General Von Steuben Statue

General Von Steuben Statue

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Location:

Washington, DC

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

This memorial portrays Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794) as he inspected American troops at the great maneuvers of 1778 during the American Revolution. His experiences as a member of the Prussian army gave him a wealth of knowledge unheard of in the British and French armies of the period. He is well known for bringing American soldiers the technical knowledge necessary to create an army. He is lesser known for his relationships with men. Despite the dangerous sodomy laws of the time, he was romantically involved with many men over the course of his life. It was necessary to keep that part of himself a secret or he would face persecution. 

Before Von Steuben lent his military expertise, the Continental Army was in shambles. The citizen soldiers lacked the training and discipline to make up a fighting force. Disease and lack of supplies killed many in the harsh winters. Despite not speaking any English and communicating through his translators, von Steuben managed to bring order and strength to the army. 

After his successes training troops in the Revolutionary War, von Steuben prepared the "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States" to provide written standards for the training of future armies. He also established a standard of sanitation and camp layouts that would remain a standard a century and a half later. Today he is known as the "Father of Military Instruction." After his discharge from the army on March 24, 1784, he became an American citizen and was granted sixteen thousand acres of land in the state of New York. The statue, erected on the northwest corner of Lafayette Park in 1910, shows von Steuben wearing the uniform of a major general of the Continental army, heavily cloaked against the rigors of the winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. 

It’s hard to assign modern sexualities to colonial era relationships; a world where these labels didn’t exist. We are left to wonder how these people may have described themselves. For lack of a better label, it is assumed that Baron von Steuben was gay. He had numerous relationships with young men in the armies he served in as well as relationships with Prince Henry of Prussia and the King of Prussia, Frederick the Great. His two closest relationships, with William North and Benjamin Walker, are immortalized on the back of von Steuben’s monument. He adopted both of them, a common practice for gay couples back then, so that his estate could be willed to them upon his death.  

Queer people have existed throughout time, beyond our understanding of labels to name them. They are often overlooked and undocumented because of the circumstances of the time. Baron von Steuben’s military accomplishments are an important part of our country’s founding history, and his love life is inseparable from his military glory. 

What social media do you use the most? Open the app look at your profile. Does what you represent online show your whole self? 

Sculptor: Alben Yaegers

Inscriptions
Pedestal
ERECTED BY THE CONGRESS
OF THE UNITED STATES TO
FREDERICK WILLIAM AUGUSTUS HENRY FERDINAND
BARON VON STEUBEN
IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS
SERVICES TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE
IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR LIBERTY
BORN IN PRUSSIA
SEPTEMBER 17, 1730
DIED IN NEW YORK.
NOVEMBER 28, 1794
AFTER SERVING AS AIDE
DE CAMP TO FREDERICK
THE GREAT OF PRUSSIA
HE OFFERED HIS SWORD
TO THE AMERICAN COLONIES AND WAS APPOINTED
MAJOR GENERAL AND
INSPECTOR GENERAL IN
THE CONTINENTAL ARMY.
HE GAVE MILITARY TRAIN-
ING AND DISCIPLINE TO
THE CITIZEN SOLDIERS
WHO ACHIEVED THE IN-
DEPENDENCE OF THE
UNITED STATES.
M.C.M.X
Base, statue's left
COMMEMORATION
Base, statue's right
MILITARY INSTRUCTION
pedestal, back
COLONEL WILLIAM NORTH
MAJOR BENJAMIN WALKER
AIDES AND FRIENDS
OF GENERAL VON STEUBEN