200th anniversary of death of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1994 - 100 Pfennig

A captain of the Prussian army became a general in the American Revolutionary War and became one of the most popular figures in public life in the United States. Born in Magdeburg on 17.9.1730, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben came from a military family and joined the Prussian army in 1747. During the Seven Years' War he participated in the Battle of Kunersdorf, was wounded several times and was briefly captured by the Russians. In 1763 Steuben received his dismissal from the army of Frederick the Great and served in the following ten years as Hofmarschall the Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen. Steuben's efforts to make a living as a soldier in a European state - and so on. a. the attempt to enter the imperial army of Joseph II was unsuccessful. At the age of 47, Steuben saw himself as a penniless captain, with no prospect of employment and decent livelihood. In Paris, he finally joined the French Minister of War, whom he had met on one of his earlier trips. He proposed that he go to North America and join the army of the United States fighting for independence as an officer. After lengthy negotiations with Benjamin Franklin - the American representative in France - and with financial support from the poet Beaumarchais, who lent him the money for the passage, Steuben embarked in 1777 to North America. Upon his arrival on the North American continent, the surrender of British troops under General Burgoyne at Saratoga was only a few weeks back. Despite the victory of Saratoga, General Washington faced great difficulties. The poor state of equipment, lack of training and the resulting lack of maneuverability of the troops made a quick and victorious end to the war impossible. Steuben quickly realized where his efforts were. He himself had learned to drill in the army of Frederick the Great and used in the following time all his strength to form the American soldiers through consistent training to a powerful army. General Washington soon became aware of Steuben's special abilities, and as early as 1776, at his suggestion, the Congress entrusted Steuben with the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army. In this capacity he drafted the "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the United States Forces," which formed the basis for the training of the soldiers. When hostilities ceased in 1783, Steuben decided to stay in America for good. He spent his last years in the state of New York, where he died on 28.11.1794. As honorary citizen of the city of New York and chairman of the German New York Society, Steuben became a symbol of German-American relations. The annual Steuben parade held in New York still commemorates the popular general today. (Text: M. Vater, M.A., History Department of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelm-University Bonn)