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Tertiary sourceDocument1888

Steuben entry, Encyclopaedia Britannica

Alexander Johnston · 1888

A short 1888 encyclopedia article summarizing Steuben's life, military career, and service to the American army.

A concise encyclopedia summary of Steuben's Prussian and American military career.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

This is the entry on Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben written by Alexander Johnston for the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in 1888.

It briefly covers his birth in Magdeburg, Prussia, his service under Frederick the Great, his recruitment to America, his work training the Continental Army, and his later life and death in New York.

Why it matters

As a reference work, this entry shows how Steuben's career was summarized for general readers a century after his death, reflecting his lasting reputation as the officer who gave the American army its first systematic drill.

Look closer

  • What details does the entry choose to include, and what does it leave out?
  • Why might an encyclopedia list other biographies at the end of the entry?
  • How might a short reference summary differ from a full biography like Greene's or Kapp's?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Friedrich von Steuben on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Charles Willson Peale · 1780

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Secondary source

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John Trumbull · 1819

Oil portrait of an older man with white powdered hair in a dark navy coat with gold epaulettes and tan high-collared lapels and waistcoat. He wears orange-and-red decorations and a star-shaped order on his chest and holds a sword hilt. Behind him are trees and a distant river with sailboats.Painting

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Handwritten letter in brown ink on aged paper, dated Montpellier 12 March 1773 at top right, addressed 'Monsieur' and written in French in cursive script. It is signed at the bottom right with a closing phrase and the name 'de Steuben'.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Montpellier

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 12 March 1773

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