Baron Frederick William Augustus von Steuben (1730-1794), a German officer who fought with the colonists in the American Revolutionary War, was best known as the drillmaster of the Army.

On Sept. 17, 1730, Frederick William von Steuben was born in Prussia, the son of an army officer. At the age of 16 he entered the service of the king of Prussia as a lieutenant and served with distinction for 17 years. Part of that time he was an aide-de-camp to the king, Frederick the Great, which provided him with valuable experience in the organization, training, supplying, and disciplining of an army.

In 1763, at the close of the Seven Years War, Steuben left the army and during the next 14 years found employment at the courts of several of the rulers of German principalities. Wishing to return to military life, he sought unsuccessfully to gain a commission in various armies. In Paris in 1777, he...