The Continental Army lacked unity and consistency and George Washington knew it. The soldiers had no common drill. They paraded and handled their arms as their commanders directed, but many of the commanders had no military training themselves, so the instruction was not consistent and was often ineffectual. In February of 1778, during the winter at Valley Forge, the man who would bring order and discipline to the troops arrived in camp with a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Steuben of Prussia, otherwise known as Baron von Steuben, was a former aide to Frederick the Great who was known worldwide for his great military mind and skills. Steuben had crossed paths with Franklin in France who then highly recommended him to the Continental Congress. Unlike others who presented themselves to Congress, Steuben offered to serve without pay. This soldier of fortune only asked that his expenses be covered. Congress approved and sent him off to Valley Forge to meet General Washington.
Washington granted Steuben’s request to train the troops and appointed him acting inspector general. Steuben spoke no English, so he wrote drills in French and his secretary, Pierre Duponceau, a boy of seventeen, translated them into English. John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton, both aides-de-camp to Washington, made slight adjustments. The troops then copied these instructions into their orderly books, which were personal journals for official orders. Washington gave Steuben one hundred men who were to serve as a model company. Once their training was complete, these men would in turn train others. In European armies, a noncommissioned officer usually gave drill commands, but Steuben wished to do it himself. However, during the drills he ran into trouble. His imperfect memorization of English phrases and strong accent caused confusion in the ranks. Captain Benjamin Walker stepped forward and, speaking in French, offered to translate the commands into English, which Steuben accepted. Soon, the soldiers were drilling in tight order. Washington recognized Steuben’s genius as a military instructor and requested that Congress commission him to the post of inspector general with the rank of major general.
Encouraged by success with drilling, Washington asked Steuben to create a long-desired manual of regulations for the army. Steuben agreed. He wrote his instruction in simplified French. Duponceau and Walker edited the text into literary French and translated it into English. Then Hamilton and Laurens reviewed it for readability. The manual included illustrations by Pierre L’Enfant who would eventually design the nation’s capital city. Steuben’s manual standardized drill for the infantry, giving step by step instructions. It articulates the duties and responsibilities of each rank and also includes official regulations for military conduct, from administration and courts-martial to sanitation and hygiene.
On March 29, 1779, Congress passed a resolution adopting the final draft of the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, ordering the Regulations “be observed by all troops of the United States, and that all general and other officers cause the same to be executed with all possible exactness.” Additionally, Congress authorized printing a first print run, which included three thousand copies. To save money, a majority of the copies were printed in blue paper-covered boards, which prompted the nickname “Blue Book.” From the time it appeared in print, General Washington emphasized the use of the Regulations in his general orders and letters to his officers.
Three years later, the Regulations remained at the center of Washington’s system of discipline. In a letter written at Newburgh on January 25, 1783, Washington severely reprimanded Major Thomas Lansdale, commander of the Maryland Detachment, for the disorderly appearance of his men and the filthy conditions of his camp, and recommended “in pointed terms to your officers the necessity, and advantage of making themselves perfectly masters of the Printed ‘Regulations for the Order & Discipline of the Troops of the United States.’ Ignorance of them cannot, nor will it be any excuse….”
In October of 1781, American troops and their French allies secured a momentous victory at the Siege of Yorktown, forcing British commander General Charles Cornwallis to surrender his army. This defeat eventually persuaded Parliament to cease fighting the war. During the siege, American and French troops captured key positions, redoubts 9 and 10, by leaving their firearms unloaded and crawling through brush to attack with their fixed bayonets. Without Steuben’s training at Valley Forge, the troops would likely not have possessed the skills to secure this critical triumph.
Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States remained the official manual of the United States Army until the beginning of the War of 1812.
Documents and Essential Questions
George Washington to Steuben, February 26, 1779
According to General Washington’s letter, what is Baron Steuben’s general principle in writing the regulations?
General Washington writes that Steuben’s writing will require revision. Why?
Who will sanction the final version of the regulations?
George Washington to John Jay, March 11, 1779
What is the main idea of the letter excerpt?
Why would General Washington want the regulations to be put into practice as soon as possible?
George Washington to Steuben, March 11, 1779
What is the proposed title of the manual Steuben was writing?
Does General Washington approve of the manual Steuben created? Support your answer with text from the letter.
After the regulations were communicated to the brigades, what were Washington’s orders for the officers?
Why is no one exempted from the exercise?
Why do you think Washington would order the soldiers to “not deviate in the smallest principles laid down and established in the regulations”?
George Washington to Thomas Lansdale, January 25, 1783
What was the problem George Washington was addressing in the letter?
Washington lists many items in need of correction. What are at least five?
Washington recommends that Lansdale’s officers become masters of the Regulations. What does he say will happen if they do not follow this recommendation?
George Washington to Thomas Lansdale, February 7, 1783
What changed from the first letter to Major Lansdale to this letter?
Why do you think cleanliness and order is so important to General Washington?