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Tertiary sourceDocument1914

Steuben Entry, The New Student's Reference Work

1914

A short 1914 encyclopedia entry summarizing Steuben's life and military career for students.

This student reference entry summarizes Steuben's life and military contributions for a young readership.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

This is a brief biographical entry on Steuben published in 1914 in The New Student's Reference Work, a reference book for students. It gives a short account of his birth in Magdeburg, Prussia, his early military career under Frederick the Great, his arrival in America in 1778, his role as inspector-general under Washington, his service at Valley Forge and Yorktown, and his death in 1794.

Why it matters

Reference works like this shaped how generations of students learned about historical figures. The entry reflects how Steuben was remembered decades after his death, as a key foreign officer who helped train Washington's army during hard times.

Look closer

  • What details does this short entry choose to include, and what might it leave out?
  • Why might the entry mention that Steuben spent his own fortune on his men?
  • How does a 1914 student reference entry differ from a firsthand letter or diary?

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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Book

Primary source

Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 1779

Oil portrait of an 18th-century man with powdered gray hair, wearing a dark blue coat with gold epaulettes and gold-yellow waistcoat, a red sash and star-shaped order badge, against a dark background.Painting

Primary source

Baron Frederick William von Steuben

Charles Willson Peale · 1780

Large painting of a battlefield scene with a grey, stormy sky. On the left, British redcoat troops stand in lines beside a white flag. On the right, American troops in blue and buff stand beside a striped flag. In the center, a mounted commander on a white horse, with a figure in red uniform walking in front, faces the lines.Painting

Secondary source

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

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

Primary source

Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl · 1786

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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