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He was born at Magdeburg, Prussia, the son of William Augustine Steuben ( 1699- 1783), a lieutenant of engineers. He accompanied his father to Russia when Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, ordered him into the service of Tsarina Anna I of Russia. After the accession of Frederich II of Prussia to the throne, von Steuben returned to Germany with his father in 1740Events May 31 Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions ( Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). However, her succ.

At fourteen he served as a volunteer in a campaign of the War of the Austrian SuccessionThe War of the Austrian Succession ( 1740- 1748). When Maria Theresa of Austria succeeded her father Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor in his Hapsburg dominions in 1740 in accordance with the pragmaticae sanctiones ( Pragmatic Sanction), she, as a woman, was. In 1747Events January 31 The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 3 Battle, at age 17, he became a cadet in a Prussian infantry regiment and, two years later, received his patent (commission) as an ensign. Von Steuben served with distinction during the Seven Years' WarThis article is about the 1756 1763 war. For the 1592 1598 war in Korea, see Seven Year War. The Seven Years' War ( 1756 1763) pitted Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover against France, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. It was the first " world war"; mo.

He was made adjutant-general of the free corps in 1754Events June 19 The Albany Convention of New England Colonies proposes an American Union Duke of Saxony takes the Colditz Castle to his own use Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Mahmud I ( 1730-1754) to Osman III (1754- 1757) Beginning of the Fr but re-entered the regular army in 1761Events January 16 British capture Pondicherry, India from the French. February 8 Earthquake in London breaks chimneys in Limehouse and Poplar March 8 Second earthquake in North London, Hampstead and Highgate In Dutch Guayana a “state” formed by escaped sl, and became an aide to Frederick the Great in 1762. He was discharged from the army for obscure reasons in 1763 and subsequently suffered financial difficulties. In 1777 his friend, the Count St. Germain, then the French minister of war, persuaded him to go to the assistance of the American colonists, who needed discipline and instruction in military tactics. Steuben arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on December 1, 1777, and offered his services to Congress as a volunteer, stating that he wished no immediate compensation and would stake his fortunes upon the success of the American Revolutionary War. On February 23, 1778 von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge to help to train the Continental Army and in March 1778 he began drilling the inexperienced soldiers stationed there. By May, when he was made inspector-general, with the rank of major-general, he had established a thorough system of discipline and economy.

The results of his work were clear in the next campaign, particularly at the Battle of Monmouth, where he rallied the disordered, retreating troops of General Charles Lee. His Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States ( 1779) was of great value to the army.

He was a member of the court-martial which tried Major John Andre in 1780, and after General Horatio Gates's defeat at Battle of Camden, Steuben was placed in command of the district of Virginia, with special instructions "to collect, organize, discipline and expedite the recruits for the Southern army."

In April 1781 he was superseded in command of Virginia by the Marquis de Lafayette and later took part in the Battle of Yorktown.

Von Steuben became a citizen of the United States in 1783 and, following retirement from the army, resided in New York City where he became one of the most popular figures in the city. New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey gave him grants of land for his services, and Congress passed a vote of thanks and gave him a gold-hilted sword in 1784 and later granted him a pension of $2400. He died at Steubenville, New York in 1794.