Friedrich von Steuben

Friedrich von Steuben (1730-94), Prussian-American general of the American revolutionary army. Friederich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin, Baron von Steuben, was born in Magdeburg, Prussia (now Germany). He fought with distinction in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1778, offering his services to Congress and to the Continental Army and its commander, George Washington. He was appointed inspector general, prepared a manual of tactics for the army, remodeled its organization, organized an efficient staff, and improved its discipline. In 1780 he sat on the court-martial of the British army officer Major John André, who was charged with espionage. In the same year he took part, as a major general, in the siege of Yorktown. After the war he received grants of land from several states, and finally Congress voted him a pension of $2400. He became an American citizen in 1783.