The Drillmaster of Valley Forge (45 page)

Steuben, Wilhelm August von (father)

 

in the Prussian army, 4, 5, 7–12

 

ties with Friedrich Wilhelm I, 2, 4, 6–7

Stewart, Walter, 273, 275, 276

Stirling, William Alexander, Lord, 84–85

 

Blue Book and, 196, 200

 

British march on Morristown and, 225

 

British retreat from Philadelphia and, 142, 143, 163, 184

 

war councils and, 142

Stony Point, battle of, 210–12

Strasbourg, 25–26, 30, 31, 32–33

strength reports, 134, 136

sub-inspectors, 108, 215

Sullivan, John, 69–70, 179

Swabian Circle, 86, 87n

Swede's Ford, Pennsylvania, 121, 122–24

Switzerland, 287–88

 

tactics and drill

 

bayonet drills, 108, 109, 211–12

 

columns closed in mass, 193–94

 

common step, 100–101, 110

 

direct step, 110

 

dressing ranks, 100

 

drill manual, 191–94

 

drill-sergeants, 112–13

 

feu de joie, 115, 118–19, 204

 

field music, 110, 223

 

fire discipline, 15, 128, 192

 

Grand Review of May 6, 1778, 114–16, 117–19

 

length of stride, 100, 100n, 110

 

linear tactics, 15, 90–92

 

Manual Exercise, 99, 109, 112, 129

 

marching step, 100, 109

 

model company at Valley Forge, 97–105

 

moving fire, 128

 

oblique marching step, 110, 196

 

Prussian exercise, 191–92

 

quick step, 101, 102, 110, 128

 

sham battles, 110, 204–5, 222–23

Tarleton, Banastre, 263, 264

Tennent (Freehold) Meetinghouse, 155, 156, 157–58

Ternant, Jean-Baptiste, as FvS staff member, 98–99, 107, 162, 177, 186

Third Continental Light Dragoons, 182

Thirty Years' War, 3–4

Tilly, Arnaud le Gardeur de, 244–46

Torgau, 17

training at Valley Forge

 

brigade inspectors and sub-inspectors, 108, 186

 

expansion to entire army, 105–16

 

Grand Review of May 6, 1778, 114–16, 117–18, 119

 

impact in battle, 157–58, 166–68

 

innovations in, 109–10

 

intensity of, 111–13

 

of model company, 97–105

 

organization of Continental Army, 126–28

 

practice maneuvers, 126–29

 

regiment size, 126

 

sub-inspectors, 108

 

written program for, 108, 186–96

 

see also
tactics and drill

Trenton, New Jersey, 55, 56, 142, 164, 165

Treptow, 18

 

Ulrich, Karl Peter, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, 18–19

United States

 

permanent army of, 287–94

 

George Washington as first president, 297–99

 

Valley Forge, 72–93

 

Committee in Camp, 74–75, 83

 

FvS as consultant to Washington, 79–83, 96–98, 132–33

 

FvS quarters in, 76, 95–96

 

FvS relationship with soldiers, 87–89, 136

 

FvS travels to, 72–75

 

Grand Parade, 97–105, 114–16

 

Grand Review of May 6, 1778, 114–16, 117–18, 119

 

model company, 97–105

 

training of Continental Army and.
see
training at Valley Forge

 

Washington's headquarters in, 76, 142

Varnum, James Mitchell, 134–35, 136

Vergennes, Comte de, 34, 39, 40, 44, 285–87

Verplanck's Point, New York, 275, 276

Versailles, 34

Virginia campaign, 234–71

 

Alexandria, 251

 

Blandford, 253–56, 259, 265

 

British invasion of Virginia, 235–37, 251–57, 260–65, 267–71

 

Burwell's Landing, 256

 

Cape Henry, 247–48

 

Charlottesville, 262–64

 

Chesterfield, 238, 250, 252, 255–56, 259–60, 272

 

City Point, 252, 253

 

Cole's Ferry, 264–65

 

Elk Hill, 264

 

French Army and, 244–47

 

Goochland Courthouse, 263

 

Greene's need for soldiers from, 238, 241–42

 

Hampton Roads, 244–45

 

Hood's Landing, 238–39, 243–44, 250–52

 

James River attack by British, 251–57

 

Thomas Jefferson and, 236–47, 249, 263, 266

 

Lafayette and, 245–49, 251, 256, 260–65, 266–71

 

Lieutenant's Run, 255

 

Louisa Courthouse, 263

 

Manchester, 256

 

Petersburg, 240–41, 252–57, 261

 

Pocahontas Bridge, 253–55

 

Point of Fork, 262–68, 275

 

Poor's Creek, 254–55

 

Portsmouth, 235–37, 240–41, 244–48, 250–51, 254, 256

 

Richmond and, 239–41, 243, 251–52, 262

 

Staunton, 265–66

 

Tilly retreat from Newport, 244–46

 

Williamsburg, 268

 

Yorktown, 269–71

Vogel, Carl (FvS servant), 49, 61, 85, 95, 177

 

Wadsworth, Jeremiah, as commissary general, 119–20

Walker, Benjamin

 

as FvS staff member, 107, 149, 150, 162, 166, 187, 197, 198, 201–3, 207–8, 218, 268, 269, 275, 278, 279

 

support for FvS, 295–97, 300

 

written regulations for Continental Army and, 187, 198

Walker, John, 246, 267

Walrave, Gerhard Cornelius von, 1–2

war of posts (guerrilla war), 89–90, 132

War of the Austrian Succession, 8, 14, 36–37

War of the Polish Succession, 7

Washington, George, 26, 44

 

ambitions of FvS and, 85–87, 113–14, 116, 136–40, 167–68, 170–72, 177–81, 227, 269–70

 

assessment of FvS, 298–99

 

Blue Book and, 196

 

British retreat from Philadelphia and, 116, 120–24, 141–68, 184–86

 

condition of army, 207–21

 

Conway Cabal and, 58–59, 63, 64, 69–72

 

court-martial of Charles Lee, 154, 165, 169–70, 188–89, 201–3

 

critics of, 57–59, 63, 69–72, 74–75, 80, 131–32, 178

 

demobilization of Continental Army, 279–81, 283–84

 

FvS arrival in America and, 54–55, 73–74

 

FvS communication with, 63–64, 66, 79–80, 113–14, 215–18, 244, 246, 269–70, 284

 

headquarters at Valley Forge, 76, 142

 

Mount Vernon and, 235, 289

 

permanent army for the U.S., 288–89

 

as president of the U.S., 297–99

 

role of inspector general and, 136–40, 197–98

 

temper of, 159, 161

 

Virginia campaign, 234–71

 

war councils of, 119–20, 142–43, 146–47

Washington, Martha, 84, 235, 279–80

Wayne, Anthony, 92–93

 

British retreat from Philadelphia and, 142, 143, 147, 155–58, 160, 181

 

Virginia campaign and, 251, 256, 262, 268, 269, 271

 

war councils and, 142

 

West Point, New York, and, 210–11

Weedon, George, 243, 249, 268

Wesel, 20

West Morass, at Monmouth, 160, 161, 166–67

Westover, Virginia, 252

West Point, New York, 210–12, 226–27, 280, 283

 

Benedict Arnold and, 229–30

 

FvS at, 229–30, 232–33

 

military academy at, 301

White Plains, New York, 170–73, 179

Wildbad, 24–25, 28

William Henry, Prince, 294

Williamsburg, Virginia, 268

Winfree, Henry, 272

Witherspoon, John, 66–68

Woodford, William, 163

Wroclaw (Breslau), 8–12, 104, 195

Württemberg, Friedrich Eugen von, 24

 

York, Pennsylvania

 

FvS meets with Board of War, 64, 68, 176

 

FvS meets with Congress, 63–68, 75–76, 138–39

 

Charles Lee in, 132

 

as seat of American government, 55, 56

Yorktown, Virginia, British siege of, 269–71

A
LTHOUGH MY ACADEMIC CAREER
has diverted me from my long-standing interest in military history of the American Revolution, this is a book that I have longed to write for more than two decades. I owe a great deal to my early mentors who encouraged my fascination with the period and especially my curiosity about the intersection of European and American military history: Walter R. Weitzmann, Arthur L. Johnson, and the late Jim Levitt, all of SUNY/Potsdam Col lege; and the late Gunther E. Rothenberg, my
Doktorvater
at Purdue University, who above all else taught me the valuable lesson that American military history must be studied within a broader European context, and that knowledge of European languages is fundamentally necessary to achieve that end.

From the time I finally decided to tackle this project and over the past three years, a number of individuals helped me in all sorts of ways. Ms. Diana Kaylor, Interlibrary Loan librarian at Wright State University, has been, as always, remarkably resourceful, allowing me to get my hands on all the published works I needed for the book. Many others, including Professor Ed Melton of Wright State, and author-historians Thomas Fleming and David McCullough provided me with sage advice at various points in the writing process. Herr Henning-Hubertus von Steuben, of Natendorf, Germany, provided invaluable assistance in tracking down illustrations of his ancestor the Baron;
Mr. Daniel W. Studebaker, a good friend and talented draftsman, composed the maps on very short notice. The staff of the Chicago Historical Society, where the Anton Kalkhorst collection of Steubeniana is deposited, did their best to ensure that my stay in their library was pleasant and productive.

I owe more than I can say to my agent, Will Lippincott, for his kind and patient guidance over the past two years. Will recognized something of interest in the Baron's story, and taught me a great deal about writing outside the narrow strictures generally imposed by the academic world. Much the same can be said of my equally patient editor, Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. Elisabeth's vision of the book considerably improved my writing of it.
Tak skal du ha',
Elisabeth!

I should point out, however, that any errors of fact or substance that might appear in this book are entirely my own. All translations from French or German manuscripts are mine.

My gratitude, also, to friends and family, whose enthusiasm for this project kept me going at every turn: my brother, Keith Lockhart; my parents, Newton and Marilyn Lockhart; and my brother-in-law and mother-in-law, Ralph C. Beach III and Maria Beach. My grown children, Kate, Nicholas, Paige, and Philip, all encouraged me with their expressions of interest in what I've been doing for the past three years; my youngest, Alexander, is incapable of articulating that level of interest but has kept me from sinking into despair at difficult moments, as only a baby can.

Finally, I am indebted beyond words to my wife and partner, Jo Anna Lockhart. Sadly, she passed away shortly after the completion of this book. For the past thirteen years, she has been my love, my best friend, and my muse. This book simply could not have been written without her.

Kettering, Ohio
May 2008

Jacket design by Jonathan Sainsbury

Jacket images by The Granger Collection, New York

Maps © Mr. Daniel W. Studebaker, West Milton, Ohio