One of our friends from the Mid-Hudson Valley recently related an interesting episode he saw on the History Channel's hit series Pawn Stars. A first edition Revolutionary War training manual written for George Washington by Baron von Steuben, the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of Troops of the United States, was brought to the shop which according to star Rick Harrison is only 1
of "roughly 5 copies in such fine condition left
from the first printing". This was appraised at $18,000 by Rebecca Romney, manager of the Las Vegas gallery of Bauman Rare Books, the most expensive book she's done on the show. It was to our friend's big surprise to find out that there is a memorial for von Steuben close to Kayuta Lake on Starr Hill Road in Remsen.
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| Portrait by Ralph Earl, 1786 |
Friederich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben was a major general in the Continental Army known as the "Drillmaster of the American Revolution." A former officer in the Prussian Army (1746-1763), he joined Gen. George Washington in Valley Forge on February 5, 1778. Based on his experience with the Prussian Army, he drafted a training program for soldiers which he initially applied to his model company of 100 chosen men. He also developed a program of camp sanitation, establishing standards of sanitation and camp layout.
In May 1778, he was appointed Inspector General with the rank of Major General based on the success of his programs. In the winter months of 1778-1779, he prepared the legendary manual. He was the principal military adviser and assistant to Washington in making the continental army a formidable fighting force and whose service was thus indispensable to the achievement of American independence. He was one of 3 division commanders beside George Washington during the surrender of British General Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown on Oct.19, 1781. He later assisted Washington in demobilizing the army in 1783 and aiding in the defense plan for the new nation.
In March 1784, he became an American citizen and was discharged from the military with honors. In 1786, he became an honorary citizen of New York which deeded to him 16,000 acres of land in the Mohawk Valley where he cleared 16 acres for his homesite and erected a 2-room log cabin . This summer retreat became his full-time residence when poverty forced him to leave his New York City home. In 1790, he had been granted a lifetime pension of $2,500 which was less than expected. He wanted to attract settlers to his property but until the time of his sudden death in Nov. 1794, he only had a few scattered settlers. He died a bachelor and left his property to his former aides William North and Benjamin Walker.
As per his wishes, Steuben was wrapped in his military cloak and buried in an unmarked grave. His remains were moved to a 5-acre wooded area when a road was proposed that would cut through his gravesite. Col. Benjamin Walker donated 50 acres including the burial site to the Welsh Baptist Society which agreed to maintain and preserve what is now known as the Sacred Grove. In 1824, a simple limestone marker was placed over the grave by the citizens of Oneida county. When that deteriorated, the erection of a permanent memorial was initiated by the German-American societies and newspapers and with assistance from New York state was completed in 1872.
The Steuben Memorial State Historical Site is open until dusk
May 24 - September 1
