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Carroll 250 Speaker Series: Accidental Citizen: Major General von Steuben and the American Revolution
Join U.S. Army Historian Joseph Seymour for this presentation on Friederich Wilhelm von Steuben, who proved to be among the more unlikely American revolutionaries. Rising through the ranks of the army of Frederick the Great, von Steuben found himself in the service of a much different army, in a much different setting—the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge. Serving as a volunteer without pay or formal rank, von Steuben took to the task of drilling George Washington’s army. His efforts paid off, and in June 1778, a newly reorganized and thoroughly drilled Continental Army marched out of Valley Forge. During the war, von Steuben learned to appreciate the unique culture of the American soldier and earned the respect of privates and general officers alike. Von Steuben’s career in the Continental Army mirrored that of so many Continental Army veterans. He performed inestimable service to his adopted country, but in his lifetime achieved neither great fame nor material wealth. As the decades passed, successive generations of Americans, many of whom, like von Steuben, were new arrivals from Germany, came to recognize the old drillmaster for his service in the founding of the country. They took pride in his achievements and elevated him as a symbol of the contributions of German immigrants to the establishment of the United States. This presentation will trace his journey from a military adventurer to an American military icon.
About the Presenter
Joseph Seymour has worked as a U.S. Army historian since 2004 and presents regularly on this topic. His professional focus has been on organizational history, the history, and culture of the American soldier in the 18th century, and the evolution of small arms and tactics during that era. Representative works include The Pennsylvania Associators, 1747-1777 (Westholme Publishing, 2012), “Light the Match Load Away: The Ordnance and Organizational Structure of the Philadelphia Artillery, 1747 – 1777,” American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin (May – June 2006), and “A Chart Showing the Results of a 1779 Woolwich Ballistic Test,” Military Collector