Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-06-14
NUMBER 1870.
From the New York Evening Post
sketch Of the Early Life Of Steubeu.

Society ON Tuesday evening, Of which we give the
following abstract, together with an interesting
letter from the General never before published in
this country:
General Steuben belonged to highly respects.
BILE family of German nobility, whose history dates
| from the thirteenth century. His father was a
prominent officer In the Prussian army He had
three children--two sons and daughter Our
Revolutionary general, Frederic William, was.the
oldest Of these children. He was born at Magde-
burg in 1880. He was educated at the Jesuts
institutions at Neisse and Breslau, where he dis.
tinguished himself in mathematics.
While boy ofscarcely fourteen, he served with
his father In the campaign of l744 and was present
| at the siege OF Prague. He became an officer of
infantry in l747, and took an active part in the
famous seven years war He was wounded at the
battle Of Prague in 1857. He made a campaign
into Poland in 1853, and fought at the battle Of
Kunersdorf, In 1859, when he was wounded a
second time. In the year 1850, he v as appointed
quartermaster's lieutenant. In 1851, he was taken
prisoner by the Russians and carried to st. Peters.
burgh, where Peter ii, when ascending the throne.
delivered him up to Prussia. In the last year Of
the war, he was attached to the kings suite as cap.
tain, and acted ad interim as commandant ,f
Torgau.
Soon after the conclusion of peace Stcuben Quit
ted the Prussan service, and on the recommenda.
tion of Prince Henry Of Prussia, was appointed
Grand Marshal at the court of Hohenzollern- Heel
ingen. He held this Office about ten years.
most important incident, Of decisive influence for
the remainder of his life, was his journey to Paris
| in It'll, with the prince. He was then intro
duced into the circles of the nobility, and to the
government oficers-for instance, to Count St.
German, afterwards French Minister of War;
Afterwards, while on a visit to the court Of tho
Markgrave of Baden, he became acquainted with
an Englishman Of the opposition party. His new
acquaintance freely conversed with him on the
politics Of the day, and explained to him how the
American insurgents, although privately provided
by France with artillery, engineers and munitions.
could hardly succeed, inasmuch as they had no Of.
fcers we'll skilled in tactics, and capable of intro.
| ducng order and regular action into their armv
| and making them contend advantageously agan.t
| well-organized enemy. This was exactly tie
thing in which Steuben, during his warfare In tho
Prussan service, had most excelled. He became,
therefore, Immediately interested in the subject,
and told the Englishmen that he knew somebody
who had acquired in the school of the great Fred.
erick thorough knowledge of the whole system,
and who would be willing to engage in the service
of Congress, provided the terms proposed by him.
should beaccepted.
The Englishman communicated this intelligence
to Beaumarchais, to Franklin and Silas Deane in
Paris They answered that they wished to see the
officer thus recommended to examine his qualif.
.
fculty In coming to satisfactory arrangement with
him. In April, l777, Steuben started for Pars,
provided with letters of introduction from the
Prince of Honenzolers. At the first interview,
Count St. Germain proposed that Steuben should
engage in the service of Congress for the purpose
Of organizing and drilling the troops. He was well
aware that Steuben was perfectly competent to the
task.
F. Steuben was no Frenchman, and the time was
not yet come for France to act openly against
England 1t was, however, the policy of the court
of France to injure England wherever they could.
The French minister of war found, therefore, in
Steuben just the man he wanted. Steuben's oh.
jections TO the fattering prospect but formal
The difficulties in the way of settling the terms
were easily overcome. Provided with letters Of
recommendation to General Washington and the
President Of the Congress, he set sail from Mar.
seiles in September, 177T, and arrived at Ports.
mouth on the first Of December I777.
Mr.Kapp read an interesting letter written by
General Steuben to one Of his friends in Europe,
giving an account of his reception here, and his
first Impressions. 1t has never been published bc.
fore in the English language. We give it below
in full
CAMP OFF NEW WISsoR, ON THE NORTH RIVER,
July 4, I719.
"This is, my dear friend, the fifth letter which
/ address TO you from this part Of the world. As
/ have not received single answer 70 the present
day, am afraid that my letters have not come to
your hand Two vessels in which sent packages
for Europe, have been taken by the English-two
others, carrying letters TO you and another friend
of mine, have not heard from, and fear from
your silence that they teo have been lost. This
letter viii be forwarded by Mr.. Gerard, the Minis.
ter Of France, and as have doubt IL win reach
you, will repeat as nearly as can all that said
10 you in detail In my former letters.
my first letter TO you was written at Boston
about FIVE weeks after my arrival on this continent
1t contained the narrative Of my voyage and Of all
the incidents from which had TO suffer. A bet
ter description Of storm win be found IN any
book than could give. will only say that VIC
had two Of them, very violent-one In the Medi.
terraneau, of the African coast the other off the
coast Of New Caledonia. Each lasted three
days both, aud especially the first, damaged 50
much our frigate that our naval officers became
very much dsheartened. Add 10 these triHes,
that the forecastle Of the ship was three times on
fire, that we had seventeen hundred weight of gun
powder on board, and that a meeting OF the crew
made II necessary for TO fight, fourteen against
eighty -four, in order TO the chiefs Of the
rebels, and also that II took s1tysiK days, in the
most dangerous season, 70 make the passage-and
you win imagine that this voyage was one Of the
hardest ever known
"The more disastrous, however, the passage, the
more fattering was my arrival in America. We
| arrived on the 1st Of December, 1777, at Ports.
mouth, the capital of New Hampshire. Before
entering the port, / ordered my secretary TO go
ashore In boat, and to inform the commander OF
the place of my arrival General Ladom, the CON-
mander came on board himself 70 take me and
my officers ashore in his boat. While we were
landing, we we're saluted by the guns from the
fortress and from all the ships In the port Several
thousand Of the inhabitants welcomed me in the
most aattering manner. Mr.. Ladom took us to
his house TO dine in the meantime all the in
hsbitants Of the place crowded together TO the
elephant las the German poet Gellert in his fables
says.)
Although exhausted by the hsrdships Of the
voyage / went the next day to examine the forti-
fcations--on the following day l reviewed the
troops ofthe garrison, and on the fourth day I set
out for Boston by land
"The reception at Boston was as hatteriDg TO
me as that at Portsmouth. met there the cele.
bratcd Mr.. Hancock, formerly President Of Con.
| gress He communicated to me an order Of Con
gress that every preparation should be made 10
| make me and my suite comfortable on the jour
ney TO Yorktown, where the Congress was then in