1p, 8 x 13 in., n.p., n.d. List of the formation of a division of Connecticut companies with personnel of two brigades listed by rank (captains, subalterns, sergeants, etc.). On order of battle, but which is not specified. Said to be in Baron Friedrick von Steuben's hand, and in French, as his handwritten documents usually are. (Secretarially written letters are often in English; see Thomas Jefferson papers, LOC.) On his arrival at Valley Forge in Feb. 1778, Steuben did not speak much English, and reportedly would scream at his translators to curse at the troops in English for him! (We are sure he learned a few words quickly!) Born is what is today Germany, Friedrick Wilhelm Augustin Ludolf Gerhard von Steuben (1730-1794) was the son of a military engineer. At sixteen, he was himself in an infantry unit, serving primarily as a staff officer. He served at Prussian headquarters as ADC of the king during the Seven Years' War, but at the end of hostilities, found himself "downsized." He became chamberlain to Furst Josef Friedrich Wilhelm and started using the title of baron. His alleged homosexuality caused an end to his career in 1776. Unsuccessful at finding employment in European armies, Steuben was introduced to Benjamin Franklin in Paris in the summer of 1777. His value as a trained officer was not lost on Franklin, who exaggerated his credentials (by accident or design?) in his recommendation to George Washington. Given travel money, the (now) Baron von Steuben made his way to Valley Forge after offering to serve without pay, and found the Continental Army starving, freezing and in total disarray. He started training a chosen group of 120, who in turn trained others at the regiment and brigade levels. It not only gave the troops much-needed discipline and raising morale, but gave them something to do other than thinking about their miserable circumstances. It was also beneficial that Steuben was German, because many of Washington's troops were German-Americans. He also instituted rules of sanitation, placing "privies" 300 yards from the nearest tent and downhill from the camp. He also did not allow kitchen waste and dead animals to lie around camp rotting. About two-thirds of the deaths at Valley Forge were from disease, and these rules did much to address the causes. By 1780 Steuben had published his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, a program basically still in place today. At the end of the war, Steuben was made a U.S. citizen, given several pieces of land (some were "wilderness" and he never lived there) and a $2500 stipend, plus the gratitude of the Congress. He lived relatively quietly, always in debt, until his death in 1794. Condition: Expected folds and toning, plus toning in corners where previously adhered to something.
1p, 8 x 13 in., n.p., n.d. List of the formation of a division of Connecticut companies with personnel of two brigades listed by rank (captains, subalterns, sergeants, etc.). On order of battle, but which is not specified. Said to be in Baron Friedrick von Steuben's hand, and in French, as his handwritten documents usually are. (Secretarially written letters are often in English; see Thomas Jefferson papers, LOC.) On his arrival at Valley Forge in Feb. 1778, Steuben did not speak much English, and reportedly would scream at his translators to curse at the troops in English for him! (We are sure he learned a few words quickly!) Born is what is today Germany, Friedrick Wilhelm Augustin Ludolf Gerhard von Steuben (1730-1794) was the son of a military engineer. At sixteen, he was himself in an infantry unit, serving primarily as a staff officer. He served at Prussian headquarters as ADC of the king during the Seven Years' War, but at the end of hostilities, found himself "downsized." He became chamberlain to Furst Josef Friedrich Wilhelm and started using the title of baron. His alleged homosexuality caused an end to his career in 1776. Unsuccessful at finding employment in European armies, Steuben was introduced to Benjamin Franklin in Paris in the summer of 1777. His value as a trained officer was not lost on Franklin, who exaggerated his credentials (by accident or design?) in his recommendation to George Washington. Given travel money, the (now) Baron von Steuben made his way to Valley Forge after offering to serve without pay, and found the Continental Army starving, freezing and in total disarray. He started training a chosen group of 120, who in turn trained others at the regiment and brigade levels. It not only gave the troops much-needed discipline and raising morale, but gave them something to do other than thinking about their miserable circumstances. It was also beneficial that Steuben was German, because many of Washington's troops were German-Americans. He also instituted rules of sanitation, placing "privies" 300 yards from the nearest tent and downhill from the camp. He also did not allow kitchen waste and dead animals to lie around camp rotting. About two-thirds of the deaths at Valley Forge were from disease, and these rules did much to address the causes. By 1780 Steuben had published his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, a program basically still in place today. At the end of the war, Steuben was made a U.S. citizen, given several pieces of land (some were "wilderness" and he never lived there) and a $2500 stipend, plus the gratitude of the Congress. He lived relatively quietly, always in debt, until his death in 1794. Condition: Expected folds and toning, plus toning in corners where previously adhered to something.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
