BARON FRIEDRICH von STEUBEN
By Amy Gathany and Andrea Nicodemus
links by Rhonda Weber
for grades 3-5
Hello! My name is Baron Friedrich von Steuben and I'm from Germany. I just arrived here in America and boy has it been an experience! I would have never come to America except that your famous general George Washington requested that I come. I was quite honored to know that he wanted me to come and help him in this war that your new country just finished fighting. The reason he asked me to come was to train his soldiers at Valley Forge how to fight in a real man's war.
Let me tell you something about these American soldiers, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. These American soldiers were so used to fighting in a forest and being able to hide behind trees and rocks, that they got creamed when they had to fight the British out in the open! I mean, these guys were running around like wild-men in a field as they were trying to find a place to hide! What did they think they were going to do, crawl under a rock or jump in a fox hole to hide?! Come on! So, it's been my job for the last few months to teach these American soldiers how to REALLY fight in an open-field war; and win!
Now, as you've probably already noticed, I don't speak English very well. Now don't you make fun of my accent. At first, the American troops had the nerve to laugh at my accent! But, I showed them I meant business and they weren't laughing at my accent much longer. I worked those American soldiers hard! I even made them march from 6 in the morning until 6 at night. Those boys were exhausted by the time 6pm came every evening, but they sure knew more about open-field fighting than when they started the day off!
Now, here's a lesson for you. Hard work DOES pay off! I know this because those same American soldiers just finished fighting the British at Monmouth, New Jersey and they won! This victory sure didn't come easily though. In fact, one wimpy American officer even ordered the men to retreat! But, good ol' buddy, George Washington, and I came riding up just in time and ordered the men not to retreat, but to keep on fighting and to use the skills that I had taught them. And that's just what they did. They fought like REAL men in the open fields and ended up winning a very, very important battle.
So, I'm really glad I came to this place that's now called the United States of America. In fact, I've even become a United States citizen and I'm living in the state of New York with my wonderful wife and children. Yes, I do miss my old home-land, Germany, but there's nothing like living here in the New World.
Questions
1. How were the American soldiers used to fighting before von Steuben taught
them how to fight?
2. If you were von Steuben, what is 1 more thing that you would be sure to
teach the American soldiers?
3. Who requested that von Steuben come to America?
4. Do you think that von Steuben did a good job at teaching the Americans to
fight in the open fields? Why/why not?
5. What country was von Steuben originally from?
Amy Gathany and Andrea Nicodemus
Baron Friedrich von Steuben
Story Telling Outline
I. Introduction of von Steuben
A.where from
B.why came to America
II. Von Steuben's job responsibility
*to teach Americans how to win battles in open-field
III. Von Steuben's methods of training
A.rigorous daily tasks
B.long hours of training
IV. The effect of von Steuben's training
A.American soldiers learned open-field tactics
B.American soldiers proved it by winning the battle of Monmouth
V. Conclusion
A.von Steuben now resides in New York
B.von Steuben is a U.S. citizen
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Answers to story questions
- in forests - hiding behind trees and large rocks
- answers will vary
- George Washington
- Yes, because they won the battle of Monmouth.
- Germany
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Sources
1. Our Country's History. Stanley Klein, et. al. New York: Scholastic Book
Services, 1983.
2. The Revolution Remembered. John C. Dann. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1980.
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Props
- revolutionary soldier outfit
- revolutionary era weapons
- map that indicates where the battle of Monmouth took place