Friedrich Wilhelm Augustin Steuben Baron von

Steuben, Friedrich Wilhelm Augustin, Baron von (1730–94), Prussian soldier who helped train the Continental army. Arriving in America in 1777 with an introduction from Benjamin Franklin, he was appointed inspector general of the army by Congress in 1778. He organized Washington's troops at Valley Forge into an effective fighting force, which was apparent at the Battle of Monmouth (1778) and siege of Yorktown (1780).

See also: Revolutionary War in America.