position in the army
at the court of the Mcgrave of Baden. The Baron
departed for southern Germany promptly, and upon arriving at court,
he discovered, unfortunately, that a vicious rumor preceded him. Whispers
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told that while at Prince Joseph's court during his decade
or so without military employment, the baron had quote take
in familiarities with young boys. In other words, the baron
was rumored to have had same sex sexual interactions. Let
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briefly digress from the baron's hectic early life to explain
a bit about sexual mores, particularly as it relates to homosexuality.
During this time period, in the Prussian court of Frederick
the Great, who was openly only interested in men, homosexuality
was acceptable. It was still technically punishable by death, but
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amongst the court and in the military it was permissible
and even sometimes encouraged, as part of the masculine military
machine that Frederick the Great built. Frederick the Great's brother,
Prince Henry, whom the Baron became friends with during his
time in the Prussian military, was also notorious for his
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same sex dalliances. So the baron was raised in a
space that encouraged same sex relationships, and I'm sure this
was much appreciated by the Baron, who, as we will
discuss later, was almost certainly sexually attracted to other men. However,
in America and most of the rest of Europe, open
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homosexuality was very much frowned upon, even in hypermasculine spaces
like the military. Even though those claims against the baron
were never proven, the insidious rumor ruined the baron's chances
of any sort of job in that army. The baron
was understandably devastated by this blow to his reputation and career,
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just as he was about to get his long sought
after military commission. However, he could not pout for long,
as he was summoned back to Paris. Promptly, Knowing the
baron's impressive military pedigree, some French allies of the Americans
decided to do whatever necessary to get Baron von Steuben
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to America and enlisted in their army. They embellished his
resume a bit who among us, and framed his desire
to enlist purely in support of the new American Republic
and the ideals it stood for. They covered his expenses
to sail across the Atlantic, and so in fall of
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seventeen seventy seven, Baron von Steuben set sail for America.
Though he had been squarely shot down by Benjamin Franklin
in his first attempt to enlist, Baron von Steuben was
received quite favorably by the Continental Congress. Once he got there,
they took little convincing and promptly granted von Steuben the
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title of captain and directed him to join the army.
In Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He was charged to be of
use in planning encampments, et cetera, and promoting the discipline
of the army, and that directive could not have come
a moment too soon for the Continental Army. Now we're
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back where we started the Baron's arrival at Valley Forge
to recap, conditions are dismal, and the Baron was there
to hopefully remedy everything, a tall task. For the first
three weeks after Baron von Steuben arrived in Valley Forge,
he set about observing the camp and noting all of
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the things that could be improved upon. General Washington gave
him full reign to roam around, observe, and inquire about
the state of camp. As he rode around on his horse,
with his dog Azure trotting alongside, he might have appeared
comically pompous, but instead he inspired dumbstruck wonder and awe
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amongst the soldiers. Quote, never before or since have I
had such an impression of the ancient faith pep god
of war as when I looked on the Baron, wrote
a sixteen year old private named Ashville Green. He seemed
to me a perfect personification of mars, the trappings of
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his horse, the enormous holsters of his pistols, his large size,
and his strikingly marital aspect all seemed to favor the idea.
To the disorganized and underfed American soldiers, Von Steuben appeared
the ideal of a winning, respected military leader, and that's
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exactly the image the Baron hoped to project, even as
his head was filled with worries about the dramatic odds
he was facing in revamping Valley Forge. At the end
of his three weeks of observation, the baron showered General
Washington with his takeaways and advice. He had noticed that
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the colonists fought with fury, but lacked the discipline and
skill to be a proper army. If they couldn't maneuver
and change formation or coordinate concentrated volleys, they would continue
to struggle up against the British Redcoats. They were uncomfortable
wielding bayonets, which some men had just fully removed from
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their rusted muskets, and that's of the men who were
still there. Disorganization was so rampant that Von Steuben warned
Washington that if they had to mobilize the army. Then
in there he might be commanding a third of the
men he thought he had. Luckily, though, the Baron had
suggestions on how to make the infantry an effective weapon,
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how to bolster camp security, how to improve valley forges fortifications,
how they might tighten up supply management. Washington was sufficiently
impressed with the Baron's assessment and ordered him to start
making changes a meetly as the unofficial Inspector General. During
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those first few weeks, the baron found solace in a
friendship with two young men, John Lawrence and Broadway's favorite
Alexander Hamilton. Von Steuben couldn't speak English, but Lawrence and
Hamilton both spoke French and could therefore act as interpreters
and aides. Plus, the baron appreciated the young men's eagerness
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at his stories of his time in the Prussian Army.
Hamilton and Lawrence weren't the only friends von Stuben made.
In fact, he became a fast favorite in camp, not
only by asking regular infantrymen about their experience during the day,
but also by inviting them to parties in his cabin
in the evenings. And they sure did party. The baron
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served the men salamanders, cheap whiskey set on fire. Despite
his lesson instellar general assessment of the army, the Baron
began to develop a deep appreciation for his new American comrades.
He recognized that they were different from soldiers in European armies,
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not serfs or subjects, but citizens with a stake in
this upstart country. In a letter to a Prussian friend,
Von Stuben observed, you say to your soldier, do this,
and he do with it. But I am obliged to
say to the American soldier, this is the reason why
you ought to do that, and then he does it.
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Recognizing this unique feature of American soldiers would be a
boon to the Baron as he undertook reshaping the army.
On the morning of March nineteenth, seventeen seventy eight, the
Baron began implementing his reforms. He started with what he
viewed as the most essential aspect of military success, uniformity,
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but teaching the entire army to march in sink before
spring was essentially impossible. Instead of trying to train all
of the men at Valley Forge at the same time,
he pulled together a group of one hundred veteran soldiers
and taught them. Once they mastered the drills, like how
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to walk seventy five steps a minute in formation, these
veterans became drill sergeants and taught their own regiments the
necessary skills. The baron taught his drill sergeants, who then
taught their fellow soldiers how to reload their muskets quickly
after firing, how to charge with a bayonet, and how
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to march in compact columns instead of miles long lines.
Learning about the American ethos, and becoming friendly with the
men in his first few weeks were crucial when training them.
These new skills weren't easy to learn, especially for men
who were underfed, barely clothed, and trying to learn from
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a man who didn't really speak any English. But the
baron's outward display of confidence and his congeniality fostered goodwill
amongst the soldiers, and even when the baron did get
frustrated because the men weren't executing their new maneuvers properly,
his slightly over the top expressions of profanity made him
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that much more relatable and likable, and the barons slight
the atricks impacted more than just the Model Regiment. Every
day a crowd would gather at the parade ground to
watch the Baron's training. These soldiers, who would soon come
to learn these skills, got a taste of what was
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to come, and they began to respect the Baron as well.
Just one week after the Baron began training the Model
regiment of new drill sergeants, General Washington ordered that everyone
begin learning Baron von Steuben's drills. The drill sergeants returned
to their regiments and led the training of the thousands
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of soldiers at Valley Forge. The soldiers took to their
lessons fabulously, and in turn, their success built their confidence
and pride After a series of military losses followed by
the absolutely brutal winter, This intangible growth was just short
of miraculous and absolutely crucial to the Army's success going forward.
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Just over a month after von Steuben began his training program,
multiple pieces of fantastic news came to Valley Forge. First,
France had officially pledged to enter the war on the
side of the colonies. This new partnership was a huge
bolster to the Americans. Secondly, General Washington was finally able
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to make Baron von Steuben the official intea General of
the army, but he held on to this second piece
of news for the time being. Washington ordered the Baron
to organize a demonstration of the army's newly acquired skills
to celebrate their French allies. In just a few days,
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the baron organized seven thousand soldiers to perform an impressive
display of maneuvers, followed by a faux degois, a ceremonial
rifle salute in which each soldier in a line fires
in sequence. According to the Baron's aid John Lorens, the
plan as formed by Baron von Stuben, succeeded in every particular.
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It was a resounding success and demonstrated to everyone there
that day just how far they had come thanks to
the Baron's efforts during these celebrations. After that morning's demonstration,
Washington revealed his secrets and announced there that the Baron
was officially the Inspector General. This title put the baron
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at the rank of major general and entitled him to
a significant stipend and pension. This moment was everything the
baron had worked for over the entirety of his career.
It hadn't been easy, and it hadn't come the way
he expected. But now the Baron had achieved the highest
rank one could hold beside general of an entire army,
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and more than that, he was the recipient of massive
praise and accolades for the way he had turned an
army around, or at least hopefully so. The Continental Army
may have been able to now march in unison, but
only time would tell they could actually win battles because
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of it. Luckily for the Baron, it didn't take long
for his hard work as drill master of Valley Forge
to sh dividends. Just two weeks after the impressive celebration,
Von Stuben orchestrated the Marquis de Lafayette led an expedition
that was almost captured by the British. Their narrow escape
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was only possible because of the regiment's newfound maneuver abilities
taught by von Steuben. Despite the near humiliation of that expedition,
the Baron and General Washington saw their escape as an
indication that there was actually hope for the Continental Army now.
Later that summer, in June seventeen seventy eight, the Continental
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Army showed immense fortitude and discipline at the Battle of Monmouth.
With their victory in that battle, the Baron was officially
vindicated as a superior military organizer as the official Inspector. General.
Von Steuben would serve for the remaining five years of
the Revolutionary War. During this time, he created import infrastructure
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for what would become the American military. During the winter
of seventeen seventy eight to seventeen seventy nine, the first
winter after his successful training program at Valley Forge, the
Baron wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the
Troops of the United States, commonly known as the Blue Book.
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The Blue Book outlined the training program which he had
developed in Valley Forge that first winter. In a very
forward thinking moment, every night at Valley Forge, the Baron
had written down all of the drills, exercises, and regulations
that he would teach the next day. He then used
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these notes a year later to construct the Blue Book.
This book would go on to be the basis for
American Army operations and discipline until the War of eighteen twelve,
and portions of the Blue Book are still used in
the Army's manual today, Creating the first American military Handbook
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and turning around the American War for Independence talk about
a pretty big impact, and indeed thinks in large part
to the Continental Army's new discipline and skills, the Revolutionary
War would turn in the colonists favor. After acting as
one of the three commanding generals at the last battle
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of the war, the Battle of Yorktown, and after the
Colonists had officially won the war, von Steuben was honorably
discharged from the army. Very much a bolster to the
Prussian's ego, few failed to recognize the Baron's contributions to
the new nation's success. The same Washington, who received the
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baron with little fanfare back in seventeen seventy eight, would
address his last letter as commander of the Continental Army
to the Baron to commend him for changing the court
of the war. Quote. Although I have taken frequent opportunities,
both in public and private, of acknowledging your zeal, attention,
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and abilities in performing the duties of your office, yet
I wish to make use of this last moment of
my public life to signify in the strongest terms my
entire approbation of your conduct, and to express my sense
of the obligations the public is under to you for
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your faithful and meritorious services. After the baron's discharge from
the military, he settled in Manhattan and later in upstate
New York. Now we've been relatively quiet so far on
the baron's sexuality, but his life after the war offers
us a pretty good glimpse into that aspect of his life.
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The baron was never married and instead lived with a
variety of male companions. These companions weren't just good friends
or roommates of the barons. They were almost certainly also
engaged in some sort of sexual or romantic relationship with him.
The vast majority of American history scholars would agree that
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von Steuben was gay, although it's important to remember that
that is a more modern term and not one that
he would have identified with, and their consensus is founded
upon letters between the baron and his various companions that
reveal the nature of those relationships. The two most important
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companions in the baron's life were Benjamin Walker and William North.
He met both of these much younger men during his
first winter in the Continental Army, and they would go
on to be his aides to camp during the Revolutionary War,
the two young men each developed with the Baron a
romantic mentorship, As historian William E. Benneman describes it, a
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quote close affectionate relationship between two men with a substantial
age gap, though sometimes between men of similar age but
of differing socioeconomic status. There wasn't necessarily a sexual component
of a romantic mentorship, but there certainly could be. For example,
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the Baron likely did not have a sexual relationship with Walker,
but according to Beneman, likely did with North. This relationship
is just one example of the types of homosexual relationships
that occurred during this era. Another type developed between Walker
and North, a romantic friendship aka a close affectionate relationship
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between two men who were social equals. Oftentimes, but not always,
romantic friendships did involve a sexual element. Historians believe it
is very likely that Walker and North's relationship did involve
sexual intimacy. You might be wondering was it common knowledge
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at the time, even if unspoken and taboo, that the
Baron was attracted to men. There isn't an overwhelming amount
of evidence to say so, but a lack of evidence
doesn't mean it wasn't the case. Despite many claims that
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin knew of von Steuben's preferences
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before he arrived at Valley Forge. The research doesn't really
surface a lot of evidence to demonstrate that. Regardless. I
have a hunch that Washington knew that the army could
not bear to reject a willing volunteer of von Steuben's caliber,
and once he saw just how impactful von Steuben was
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in revamping the Continental Army, he might have reasoned that
he could overlook anything he might not personally approve of
for the good of their fledgling nation. After the war,
Von Steuben maintained a romantic mentorship with William North for
a number of years until North got married. It was
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absolutely common at the time for young men who were
involved in same sex relationships to go on to marry
women and lead a more quote unquote normal for the
time life. Take Alexander Hamilton, who was rumored to have
had a romantic relationship with John Lawns before going on
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to marry Eliza Schuyler. After North departed Von Steuben's household,
the baron developed relationships with John Mulligan and a man
by the last name of Mitchell, two men who consecutively
served as his paid secretary because the Baron was paying
their salary. Benemann identified their relationships as quote erotic employment,
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the third of the three gay relationship types he defined
in this era. As Benemann put it, quote, these relationships
involved two men of very unequal social status, with one man,
usually significantly younger, serving as the employee of the other
as an employee secretary valet paid companion. The younger member
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performed specific duties for which he was paid a salary,
but he also served a sexual function. The relationship could
also include an emotional component, and there was frequently some
level of respect and even affection between the men, But
at base the arrangement was economic, and it would cease
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whenever the wages ceased. The Baron was engaged in erotic
employment with John Mulligan when his health took a sharp
turn and he passed away from a stroke in late
seveneteen ninety four. When the Baron passed, he left various
portions of his estate to the most important men in
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his life, Walker North and Mulligan. While one could argue
that his legacy is the existence of the United States,
Von Steuben can be found in place names throughout the
country like Steuben County, New York, and Steubenville, Ohio. Statues
of the baron can be found in Valley Forge, d c.
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Even Berlin. He was even voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger in
PBS's Liberties Kids. Despite this wide variety of tributes to
Von Steuben, the Baron's impact on America is not particularly
widely known nowadays, but his contributions to the Continental Army
ensured that the colonies had a fighting chance against their
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imperial ruler. Unfortunately, many people, in pursuit of an easy
and so full story of the United States, want to
erase people like the Baron from American history, or at
least erase the parts of his personhood that seem unsavory.
But queer people and immigrants have always been integral to
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the American story and to the success of the ideals
America was founded upon. Lucky for me, one such example
happens to have been a nobleman, which allows me to
share with you his story. Even though I am obviously
a fan of the history of nobility, I, on a
personal note, hope not to see any kings arise in
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the United States. That's the story of Baron von Steuben,
but keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear
about how Baron von Stuben is connected to Matthew Broderick. Hint,
They're not related. For those unfamiliar with arguably one of
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the quintessential eighties classic films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off follows
young Ferris Bueller as he plays hooky with his friends
and gallivants around Chicago, living his best mischievous life, and
perhaps one of the most joyous sequences is when Ferris,
played by Matthew Broderick, jumps on a parade float in
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downtown Chicago and lip syncs donkeshon and twist and shout
to a crowd of dancing onlookers. If you don't have
time to rewatch the whole iconic movie, go watch a
clip of the parade scene because it'll just make you smile.
With Ferris on the float, our dancers in leader hozen,
and throughout the crowd, people are waving tons of American flags,
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and if you look closely at some of the other
floats in the background, you'll see people dressed up in
Revolutionary War era costumes. At first glance, it is a
bit of an odd amalgamation of iconography, but all of
these somewhat random elements make sense when you learn that
this is the Von Steuben Day parade. Even though the
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baron was technically Prussian, over the years, he's become a
symbol of German American friendship. During the twentieth century, many
German immigrants and German Americans would celebrate their heritage on
the Baron's birthday. So in nineteen sixty four, US President
Lyndon B. Johnson officially designated von Steuben's birthday September seventeenth,
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as von Steubende and encouraged people to celebrate the contribution
of this specific patriot and all other German Americans to
the United States. Von Steubenday is still celebrated across the country,
particularly in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The NY
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cities in September you'll find parades with people in drindles
and leederhosen marching behind uniformed Army Reserve members. In New York,
the parade is also accompanied by a slightly early octoberfest
held in Central Park. I'm sure it's quite the party
to return to Ferris Bueller. John Hughes, Chicago hometown Boy,
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filmed the parade scene during the actual nineteen eighty five
Von Steuben Day Parade. In fact, most of the people
in the shots had no clue what they were filming for. Understandably,
they were probably delighted and surprised to see themselves on
screen in one of the defining films of the decade.
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They were just in downtown Chicago one September Day to
celebrate the drill Master of Valley Forge, our very own
Baron von Steuben. Noble Blood is a production of iHeart
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Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble Blood
is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and
research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and
Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk,
with supervising producer rima il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke,
(38:29):
Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. On the
chilly morning of February twenty fourth, seventeen seventy eight, in
the middle of one of the worst winters of the
American Revolutionary War, a carriage emerged from the Pennsylvanian wilderness
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and drove up towards the army's camp. After a long
ride from York, Pennsylvania, Baron Friederic William von Steuben and
his aides de camp finally arrived at Valley Forge. For
our American listeners, that name might ring a bell. Valley
Forge was the winter camp for the Continental Army during
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the thick of the American Revolutionary War, and this particular
winter has gone down in infamy for the horrible conditions
the soldiers faced, But the baron didn't know just yet
what he had gotten himself into. As the army camp
came into view, the Baron's heart started racing with excitement.
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The noise of the nearly two thousand acre campgrounds grew
louder as the baron and his men rode in the
sounds of thousands of soldiers alongside The many women and
other noncombatants at the camp were so familiar to the baron.
He had missed the routine and camaraderie of the military
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immensely after a decade without military employment of wandering around
the continent. It felt like he was finally returning home.
He had journeyed all the way from Paris to be here,
a trip that had taken many months of excruciating travel.
With the camp now in sight, he was practically champing
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at the bit to get back into the thick of it.
General George Washington rode out to welcome the noble newcomer
and his caravan. After perfunctory pleasantries, the General led the
baron into camp. Their ride together was rather quiet, as
George Washington had much on his mind, but the Baron's
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anticipation and excitement buoyed both of their spirits. That excitement
was soon replaced with the sobering realization of what life
at Valley Forge actually looked like. In a letter written
that winter, Washington described the conditions as quote little less
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than a famine. The supply chains for the camp's food
and clothing had broken down, so there was barely any
clothing to keep people warm. Or food for them to eat.
For that matter, the little food that did make it
to camp arrived rotted. People were so desperate that they
had taken to boyling whatever leather they could find, just
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so they could have something to eat. Soldiers lay around
half dressed on the brink of frostbite, and two thousand
men had already succumbed to hunger, typhoid, or dysentery. One
congressional delegate described the soldiers at Valley Forge as this
skeleton of an army. Thank god, it wasn't raining or
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snowing when the Baron arrived, but there wasn't much else
to redeem the state of the military camp. Upon arriving
at his cabin, the Baron reflected on the work before him.
He was assigned the monumental task of turning this motley
ragtag army into a trained military machine. Before he let
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his worries consume him, he decided that work would begin tomorrow.
He poured himself a glass of whiskey, settled into a
chair by the fire, and relished his return to the military.
While he could, the familiar sounds of shouted commands and
ringing axes lulled him to sleep. Despite all of the
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obstacles in his path and the frankly pathetic state of
the army he had just enlisted in, Baron von Steuben
would practically save the Continental Army and be a major
factor in allowing the colonists to win the American Revolution.
He would turn the Continental Army into a disciplined and
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formidable fighting force, build morale amongst the revolutionary forces, remedy
the supply chain issues that held them back, and write
the military handbook that still influences US military guidelines today.
But Baron von Steuben wasn't just a Prussian noble and
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a hero of the American Revolution. He was also a
queer man who had immigrated to the United States in
search of opportunity. His story exemplifies the importance of immigrants
and queer people to the success of the United States,
even if some people prefer to pretend that they didn't exist.
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With this episode, I think it's important to provide a
historical reminder that they always did. I'm Dana Schwartz, and
this is Noble Blood. Despite the United States having never
been a monarchy. Here on Noble Blood, we find ourselves
occasionally telling stories about Americans who became nobles or nobility
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who find their way to America. Take for example, our
episode on the dollar Princesses of the Gilded Age, or
our more recent episode entitled Count and Cavalry Commander about
Casimir Pulaski. As I mentioned in our episode about Pulaski,
there were many Europeans who rushed to America to make
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their fame and fortune during the Revolutionary War, including some
nobility like the Marquis de Lafayette and the subject of
today's episode, Baron von Steuben. In order to explain how
the Baron came to be one of the most consequential
figures in the Revolutionary War, we must start with the
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Baron's life b a or before America. Everything about Baron
von Steuben's birth and upbringing predisposed him to becoming an
influential military general. Baron von Steuben was born Friedrich Wilhelm
Ludolph Gerhardt Augustine von Steuben, or Steuben as we americanize
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it most frequently, on September seventeenth, seventeen thirty in Madgeburg
in the Kingdom of Prussia, formerly somewhat of a small principality,
maybe even considered a European backwater. By the time the
baron was born, Prussia was a military superpower, and Von
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Steuben was poised perfectly to take advantage of that accomplished
Prussian position. Not only did he descend from a long
line of military men of the Yunker class or the
Prussian class of minor nobility, but the baron's father had
so distinguished himself in the military that Frederick the Great
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had agreed to serve as the young Von Steuben's godfather,
hence the baron's first name Friedrich Wilhelm. Logically, as soon
as he could, at about sixteen, von Steuben enlisted in
the army. He served in the military for over fifteen years,
fighting in the Seven Years War, rising through the ranks
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and showing immense promise as a military thinker. Suddenly, though,
Von Steuben's promising career was cut short as he was
discharged from the army in seventeen sixty three. Von Steuben
later admitted that he had gotten on the bad side
of one of his comrades, who was notorious for getting
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his enemies discharged. Once he earned the rancorps of this
quote implacable enemy, there was no redemption, so forced out
of the only profession he ever knew. Now without any
sense of purpose, Von Steuben drifted around Europe and kept
himself afloat with a variety of positions, just waiting really
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for another opportunity to return to his true passion of
military service. It was actually during this time that he
acquired the title of baron, which is similar to modern knighthood,
from Princess Friedrika of Wurtemberg in May seventeen seventy seven.
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After over a decade of taking whatever positions he could
to get by, the Baron happened to strike up a
conversation with an English cartographer who was an undercover agent
for Benjamin Franklin, the new American ambassador to France. The
Englishman explained the rebellion currently going on in the British
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colonies in America and encouraged the Baron to seek enlistment
in the Continental Army. Seeing at last an opportunity to
return to the military and even to achieve a high
ranking position, the Baron set out enthusiastically for Paris to
enlist with the by now famous Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately, for
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the Baron, enlisting would not be quite as easy as
he thought it would be. When the Baron arrived in
Paris to make his case for a commission in the
Continental Army, Benjamin Franklin refused his request. The baron couldn't
have known, but he was just barely too late. So
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many foreign mercenaries had enlisted in the Continental Army that
the colonists were basically getting jealous of their commissions and
growing frustrated. There were simply too many European noblemen trying
to fight in America, thus Franklin's refusal. The baron, however,
didn't know any of that, and was infuriated by the rebuff,
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but his spirits were quickly buoyed by news that he
had been summoned for an open position in the army
at the court of the Mcgrave of Baden. The Baron
departed for southern Germany promptly, and upon arriving at court,
he discovered, unfortunately, that a vicious rumor preceded him. Whispers
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told that while at Prince Joseph's court during his decade
or so without military employment, the baron had quote take
in familiarities with young boys. In other words, the baron
was rumored to have had same sex sexual interactions. Let
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briefly digress from the baron's hectic early life to explain
a bit about sexual mores, particularly as it relates to homosexuality.
During this time period, in the Prussian court of Frederick
the Great, who was openly only interested in men, homosexuality
was acceptable. It was still technically punishable by death, but
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amongst the court and in the military it was permissible
and even sometimes encouraged, as part of the masculine military
machine that Frederick the Great built. Frederick the Great's brother,
Prince Henry, whom the Baron became friends with during his
time in the Prussian military, was also notorious for his
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same sex dalliances. So the baron was raised in a
space that encouraged same sex relationships, and I'm sure this
was much appreciated by the Baron, who, as we will
discuss later, was almost certainly sexually attracted to other men. However,
in America and most of the rest of Europe, open
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homosexuality was very much frowned upon, even in hypermasculine spaces
like the military. Even though those claims against the baron
were never proven, the insidious rumor ruined the baron's chances
of any sort of job in that army. The baron
was understandably devastated by this blow to his reputation and career,
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just as he was about to get his long sought
after military commission. However, he could not pout for long,
as he was summoned back to Paris. Promptly, Knowing the
baron's impressive military pedigree, some French allies of the Americans
decided to do whatever necessary to get Baron von Steuben
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to America and enlisted in their army. They embellished his
resume a bit who among us, and framed his desire
to enlist purely in support of the new American Republic
and the ideals it stood for. They covered his expenses
to sail across the Atlantic, and so in fall of
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seventeen seventy seven, Baron von Steuben set sail for America.
Though he had been squarely shot down by Benjamin Franklin
in his first attempt to enlist, Baron von Steuben was
received quite favorably by the Continental Congress. Once he got there,
they took little convincing and promptly granted von Steuben the
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title of captain and directed him to join the army.
In Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He was charged to be of
use in planning encampments, et cetera, and promoting the discipline
of the army, and that directive could not have come
a moment too soon for the Continental Army. Now we're
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back where we started the Baron's arrival at Valley Forge
to recap, conditions are dismal, and the Baron was there
to hopefully remedy everything, a tall task. For the first
three weeks after Baron von Steuben arrived in Valley Forge,
he set about observing the camp and noting all of
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the things that could be improved upon. General Washington gave
him full reign to roam around, observe, and inquire about
the state of camp. As he rode around on his horse,
with his dog Azure trotting alongside, he might have appeared
comically pompous, but instead he inspired dumbstruck wonder and awe
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amongst the soldiers. Quote, never before or since have I
had such an impression of the ancient faith pep god
of war as when I looked on the Baron, wrote
a sixteen year old private named Ashville Green. He seemed
to me a perfect personification of mars, the trappings of
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his horse, the enormous holsters of his pistols, his large size,
and his strikingly marital aspect all seemed to favor the idea.
To the disorganized and underfed American soldiers, Von Steuben appeared
the ideal of a winning, respected military leader, and that's
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exactly the image the Baron hoped to project, even as
his head was filled with worries about the dramatic odds
he was facing in revamping Valley Forge. At the end
of his three weeks of observation, the baron showered General
Washington with his takeaways and advice. He had noticed that
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the colonists fought with fury, but lacked the discipline and
skill to be a proper army. If they couldn't maneuver
and change formation or coordinate concentrated volleys, they would continue
to struggle up against the British Redcoats. They were uncomfortable
wielding bayonets, which some men had just fully removed from
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their rusted muskets, and that's of the men who were
still there. Disorganization was so rampant that Von Steuben warned
Washington that if they had to mobilize the army. Then
in there he might be commanding a third of the
men he thought he had. Luckily, though, the Baron had
suggestions on how to make the infantry an effective weapon,
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how to bolster camp security, how to improve valley forges fortifications,
how they might tighten up supply management. Washington was sufficiently
impressed with the Baron's assessment and ordered him to start
making changes a meetly as the unofficial Inspector General. During
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those first few weeks, the baron found solace in a
friendship with two young men, John Lawrence and Broadway's favorite
Alexander Hamilton. Von Steuben couldn't speak English, but Lawrence and
Hamilton both spoke French and could therefore act as interpreters
and aides. Plus, the baron appreciated the young men's eagerness
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at his stories of his time in the Prussian Army.
Hamilton and Lawrence weren't the only friends von Stuben made.
In fact, he became a fast favorite in camp, not
only by asking regular infantrymen about their experience during the day,
but also by inviting them to parties in his cabin
in the evenings. And they sure did party. The baron
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served the men salamanders, cheap whiskey set on fire. Despite
his lesson instellar general assessment of the army, the Baron
began to develop a deep appreciation for his new American comrades.
He recognized that they were different from soldiers in European armies,
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not serfs or subjects, but citizens with a stake in
this upstart country. In a letter to a Prussian friend,
Von Stuben observed, you say to your soldier, do this,
and he do with it. But I am obliged to
say to the American soldier, this is the reason why
you ought to do that, and then he does it.
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Recognizing this unique feature of American soldiers would be a
boon to the Baron as he undertook reshaping the army.
On the morning of March nineteenth, seventeen seventy eight, the
Baron began implementing his reforms. He started with what he
viewed as the most essential aspect of military success, uniformity,
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but teaching the entire army to march in sink before
spring was essentially impossible. Instead of trying to train all
of the men at Valley Forge at the same time,
he pulled together a group of one hundred veteran soldiers
and taught them. Once they mastered the drills, like how
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to walk seventy five steps a minute in formation, these
veterans became drill sergeants and taught their own regiments the
necessary skills. The baron taught his drill sergeants, who then
taught their fellow soldiers how to reload their muskets quickly
after firing, how to charge with a bayonet, and how
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to march in compact columns instead of miles long lines.
Learning about the American ethos, and becoming friendly with the
men in his first few weeks were crucial when training them.
These new skills weren't easy to learn, especially for men
who were underfed, barely clothed, and trying to learn from
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a man who didn't really speak any English. But the
baron's outward display of confidence and his congeniality fostered goodwill
amongst the soldiers, and even when the baron did get
frustrated because the men weren't executing their new maneuvers properly,
his slightly over the top expressions of profanity made him
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that much more relatable and likable, and the barons slight
the atricks impacted more than just the Model Regiment. Every
day a crowd would gather at the parade ground to
watch the Baron's training. These soldiers, who would soon come
to learn these skills, got a taste of what was
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to come, and they began to respect the Baron as well.
Just one week after the Baron began training the Model
regiment of new drill sergeants, General Washington ordered that everyone
begin learning Baron von Steuben's drills. The drill sergeants returned
to their regiments and led the training of the thousands
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of soldiers at Valley Forge. The soldiers took to their
lessons fabulously, and in turn, their success built their confidence
and pride After a series of military losses followed by
the absolutely brutal winter, This intangible growth was just short
of miraculous and absolutely crucial to the Army's success going forward.
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Just over a month after von Steuben began his training program,
multiple pieces of fantastic news came to Valley Forge. First,
France had officially pledged to enter the war on the
side of the colonies. This new partnership was a huge
bolster to the Americans. Secondly, General Washington was finally able
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to make Baron von Steuben the official intea General of
the army, but he held on to this second piece
of news for the time being. Washington ordered the Baron
to organize a demonstration of the army's newly acquired skills
to celebrate their French allies. In just a few days,
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the baron organized seven thousand soldiers to perform an impressive
display of maneuvers, followed by a faux degois, a ceremonial
rifle salute in which each soldier in a line fires
in sequence. According to the Baron's aid John Lorens, the
plan as formed by Baron von Stuben, succeeded in every particular.
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It was a resounding success and demonstrated to everyone there
that day just how far they had come thanks to
the Baron's efforts during these celebrations. After that morning's demonstration,
Washington revealed his secrets and announced there that the Baron
was officially the Inspector General. This title put the baron
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at the rank of major general and entitled him to
a significant stipend and pension. This moment was everything the
baron had worked for over the entirety of his career.
It hadn't been easy, and it hadn't come the way
he expected. But now the Baron had achieved the highest
rank one could hold beside general of an entire army,
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and more than that, he was the recipient of massive
praise and accolades for the way he had turned an
army around, or at least hopefully so. The Continental Army
may have been able to now march in unison, but
only time would tell they could actually win battles because
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of it. Luckily for the Baron, it didn't take long
for his hard work as drill master of Valley Forge
to sh dividends. Just two weeks after the impressive celebration,
Von Stuben orchestrated the Marquis de Lafayette led an expedition
that was almost captured by the British. Their narrow escape
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was only possible because of the regiment's newfound maneuver abilities
taught by von Steuben. Despite the near humiliation of that expedition,
the Baron and General Washington saw their escape as an
indication that there was actually hope for the Continental Army now.
Later that summer, in June seventeen seventy eight, the Continental
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Army showed immense fortitude and discipline at the Battle of Monmouth.
With their victory in that battle, the Baron was officially
vindicated as a superior military organizer as the official Inspector. General.
Von Steuben would serve for the remaining five years of
the Revolutionary War. During this time, he created import infrastructure
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for what would become the American military. During the winter
of seventeen seventy eight to seventeen seventy nine, the first
winter after his successful training program at Valley Forge, the
Baron wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the
Troops of the United States, commonly known as the Blue Book.
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The Blue Book outlined the training program which he had
developed in Valley Forge that first winter. In a very
forward thinking moment, every night at Valley Forge, the Baron
had written down all of the drills, exercises, and regulations
that he would teach the next day. He then used
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these notes a year later to construct the Blue Book.
This book would go on to be the basis for
American Army operations and discipline until the War of eighteen twelve,
and portions of the Blue Book are still used in
the Army's manual today, Creating the first American military Handbook
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and turning around the American War for Independence talk about
a pretty big impact, and indeed thinks in large part
to the Continental Army's new discipline and skills, the Revolutionary
War would turn in the colonists favor. After acting as
one of the three commanding generals at the last battle
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of the war, the Battle of Yorktown, and after the
Colonists had officially won the war, von Steuben was honorably
discharged from the army. Very much a bolster to the
Prussian's ego, few failed to recognize the Baron's contributions to
the new nation's success. The same Washington, who received the
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baron with little fanfare back in seventeen seventy eight, would
address his last letter as commander of the Continental Army
to the Baron to commend him for changing the court
of the war. Quote. Although I have taken frequent opportunities,
both in public and private, of acknowledging your zeal, attention,
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and abilities in performing the duties of your office, yet
I wish to make use of this last moment of
my public life to signify in the strongest terms my
entire approbation of your conduct, and to express my sense
of the obligations the public is under to you for
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your faithful and meritorious services. After the baron's discharge from
the military, he settled in Manhattan and later in upstate
New York. Now we've been relatively quiet so far on
the baron's sexuality, but his life after the war offers
us a pretty good glimpse into that aspect of his life.
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The baron was never married and instead lived with a
variety of male companions. These companions weren't just good friends
or roommates of the barons. They were almost certainly also
engaged in some sort of sexual or romantic relationship with him.
The vast majority of American history scholars would agree that
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von Steuben was gay, although it's important to remember that
that is a more modern term and not one that
he would have identified with, and their consensus is founded
upon letters between the baron and his various companions that
reveal the nature of those relationships. The two most important
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companions in the baron's life were Benjamin Walker and William North.
He met both of these much younger men during his
first winter in the Continental Army, and they would go
on to be his aides to camp during the Revolutionary War,
the two young men each developed with the Baron a
romantic mentorship, As historian William E. Benneman describes it, a
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quote close affectionate relationship between two men with a substantial
age gap, though sometimes between men of similar age but
of differing socioeconomic status. There wasn't necessarily a sexual component
of a romantic mentorship, but there certainly could be. For example,
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the Baron likely did not have a sexual relationship with Walker,
but according to Beneman, likely did with North. This relationship
is just one example of the types of homosexual relationships
that occurred during this era. Another type developed between Walker
and North, a romantic friendship aka a close affectionate relationship
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between two men who were social equals. Oftentimes, but not always,
romantic friendships did involve a sexual element. Historians believe it
is very likely that Walker and North's relationship did involve
sexual intimacy. You might be wondering was it common knowledge
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at the time, even if unspoken and taboo, that the
Baron was attracted to men. There isn't an overwhelming amount
of evidence to say so, but a lack of evidence
doesn't mean it wasn't the case. Despite many claims that
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin knew of von Steuben's preferences
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before he arrived at Valley Forge. The research doesn't really
surface a lot of evidence to demonstrate that. Regardless. I
have a hunch that Washington knew that the army could
not bear to reject a willing volunteer of von Steuben's caliber,
and once he saw just how impactful von Steuben was
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in revamping the Continental Army, he might have reasoned that
he could overlook anything he might not personally approve of
for the good of their fledgling nation. After the war,
Von Steuben maintained a romantic mentorship with William North for
a number of years until North got married. It was
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absolutely common at the time for young men who were
involved in same sex relationships to go on to marry
women and lead a more quote unquote normal for the
time life. Take Alexander Hamilton, who was rumored to have
had a romantic relationship with John Lawns before going on
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to marry Eliza Schuyler. After North departed Von Steuben's household,
the baron developed relationships with John Mulligan and a man
by the last name of Mitchell, two men who consecutively
served as his paid secretary because the Baron was paying
their salary. Benemann identified their relationships as quote erotic employment,
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the third of the three gay relationship types he defined
in this era. As Benemann put it, quote, these relationships
involved two men of very unequal social status, with one man,
usually significantly younger, serving as the employee of the other
as an employee secretary valet paid companion. The younger member
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performed specific duties for which he was paid a salary,
but he also served a sexual function. The relationship could
also include an emotional component, and there was frequently some
level of respect and even affection between the men, But
at base the arrangement was economic, and it would cease
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whenever the wages ceased. The Baron was engaged in erotic
employment with John Mulligan when his health took a sharp
turn and he passed away from a stroke in late
seveneteen ninety four. When the Baron passed, he left various
portions of his estate to the most important men in
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his life, Walker North and Mulligan. While one could argue
that his legacy is the existence of the United States,
Von Steuben can be found in place names throughout the
country like Steuben County, New York, and Steubenville, Ohio. Statues
of the baron can be found in Valley Forge, d c.
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Even Berlin. He was even voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger in
PBS's Liberties Kids. Despite this wide variety of tributes to
Von Steuben, the Baron's impact on America is not particularly
widely known nowadays, but his contributions to the Continental Army
ensured that the colonies had a fighting chance against their
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imperial ruler. Unfortunately, many people, in pursuit of an easy
and so full story of the United States, want to
erase people like the Baron from American history, or at
least erase the parts of his personhood that seem unsavory.
But queer people and immigrants have always been integral to
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the American story and to the success of the ideals
America was founded upon. Lucky for me, one such example
happens to have been a nobleman, which allows me to
share with you his story. Even though I am obviously
a fan of the history of nobility, I, on a
personal note, hope not to see any kings arise in
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the United States. That's the story of Baron von Steuben,
but keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear
about how Baron von Stuben is connected to Matthew Broderick. Hint,
They're not related. For those unfamiliar with arguably one of
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the quintessential eighties classic films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off follows
young Ferris Bueller as he plays hooky with his friends
and gallivants around Chicago, living his best mischievous life, and
perhaps one of the most joyous sequences is when Ferris,
played by Matthew Broderick, jumps on a parade float in
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downtown Chicago and lip syncs donkeshon and twist and shout
to a crowd of dancing onlookers. If you don't have
time to rewatch the whole iconic movie, go watch a
clip of the parade scene because it'll just make you smile.
With Ferris on the float, our dancers in leader hozen,
and throughout the crowd, people are waving tons of American flags,
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and if you look closely at some of the other
floats in the background, you'll see people dressed up in
Revolutionary War era costumes. At first glance, it is a
bit of an odd amalgamation of iconography, but all of
these somewhat random elements make sense when you learn that
this is the Von Steuben Day parade. Even though the
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baron was technically Prussian, over the years, he's become a
symbol of German American friendship. During the twentieth century, many
German immigrants and German Americans would celebrate their heritage on
the Baron's birthday. So in nineteen sixty four, US President
Lyndon B. Johnson officially designated von Steuben's birthday September seventeenth,
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as von Steubende and encouraged people to celebrate the contribution
of this specific patriot and all other German Americans to
the United States. Von Steubenday is still celebrated across the country,
particularly in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The NY
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cities in September you'll find parades with people in drindles
and leederhosen marching behind uniformed Army Reserve members. In New York,
the parade is also accompanied by a slightly early octoberfest
held in Central Park. I'm sure it's quite the party
to return to Ferris Bueller. John Hughes, Chicago hometown Boy,
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filmed the parade scene during the actual nineteen eighty five
Von Steuben Day Parade. In fact, most of the people
in the shots had no clue what they were filming for. Understandably,
they were probably delighted and surprised to see themselves on
screen in one of the defining films of the decade.
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They were just in downtown Chicago one September Day to
celebrate the drill Master of Valley Forge, our very own
Baron von Steuben. Noble Blood is a production of iHeart
(38:06):
Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble Blood
is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and
research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and
Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk,
with supervising producer rima il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke,
(38:29):
Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
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