Training for Victory

Inspector General Friedrich von Steuben trained eyeball to eyeball with a company of Continentals that served as a model for the rest of Washington’s army. The Grand Parade at the center of the encampment was the only terrain expansive enough for drilling massed brigades. In simulated battle, Steuben sent troops back and forth across rough ground to prepare for the impending campaign against the British. He stressed bayonet drill because the Americans had not previously been trained in close fighting, even though bayonet charges decided the outcome of most battles in the 18th century.

Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania · United States