Baron von Steuben
Baron von SteubenThe Prussian Baron von Steuben, being a newcomer to the
Revolutionary cause in America, was in a position to see many of
the deficiencies in military discipline and their causes. The reasons
for his unique insight may have been due to the fact that he was
distanced from the revolutionary ideals in America, and as a result,
was able to better observe and understand them; and ultimately use
them to shape his new and successful form of discipline in the
Continental Army.
Most of the commanders of the Continental Army, from the
commander in chief to the lower officers had subscribed to the
traditional European method that relied on fear to achieve discipline.
This method of fear was probably not essential, and had little if any
effect in the early days of the war because the soldiers were mostly
fighting for their own ideologies. To the soldiers, the commanders
were of little importance. The soldiers were going to fight their own
fight, and leave the battle when they felt it necessary. The soldier
saw himself as a volunteer, a citizen fighting in a group of citizens,
and as a result did not respond well to the traditional forms of
discipline. The soldier knew it wasn't necessary for him to serve, and
he knew that he would not be looked down upon for not serving or
leaving the army by his fellow revolutionaries. He had the freedom to
chose how he wished to serve the revolution, and military service was
not an obligation.
One aspect of the traditional European system that Baron von
Steuben felt needed change was the relationship between the officers
and the soldiers. Officers in the Continental Army felt it was
necessary to distance themselves from the common soldiers, as an
officer had an obligation as a gentleman as well. This division was
along social lines, and by separation, the officers felt the common
soldiers would show even greater respect. Royster describes this
accurately by saying that the officers tried "to make themselves
haughty objects of the soldiers' awe." (215)
Steuben did several things to put the officers and the
soldiers on common ground. First, sergeants were no longer to do the
training and drilling of soldiers....
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