The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-08-24
Won sTEusEN.s ASSISTANCE.
q Lively Lesson In History by Massa.
Chusetts Man.

chusetts Man.
:, The following letter, written to the
E rev York Times. by Ernest Peixotto, of
lnstructive: $50 q 'sz-.-'->,1} - -', ~
! noticed in recent issue Of the Times
an ~, interview with Judge Nippert. do not
i LINK ms statements should be unchal-
hheims cathedral, "still used for it's origi-
ual purpose and unscarred." 1 especially
r mlsm 70 correct some OF his historical
'oiloWing paragraph:
AS a matter OF fact, the kaiser is
more familiar with the history of the
war Of independence and the war OF
l8l2, and the lives of the men who
maze the. success of the American
yates OF some Of our big colleges
Wnom | have had occasion to meet
Wlthln the last two years. The en-
the se Is Today deeply e Of
1ofDear, Frederick the Great, was able
70 render George Washington during
t the dark ARK. days of Valley, Forge, and
recall to me that the first major gem
efal OF the American army was Baron
Won SteuDen, who demonstrated to
net was not toasting fork for pota-
Toes, put an effective weapon Of Of
Tense. if properly used.
Is not Judge Nippert's admiration for
the me kalser's knowledge of American his
tory tory sxcessiye2 What real service did
Great" render to George Washington
The bold and successful passage Of the
s 1}eawar re. and the surprise of the Hes
the sympathy and high appreciation
which he manifested by the gift Of a
sword, with an inscription exclusively In
praise OF Washington's generalship." But
this sword and its inscription represent
the only aid that Frederick the Great sent
to General Washington.
A., Ihe paragraph quoted above implies
ben to help US. This is not the fact
von. Steuben came via Paris, not via
Berlin.
He had served with distinction in Fred
war, and so possessed the technical
equipment that we all associate with the
Prussian officer. He lad retired from
land to pay a visit, when, as he was
passing through Paris, his friend, the
Comte de st. Germain endeavored to per-
suade him to go to America, as he knew
our ragged militia sadly needed efficient
Benjamin Franklin and the other Ameri-
can commissioners in Paris that they had
regarding his future rank and pay, he de-
clincd their offer and returned to Ger
many. There he received a letter from
Beaumarchais, again pressing his accept
v
could be made. Won steu-
ben returned to Paris and finally con-
scented to go to America when Beau
maTchais should supply ample funds for
his Immediate purpose" Such We're his
otiyes-Derlectly legitimate, I confess
but how different from those of Lafayette,
who gave his fortune and his life without
question to the cause he loved
And can the kaiser tell us why Won
Steuben, the only German officer OF rank
to fight on our side, signed himself as
in the appended signature, which l copied
from under portrait of him. lie Baron
de Steuhen?' And why does his grave
stone give the name MAI. Gen. Frederic
William Augustus. Baron de Steuben?"
And why. pray. does the kaiser say
that Won Steuben was the 'first major
general of the American army?" When
Washington took command of the Ameri-
can army at Cambridge four major gem
erals were associated with him in the
high Communications Ward, Charles
Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Put
nam. This was July 8. 1875. Won Steu-
ben landed in Portsmouth, N. H., on
December 1, 1777.
l did not know that our revolutionary
patriots had used their bayonets only as
toasting, forks for potatoes prior to Won
steuben,s discipline at Valley Forge. In
my ignorance l thought they had run
them through several Hessians, including
Colonel Rail-, at Trenton. Do the kaiser
and our learned American judge forget
that of % standards surrendered by Corn
wallis at Yorktown IS We're German flags ?