He concluded the letter with a request for leave, so he could see friends in York. 24
Washington praised the Baron for his flexibilityââthe army has derived every advantage from the institution under you, that could be expected in so short a timeââbut underneath the passivity of Steubenâs response the commanding general detected something that was not quite right. And he worried about the request to travel to York. Steuben claimed that he only wanted to visit friends. Washington didnât buy it. He feared that Steuben planned to meet with his supporters inCongress, with the intention of amending Washingtonâs order and cajoling the Board of War into fashioning an âinspectorateâ that suited his aspirations. 25
This Washington could not tolerate, even if he had stood behind the Baron during the reforms in March and April. Steuben could not be allowed to compromise the carefully managed harmony in the high command. He would have to be headed off.
Before Steuben left for York, Washington gave him confidential letters to be handed to Henry Laurens and the young New York delegate William Duer. To Laurens, Washington merely hinted at his suspicions, while taking care to add that the Baron had been of great service. With Duer, the general was brutally candidâ¦and secretive, for the letter was written in Alex Hamiltonâs hand and bore the aideâs signature as well. But the words were clearly Washingtonâs: âIt will not be amiss to be on your guard,â he warned Duer. âThe baron is a gentleman for whom I have a particular esteemâ¦. But I am apprehensive, with all his good qualities, a fondness for power and importance, natural to every man, may lead him to wish for more extensive prerogatives in his department than it will be for the good of the service to grant.â
When Washington had first made Steuben the acting inspector general, he related to Duer, he had allowed him a great deal of latitude, necessary for accomplishing so much in so short a period of time. He had to curtail these powers earlier than he had anticipated because some officers had reacted badly. âThe novelty of the office excited questions about its boundaries; the extent of its operations alarmed the officers of every rank for their own rights.â Their âjealousies and discontentsâ had grown so heated, Washington feared, that the success of Steubenâs reforms might be âoverturned.â Hopefully the general orders of June 15 would set everything right, but Duer would still have to keep an eye on the touchy Prussian:
There is one thing which the baron has much at heart, which, in good policy, he can by no means be indulged in: it is thepower of enforcing that part of the discipline which we understand by subordination, or an obedience to orders. This power can only be properly lodged in the commander in chief and would inflame the whole army if put in other hands.
Washington was very close to being entirely correct. What motivated Steuben was not so much a hunger for power for its own sake, but a desire for accomplishment and efficiency that pushed him to be overzealous. His style of leadership, which owed to his Prussian up-bringing, was geared solely toward results, and did not take the personalities and feelings of other officers into account. In the Continental Army such considerations were paramount. Washington understood this, but Steuben did not. 26
For the moment, though, Steubenâs sometimes autocratic manner was a moot point. The British were on the move, and the long sojourn at Valley Forge was coming to an end.
C HAPTER 7
Trial by Combat
[J UNE 1778]
All of my undertakings here have met with the most fortunate progress.
S TEUBEN TO D ANIEL M ARIANUS F RANK ,
J ULY 4, 1779 1
S TEUBEN WAS PREPARING for his trip to York when the news came: the British were leaving Philadelphia.
The Baronâs mind was occupied with other matters, things
Washington praised the Baron for his flexibilityââthe army has derived every advantage from the institution under you, that could be expected in so short a timeââbut underneath the passivity of Steubenâs response the commanding general detected something that was not quite right. And he worried about the request to travel to York. Steuben claimed that he only wanted to visit friends. Washington didnât buy it. He feared that Steuben planned to meet with his supporters inCongress, with the intention of amending Washingtonâs order and cajoling the Board of War into fashioning an âinspectorateâ that suited his aspirations. 25
This Washington could not tolerate, even if he had stood behind the Baron during the reforms in March and April. Steuben could not be allowed to compromise the carefully managed harmony in the high command. He would have to be headed off.
Before Steuben left for York, Washington gave him confidential letters to be handed to Henry Laurens and the young New York delegate William Duer. To Laurens, Washington merely hinted at his suspicions, while taking care to add that the Baron had been of great service. With Duer, the general was brutally candidâ¦and secretive, for the letter was written in Alex Hamiltonâs hand and bore the aideâs signature as well. But the words were clearly Washingtonâs: âIt will not be amiss to be on your guard,â he warned Duer. âThe baron is a gentleman for whom I have a particular esteemâ¦. But I am apprehensive, with all his good qualities, a fondness for power and importance, natural to every man, may lead him to wish for more extensive prerogatives in his department than it will be for the good of the service to grant.â
When Washington had first made Steuben the acting inspector general, he related to Duer, he had allowed him a great deal of latitude, necessary for accomplishing so much in so short a period of time. He had to curtail these powers earlier than he had anticipated because some officers had reacted badly. âThe novelty of the office excited questions about its boundaries; the extent of its operations alarmed the officers of every rank for their own rights.â Their âjealousies and discontentsâ had grown so heated, Washington feared, that the success of Steubenâs reforms might be âoverturned.â Hopefully the general orders of June 15 would set everything right, but Duer would still have to keep an eye on the touchy Prussian:
There is one thing which the baron has much at heart, which, in good policy, he can by no means be indulged in: it is thepower of enforcing that part of the discipline which we understand by subordination, or an obedience to orders. This power can only be properly lodged in the commander in chief and would inflame the whole army if put in other hands.
Washington was very close to being entirely correct. What motivated Steuben was not so much a hunger for power for its own sake, but a desire for accomplishment and efficiency that pushed him to be overzealous. His style of leadership, which owed to his Prussian up-bringing, was geared solely toward results, and did not take the personalities and feelings of other officers into account. In the Continental Army such considerations were paramount. Washington understood this, but Steuben did not. 26
For the moment, though, Steubenâs sometimes autocratic manner was a moot point. The British were on the move, and the long sojourn at Valley Forge was coming to an end.
C HAPTER 7
Trial by Combat
[J UNE 1778]
All of my undertakings here have met with the most fortunate progress.
S TEUBEN TO D ANIEL M ARIANUS F RANK ,
J ULY 4, 1779 1
S TEUBEN WAS PREPARING for his trip to York when the news came: the British were leaving Philadelphia.
The Baronâs mind was occupied with other matters, things
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