But what set [Baron von] Steuben apart from his contemporaries was his schooling under Frederick the Great, Prince Henry, and a dozen other general officers. He had learned from the best soldiers in the world how to gather and assess intelligence, how to read and exploit terrain, how to plan marches, camps, battles and entire campaigns. He gleaned more from his seventeen years in the Prussian military than most professional soldiers would in a lifetime. In the Seven Years’ War alone, he built up a record of professional education that none of his future comrades in the Continental Army — Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, the Baron Johann de Kalb, and Lafayette included — could match.
Place | City | |
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Daughters of the American Revolution Museum | Washington | Houses several hundred thousand books, historical documents, manuscripts, and genealogical material. |
Lafayette Square | Washington | Dedicated to Lafayette in 1824; at each corner is a statue of one foreign generals who served in the war. |
Library of Congress | Washington | Established in 1800, the collection includes a recreation of Jefferson’s library of 6,487 books, which he donated in 1815. Guided and self-guided tours available. |
National Archives | Washington | Contains the original of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and more. |
National Museum of American History | Washington | Houses a large collection of artifacts from the Revolution. |
National Portrait Gallery | Washington | Contains historical portraits, including works by John Trumbull, Gilbert Stuart, John Singleton Copley, Mather Brown, and others. |
The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army (2008)