The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-11-14

the form of two storms and a mutiny
The Flamard had been at sea 60 days
when, an December /, 1777, Steuben,
dressed in British scarlet and blue
the French had told him that the
Americans had stuck to the British
uniform even when they rejected Brit
ish rule-landed at Portsmouth, n.
H., and was received with salutes of
cannon.
He had letters from Franklin to
Washington and leading members Of
the congress. John Hancock enter
tanned him in Boston and provided him
with horses for the journey to York,
where the congress was in hiding
the British being in Philadelphia and
Washington in Valley Forge The mo-
ment was the fortunate one when the
surrender of General Burgoyne at
Saratoga had come to relieve the deep
gloom of hard and hopeless winter.
The baron was pleased to find that
there were many people who spoke
German in Pennsylvania, and to see
the familiar face of Frederick the
Great out as sign over the door
ways of inns. At Lancaster he danced
gayly with German girls. Washington.
believing the French fiction as to his
rank, rode out to meet him at Valley
Forge and assigned him a guard of
honor of % men which offer Steuben
refused.
At that time, of an original force of
1900, there were only some 5000 men
fit for duty in the Continental army
and many Of the soldiers were nearly
naked. Some regiments consisted of
80 men or less. Steuben gave a dinner
to which no officers was invited who
had whole pair of breeches 1t was
largely attended and flaming salaman-
ders were drunk. Steuben called 1t
his dinner of ''sans culottes," before
the French Revolution took over the
name.
1t is easy to imagine the dismay of
this Prussian officer, accustomed to
the smartly- uniformed, well-disciplined
troops of Frederick the Great, at find
ing that he had Joined his fortunes
with what the British were accus-
toned to call a "rabble." His feel
ings are recorded in the following
extracts from his writings:
"My determination must have been
firm that / did not abandon my de-
sign when | saw the troops. Matters
had to be remedied, but where to
commence was the great difficulty.
The arms at Valley Forge
were in a horrible condition, covered
with rust, half Of them without bayo-
nets, many from which not single
shot could be fired.
"The men were literally Naked
some of them in the fullest extent of
the word. The officers who had coats,
had them of every color and make I
saw officers at grand parade at Val
ley Forge, mounting guard in a sort
Of dressing gown, made of an old
blanket or wooden bed cover. With
regard to their military discipline,
may safely say no such thing ex-
listed. In the first place there was no
regular formation. A so-called regi-
ment was formed of three platoons
another of five, eight, nine, and the
Canadian regiment of twenty-one.
1.-The formation of the regiments
was as varied as their mode of drill,
which only consisted Of the manual
exercise. Each colonel had a system
of his own, the one according to the
English, the other according to the
Prussian or the French style There
was only one thing in which they were
uniform and that was, the way of
marching in the maneuvers and in the
line of march. They all adopted the
mode of marching in files used by the
Indians.
1T would be an endless task to
enumerate the abuses which nearly
ruined the army as found it at VAL
ley Forge in the month of February,
177S."
After giving the Prussian few days
to become accustomed to the situa-
| ton, Washington asked his advice as
| to what was to be done, whereupon
Steuben proposed that an Inspector
ship be established, empowered to ex-
| anime abuses and recommend RENE
dies. Washington approved of the
idea and asked Steuben to prepare a
plan for the organization of such an
office. which the Prussian did, after
securing the advice Of Laurens, Greene
and Hamilton, bccause of his igno-
rance Of American conditions. When