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Plate 8: "Order of Encampment"

Image of the Month: A regimental camp layout. Plate 8 in Friederich Augustus von Steuben, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States (Philadelphia, Pa., 1779).

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794) is best remembered for organizing and training the Continental troops at Valley Forge. He enlisted in the Prussian army (at the age of 16. By the time he was 47 he was Inspector General of the Continental Army under General George Washington. Von Steuben, upon taking the position despite speaking very little English (he was assisted by a translator), personally trained-in less than a month-100 American soldiers into a model military company. These men then trained other soldiers in basic military procedures and maneuvers. Some of von Steuben's most impressive accomplishments included the establishment of a system of camp administration, the regular inspection of men and munitions, the standardization and simplification of the procedures for loading and firing a musket, and the teaching military maneuvers to large numbers of soldiers.

In 1779, Von Steuben wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, a manual standardizing military regulations and procedures. In the chapter dealing with the "Order of Encampment," Plate VIII offers a sample layout for an orderly and sanitary military encampment. The illustration, engraved by Captain Pierre Charles L'Enfant, shows the placement of each individual in the battalion. The "Waggons" that followed the army carrying ammunition, supplies, and tentage, the "Sutler" who sold goods not normally issued to soldiers, and the "Kitchens" were all located at the rear of the camp. Next, the "Colonel," and "Lieutenant Colonel," who were commissioned officers, had tents pitched in a neat line 40 feet from the kitchens and just in front of the "Surgeon," "Quarter Master," "Pay Master," and "Mapper's" tents. "Captains," and "Subalterns," or Lieutenants, tents were placed in the next row, 30 feet forward. Then came the "Adjutant" in the middle of the next rank, 20 feet forward and in line with the "N.C. Officers" (Non-Commissioned Officers) who resided between the commissioned officers tents and the tents of regular soldiers, where men slept 6 to a tent. This arrangement of men and materials in camp is much the same as it would appear on the field of battle—with the fighting men in front, the command ranks next, and, at the rear, supplies and support (including medical).

Von Steuben's teaching methods, and his emphasis on practice, clarity of vision, professionalism, and organizational skills, helped create the first military school in America. He also helped turn the Continental army into a force the strongest army of the day could not defeat.