Baron Steuben's Inspector General Analysis

”The Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States”, is arguably the single most important military doctrine ever created. There have been many important manuals and regulations written since its creation, but none with as much impact and significance. Baron Von Steuben wrote “The Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States”. Von Steuben volunteered for service in the Continental army at the perfect time. The current Inspector General for the army was drastically failing at his duties; the Soldiers and army as a whole were suffering from his failings. Von Steuben, a former Prussian officer with immense staff experience was just the man to replace the current Inspector General
of 1778. General Washington recognized the lack of discipline and training throughout his army. The Continental army was suffering great losses due to its inability to compete with the British Soldiers. During this period, moving units in formation was extremely complicated and required immense discipline and training. If this were not enough, simply firing their muskets required a great many movements leaving room for error. Mistakes during battle resonate and only add to the chaos, contributing to failure. General Washington recruited Baron Von Steuben to help in resolving their training and discipline discrepancies. Von Steuben recognizing the American Soldier was different from the hierarchically minded British Soldier set forth to create a training program to fit our needs. He began with 100 chosen men on which he implemented his training program. Each day he trained the chosen men in full dress uniform, cursing every man in French and German. Von Steuben trained at an accelerated pace, accepting no failure. After training was complete, the chosen 100 set out to rejoin and train their units. Steuben introduced a system of progressive training, mandating that a Soldier be trained in basic Soldiering followed by advance training before sent to a unit. Simply firing their weapons was a complicated process requiring multiple steps based off the European process. Von Steuben training program drastically reduced the amount of movements required for the Continental Soldier to prime, aim and fire his weapon. His process of progressive training resulted in a more disciplined, confident and capable Soldier. The training system Baron Von Steuben created and implemented drastically affected the capabilities and moral of the Continental army, but he did not stop there.
Von Steuben also altered the manner in which the army set up camp. Soldiers were cleaning and cooking the days kill in the middle of camp, tossing the remains to the side without thought. Soldiers would relieve themselves wherever they saw fit to do so. These two practices alone led to an uncomfortable, smelly and dangerous environment for the Soldiers to camp. Von Steuben devised a plan for the keep to meet a specific layout. The officer’s quarters, enlisted, kitchen and latrines were all designated a specific layout to maintain a more disciplined and sanitary camp. The improvements were well received, the structure improved moral and aided in the separation and authority of ranks. General Washington recommended Baron Von Steuben to serve as Inspector General on April 30, and approved by Congress May 5, 1778. Steuben created the “Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States” during the winter of 1778-1779. The “Blue Book” as it was commonly called due to the color of the cover, was a combination of the various training programs Von Steuben had created and put into practice. The Blue Book was instrumental in the function of the army for the next three decades. The effects of this one manual is still evident in the training methodology of the modern
army.