Washington Journal., 1942-09-11
VII.

VII.
General Palmer in his General Won Steu-
ben" wrote: ''The progress attained at
Valley Forge seemed almost miraculous to
Washington and his officers and men. AS
the soldiers grew in skill they grew in soldier
Nv pride. A new morale, nevermore to be
e~xtinguished, soon pervaded the ranks of the
Continental Army. This new birth Of the
Continental Army as a trained lighting
machine is Steuben's contribution to the his
tory of the War for Independence
The Value Of Personal Example
The secret Of Steuben's success with his
officers and men was personal example. HAY
ing been given a small group Of promising
Young officers by General Washington, he pro-
ceeded to show them the elementary "school
of the soldier, as he had been taught it when
he was a Prussian cadet. Though he had not
handled a musket for 80 years, he stood up
before them and went through the manual OF
arms. Next he took each in hand singly and
made him show what he had learned. Then
he formed them in a platoon and taught them
as such, making them go through the simplest
evolutions. Now he appointed each officer a
drillmaster for a squad OF recruits and made
them 90 through the exercises under his eyes,.
Those of the men, who learned most readily,
IJneu were GdCu dDDOlIltCO 0l1llLAlCoOOAo wv
other platoons of their fellow soldiers. Much
Of this went on with hundreds Of idle officers
and soldiers in the camp clustering around
to watch the proceedings, learning its lessons
as they watched. In the end he formed a
model company of a hundred men, picked for
efficiency in drill and had that company go
through its evolutions in sight Of all the as
sembled troops. The members Of the com
pany all became drillmasters.
Hitherto their officers, following the British
system, had held aloof from the men, leav-
ing all drill to sergeants and corporals. Now
they beheld a redfaced, sweating foreign gen
eral on the drill ground, dexterously handling
a musket and shouting himself hoarse at back
ward recruits. They got special joy from
hearing him roll forth thunderous oaths in
German and French "Zum Dogmerq0etter0
"PotgbIstg',, "Verflucht md gugendht
"H0Ue IND Teafel'', "Vemtre bleu du Dtoble'',
Z Sacrees fdmanes de I'ENfer" and the like.
When Steuben's artillery of foreign oaths
was spent, he would try to swear in English:
aGoddamn, Goddamn" and "Hellfre!' Ira
dition has preserved his language on one occa-
sion, when a recruit showed himself a numb
skull ~ can no more, / know not re swear
words. Somebody please come and swear for
me re right English curses!" Captain Ben
iamin Walker Of the New York regiment
smilingly stepped forward and said he knew
French and could translate the Baron's oaths.
"You are a friend from heaven, exclaimed
the Baron. "Vaens, Monsieur lie CdpstGane!
Mon ami, mon bon ami! SGcrel GoddGnn &c
Qaucheries of desc badauts! Je ne puas plus.
[ cannot curse zem no more"
Captain Walker, who obligingly cursed for
the Baron, was appointed by him as his aide
on the spot. He remained such and became
Baron Steuben's friend for life, attending
him until the day Of his death.
A Humane and just Commander
Baron Won Steuben endeared himself to the
American soldiers, not only by his quaint
foreign ways and his explosions of profanity,