Baron Friedrich von Steuben: The Revolutionary War Hero
Public DomainBaron Friedrich von Steuben was a Prussian military officer who helped George Washington fight the British in the Revolutionary War.
By 1778, the ragtag American Army needed help in its fight for independence against the British Crown. To overcome the Red Coats, General George Washington enlisted the aid of a Prussian military man named Baron Friedrich von Steuben.
But von Steuben wasn’t just a whip-smart military mind who had served under Frederick the Great. He was also — historians suspect — gay.
Back in Europe, von Steuben had dodged accusations about his homosexuality. Across the Atlantic, though, it was von Steuben’s military reputation that counted more than anything else. When the baron arrived at Valley Forge, he quickly got to work instituting drills and cleaning up the sloppy camp. Before long, the men learned how to march, reload their muskets, and charge with their bayonets.
“He appears to be much of a gentleman,” George Washington wrote with approval following von Steuben’s arrival, “and as far as I have had an opportunity of judging, a man of military knowledge, and acquainted with the world.”
Public DomainWar hero Baron von Steuben drilling troops at Valley Forge.
Though von Steuben ran a tight ship, he also knew how to have fun. He frequently threw dinner parties and often toasted his guests with “salamanders,” or cheap whiskey set aflame.
“[Von Steuben’s] aides invited a number of young officers to dine at our quarters,” wrote Pierre-Étienne Du Ponceau, one of the baron’s aides about one such party, “on condition that none should be admitted, that had on a whole pair of breeches.”
The baron also reportedly developed romantic relationships with men in camp, notably with an aide-de-camp named William North.
But von Steuben kept his eye on the colony’s independence and helped lead the Americans to victory.
In the aftermath of the war, von Steuben was rewarded with U.S. citizenship and a sprawling estate in New York. He traveled there with North, with whom he spent the rest of his life.
“We love him,” North wrote, “and he deserves it for he loves us tenderly.”
