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The Drillmaster of Valley Forge
- The Baron De Steuben and the Making of the American Army
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
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The Drillmaster of Valley Forge
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Editor reviews
In the late 1770s, his promising military career aborted, Baron de Steuben uprooted himself from his native Prussia and landed in America, where he schooled its troops to fight in the European manner, thereby influencing the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Norman Dietz's smooth, clear delivery make this biography easy to follow, and his energy never flags. He gives a straight narration, rather than adopting different voices or accents, which suits a text that is long on description and short on dialogue or quotations. This is a fine introduction to a significant player in Revolutionary War history, and Dietz makes it a listening experience even nonmilitary buffs may enjoy.
Summary
In the first book on Steuben since 1937, Paul Lockhart, an expert on European military history, finally explains the significance of Steuben's military experience in Europe. Steeped in the traditions of the Prussian army of Frederick the Great---the most ruthlessly effective in Europe---he taught the soldiers of the Continental Army how to fight like Europeans. His guiding hand shaped the army that triumphed over the British at Monmouth, Stony Point, and Yorktown. And his influence did not end with the Revolution. Steuben was instrumental in creating West Point and in writing the "Blue Book"---the first official regulations of the American army. His principles have guided the American armed forces to this day.
Steuben's life is also a classic immigrant story. A failure in midlife, he uprooted himself from his native Europe to seek one last chance at glory and fame in the New World. In America he managed to reinvent himself---making his background quite a bit more glamorous than it really was---but redeeming himself by his exceptional service and becoming, in a sense, the man he claimed to be.