IIA 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. J. RES. 17 

Honoring the life and legacy of Frederick William Augustus von Steuben 

and recognizing his contributions on the 275th anniversary of his birth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2005 

Mr. LUGAR (for himself, Mr. HAGEL, and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Frederick William Augustus 

von Steuben and recognizing his contributions on the 

275th anniversary of his birth. 

Whereas Frederick William Augustus von Steuben, popularly 

known as Baron von Steuben, was born on September 

17, 1730, in Magdeburg, Prussia; 

Whereas von Steuben, an experienced soldier in the Prussian 

army, offered his services to General George Washington, 

stating ‘‘the object of my greatest ambition is to render 

the country all the service in my power, and to deserve 

the title of a citizen of America by fighting for the cause 

of your liberty’’; 

Whereas von Steuben joined General George Washington at 

Valley Forge on February 23, 1778, where ‘‘he gave mili-
2 

•SJ 17 IS

tary training and discipline to the citizen soldiers who 

achieved the independence of the United States’’; 

Whereas, on May 5, 1778, the Continental Congress appointed von Steuben to the office of Inspector General of 

the Army, with the rank of major general; 

Whereas, as Inspector General, von Steuben wrote ‘‘Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the 

United States’’ (1779), known as the ‘‘Blue Book’’, 

which served as the basis for Army regulations for 30 

years; 

Whereas a report of a committee of the Continental Congress 

entered in the Journal of the Continental Congress on 

December 30, 1782, recognized that von Steuben ‘‘has 

rendered very important and substantial services, by introducing into the army a regular formation and exact 

discipline, and by establishing a spirit of order and economy in the interior administration of the regiments; 

which, besides other advantages, have been productive of 

immense savings to the United States; that in the commands in which he has been employed, he has upon all 

occasions conducted himself like a brave and experienced 

officer’’; 

Whereas, on December 23, 1783, his Commander in Chief, 

General George Washington, in his last letter before laying down his command, wrote to von Steuben, ‘‘I wish, 

to make use, of this last Moment of my public Life, to 

Signify in the strongest terms, my entire Approbation of 

your Conduct, and to express my Sense of the Obligations the public is under to you for your faithful, and 

Meritorious Services’’; 
3 

•SJ 17 IS

Whereas in accepting Inspector General von Steuben’s resignation on April 15, 1784, the Continental Congress resolved, ‘‘That the thanks of the United States in Congress assembled, be given to Baron Steuben, for the great 

zeal and abilities he has discovered in the discharge of 

the several duties of his office; that a gold hilted sword 

be presented to him, as a mark of the high sense Congress entertained of his character and services’’; 

Whereas von Steuben’s services were indispensable to the 

achievement of American independence, after which he 

became an American citizen; 

Whereas ‘‘for service in the Revolution’’, the State of New 

York, on June 27, 1786, granted von Steuben 16,000 

acres, upon which he settled, part of which was dedicated 

on September 12, 1931, by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt as Steuben State Memorial Park; 

Whereas, in honor of his contribution to the Armed Forces 

of the United States, the United States Navy commissioned a troop transport, the USS Von Steuben, on June 

9, 1917, and commissioned one of the first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines, the USS Von Steuben 

(SSBN 632), on September 30, 1964; 

Whereas President William Howard Taft, at the dedication of 

the monument to von Steuben in Lafayette Park, Washington, DC, on December 7, 1910, paid tribute to the 

contributions of German Americans who ‘‘played so 

prominent a part in the great growth and development of 

our country’’; 

Whereas Congress authorized that a duplicate monument be 

presented as a gift by the people of the United States, 

and that during the dedication on September 2, 1911, in 
4 

•SJ 17 IS

Potsdam, Germany, the American envoy, Congressman 

Richard Bartholdt, presented that statue as ‘‘a token of 

the sincere friendship of the American Government and 

people for . . . the people of Germany’’; 

Whereas the legacy of von Steuben in promoting integrity, efficiency, training, discipline and accountability in the 

United States military has earned him the title ‘‘Father 

of the Inspector General System’’ and served as a basis 

for the system of inspectors general established by Congress for agencies of the United States Government; and 

Whereas von Steuben remains an enduring symbol of German-American friendship: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 That Congress, on behalf of the American people, honors 

4 the life and legacy of Frederick William Augustus von 

5 Steuben and recognizes his contributions on the 275th an6 niversary of his birth. 

Æ