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GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN WASHINGTON,

D.C.

he title of this article is, of course,

meant to be ironic. The city of

Washington, D.C. was, in fact, estab-

lished in 1800, some five years after Steu-

ben's death. Implicit, however, is the idea

that the name Steuben did exert a major

symbolic influence in the city until the out-

break of World War I. Physically, Steuben's

influence is demonstrated by the fact that

there have been two public monuments to

Steuben in the city as well as a bust in the

Pentagon, although the bust is not generally

accessible to visitors.

Steuben's name as well as his fame fre-

quently served the local German-American

community as a rallying point. He became

an icon for Americans of German descent,

particularly in the Washington area. Many

hoped that Steuben's military success as a

commander of troops, his capability in

drilling and organizing the American Revo-

lutionary Army, as well as his national pop-

ularity generally would somehow redound

to the benefit of all German-American

immigrants. They felt that by identifying

with the Steuben name they could counter-

balance anti-immigrant and anti-German

sentiment within the country. The Germanic

heritage they shared with Steuben would

reflect well on them as well.

Beginning in the 1850s, German-

American groups in Washington sponsored

Steuben festivals to capitalize on the good

will many felt for Steuben himself. The

events became popular summer activities

for the entire community. The festivals were

also an occasion to raise money to erect stat-

ues in honor of General von Steuben, at first

for other cities and later for Washington

itself. This article will describe how the

name Steuben was used as an heroic symbol

by the German-American community in

Washington for most of the nineteenth cen-

tury and then trace the history of the two

major statues erected in the general's honor.

GENERAL VON STEUBEN VISITS MOUNT

VERNON

The contention that Steuben was never in

Washington, while technically correct, does

not tell the whole story. Steuben was, in

fact, in the immediate Washington area at

least once prior to the actual founding of the

city. On 3 November 1780, Baron von

Steuben and General Nathaniel Greene,

both then serving on General Washington's

staff, departed from Philadelphia and head-

ed south to begin the American campaign

against the British forces under Lord

Cornwallis in Virginia and the Carolinas. By

November 12th, the two generals reached

Mount Vernon, the plantation home of

General George Washington near Alexan-

dria, Virginia. There they were graciously

received by Mrs. Martha Washington, who

put up them for the night. In reaching Mount

Vernon, which is just a short distance from

the eventual border between Virginia and

District of Columbia, Steuben is likely to

have ridden across land that was to become

the national capital.

Afterwards, Gen. Greene wrote a

polite thank-you letter to General Washing-

ton saying: "Mount Vernon is one of the

pleasantest places I ever saw ...Baron

Steuben is delighted with the place and

charmed with the reception we met with."¹

However, Greene's description was appar-

ently somewhat exaggerated, because

GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN D.C._____

Steuben wrote to his aide, Duponceau, that

he was charmed by Martha Washington's

hospitality and he revered General Wash-

ington greatly, but that the Mount Vernon

mansion itself did not meet his taste, con-

cluding that if "General Washington were

not a better General than he was an archi-

tect, the affairs of America would be in a

very bad condition."²

STEUBEN AS A SOLDIER AND A PERSON

It was not only the general's success as a

professional soldier and organizer of ar-

mies but also hischaracter which ultimately

caused the name Steuben to become an

important symbol for German-Americans in

the nineteenth century. Steuben was first

and foremost a professional soldier and

diplomat. A soldier like his father before

him, he was trained as a staff officer under

the harsh discipline of King Frederick the

Great and was considered a courageous and

resourceful soldier in several engagements

during the Seven Years War. The harshness

and brutality of military life during this peri-

od is well illustrated by the story of

Frederick the Great and Captain Zietern.

At one point during the campaign in

Silesia, Frederick gave orders one day that

all fires and lights were to be extinguished

in his camp by a certain hour. To make cer-

tain that his order was obeyed the King him-

self made an inspection of the camp. As he

passed by the tent of Captain Zietern,

Frederick noticed the glimmer of a candle

and upon entering found the officer sealing

a letter to his wife. Frederick demanded to

know what Ziethern thought he was doing

and asked if he did not know of the orders

for lights out. The captain threw himself at

the king's feet, unable to deny or excuse his

disobedience. Frederick instructed him to sit

down and add a postscript to the letter,

which Frederick himself dictated: "Tomor-

row I shall perish on the scaffold." Zietern

wrote what he was told and was duly exe-

cuted the following day.³

The brutality demonstrated by King

Frederick was not part of von Steuben's

character, but he was always a proud and

professional soldier. As an officer and com-

mander, Steuben could be severe and berate

his subordinates in very stern fashion, even

if his words came out in a rather comical

jumble of German, French, and English.

Steuben the inner man was, however,

friendly and generous. Almost everyone

with whom he came in contact admired him.

His greatest weakness was his inability to

manage what little money he had. In this

regard he was apparently hopeless.

Washington's admiring farewell letter

to Steuben is well known. It was significant

that Washington wrote his letter of generous

praise as the very last action he took as com-

mander-in-chief of the American army. The

salutation, "My dear Baron," was unusually

warm for the cool and dignified Washing-

ton, who hardly ever used such intimate

phraseology in public correspondence.

More striking yet was the admiration

Steuben evoked from his troops. As he was

leaving the army in the summer of 1783, the

officers of two New York regiments got

together and penned him their own farewell

letter which read:

... permit us, the Officers of the two

New York Regiments of Infantry to

express our feelings towards you on

this occasion. The essential and dis-

tinguished services you have ren-

dered this Country, must inspire the

breast of every Citizen of America

with sentiments of gratitude &

esteem, but we, Sir, feel sentiments

of another nature. Your unremitted

exertions on all occasions to allevi-

ate the distresses of the Army—and

the manner in which you have

—46—

__________________MILLER

shared them with us, have given you

more than a common title to the

character of our Friend—as our

Military parent we have long consid-

ered you. —Ignorant as we were of

the profession we had undertaken, it

is to your Abilites & unwearied

assiduity we are indebted for that

Military Reputation we finally

attained. We therefore feel ourselves

bound to you by the strongest ties of

affection, and we now take leave of

you with that regret, which such sen-

timents must occasion.

Wishing you long to enjoy in health

and happiness, those rewards which

your services have merited & which

a grateful people cannot fail to

bestow, we have the honor to remain.

Sir,

Your most Obedt. and Very humble

servants

POST

-REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

Steuben embodied the ideal of the war hero

and was known nationally as the "drillmas-

ter" of the Revolutionary War, but it was in

the 1850s that his name took on special sig-

nificance for his fellow German-Americans.

Growing anti-immigrant sentiment, some-

times referred to as "nativism," became

powerful, and at times there were outbreaks

of violence toward immigrants. It was this

threat which turned German-American

attention once again to Steuben, the nation-

al hero.

Nativism was a political movement

which opposed and feared the large influx

of Roman Catholic immigrants from Ger-

many and Ireland. Some Americans, espe-

cially those who were well-to-do, viewed

the immigrants as a threat to traditional

American culture and its unique political

system. A political party was formed to

combat the perceived threat from immi-

grants. Officially the party was known as

"The American Party," but it was popularly

known as the "Know-Nothings." Its main

political ideology was "nativism," or Ame-

rica for Americans, and one of its primary

goals was the enactment of tougher anti-im-

migrant legislation. The Know-Nothings

achieved considerable success in a few local

and state elections in the 1850s, but had lit-

tle success nationally. Both Baltimore and

Washington, D.C. elected Know-Nothing

mayors and councilmen in the 1856 munic-

ipal elections.

The outspokenness of some radical

German political refugees from the failed

revolution of 1848 played into the anti-

German sentiment in America. For example,

the German Democratic Association, com-

posed largely of so-called Forty-Eighters,

loudly supported rather extreme views, such

as the abolition of the American presidency,

the right of the people to change the Con-

stitution as they pleased, and universal suf-

frage, to name a few of its milder proposals.

Additionally, some among the Forty-Eigh-

ters made no effort to Americanize them-

selves because they expected the imminent

overthrow of the reactionary German state

governments and their own quick return to

the Fatherland. The most arrogant felt that

all America should be Germanized.

Such

views, however, were not representative of

most Germans, nor of most Washington

Germans.

Nevertheless, Washington's German

and Irish immigrants suffered verbal and

physical attacks at the hands of Know-

Nothing thugs. In 1854, a gang attack on the

crowd at the Washington Sängerbund picnic

resulted in several serious injuries to the

peaceful German picnickers. The high point

of the Know-Nothing aggression came dur-

ing Washington's mayoral election in 1857.

At that time Washington and neighboring

—47—

GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN D.C._____

Baltimore were home to several gangs of

violent rowdies. These gangs were some-

times hired to cause trouble at the polling

stations during elections.

Baltimore had by far the more notori-

ous gangs, many with colorful names. One

of the Baltimore gangs, the Plug Uglies, was

hired by the Know-Nothings to come to

Washington on Election Day to intimidate

Irish and German voters. Arriving by train

from Baltimore, the Plug Uglies bullied

their way to the second ward polling station

at the Northern Liberties Market (present-

day Mt. Vernon Square) and began pushing

and using shoemaker's awls to stab several

"foreign-looking" citizens lined up to vote.

A riot ensued, and election officials closed

the polls. Mayor Magruder of Washington

rushed to the White House to ask President

Buchanan for help in restoring order. The

President obligingly ordered out the U.S.

Marines, who promptly marched up

Seventh St., N.W., at the double. Shots were

fired on both sides, but the Plug-Uglies

were no match for the marines; order was

restored, and the election proceeded. The

result of this incident was several deaths and

serious injuries to innocent voters and

bystanders, including a few Germans.

In the face of the common threat

Washington Germans closed ranks as sel-

dom before. German organizations such as

the Turner, the volunteer militia companies,

the singing groups, and the German-lan-

guage churches grew stronger and more

popular. A specific response was for organi-

zations to jointly sponsor social events,

which were popular and well attended by

local German-Americans. It was at this time

that the first Steuben Festivals were started.

These events, while often open to all,

specifically served to weld the German

community together. The added attraction

was that the festivals were fun and popular

with the general public as well.

Baltimore also held activities to pro-

mote cohesion in the German-American

community. Commenting on a Steuben

Festival in Baltimore, Dieter Cunz, the emi-

nent German-American historian wrote:

It was seldom possible to unite all

these divergent groups so that they

could appear together ...The

Steuben celebration of 1858 was

such an occasion. It was hoped that

by forcefully drawing the attention

of the public to General Steuben,

who immediately after his arrival in

America reorganized the American

army and then rendered valuable

assistance to the birth of the young

nation, the nativists and Know

Nothings, who were trying to hinder

immigration and naturalization,

could be made ridiculous. All the

Germans were united in the battle

against the KnowNothings.

THE STEUBEN FESTIVALS OF THE

1850s

There were two large German-American

festivals in the 1850s, both of them honor-

ing von Steuben. Detailed accounts were

carried in the local newspapers. The second

Steuben Festival on 19-20 September 1859

was the more dramatic. Severe weather hit

the city with full force just before the sched-

uled event. Heavy rain brought flooding

along the banks of the usually peaceful

Potomac. The Festival was to be held at

Arlington (aka Custis) Springs (now

Arlington National Cemetery) on the

Virginia side of the river, but the main route

to the Festival over the Long Bridge (near

today's Fourteenth St. Bridge) between the

District of Columbia and the Virginia shore

was under water and impassible.

The big question for the festival organ-

izers was how to get participants to the

event. Because the Steuben Festival two

—48—

____________________MILLER

years before had been such a great success,

large crowds were anticipated—and not just

from the local German-American communi-

ty. The Steuben Association together with

local German-American organizations,

including the marching bands, the singing

societies, the Turner, and the Yaeger (Jäger)

Militia Company, organized the festivities.

As with the very popular Oktoberfest cele-

brations of today, the organizers anticipated

that many Americans with no particular

German heritage would also attend and

enjoy the fun, dancing, contests, and feast-

ing which formed an integral part of the

event.

One possible solution suggested was

to hire boats in Georgetown, then a

Washington suburb, to ferry the crowds

across the turbulent waters. Due to the

unexpectedness of the storm, however, no

boats had been booked ahead of time, and

none was available. Indeed, the roiling

water in the river would have meant an ex-

tremely risky crossing, and the relatively

few boats available even in the best of times

could not in any case have easily accommo-

dated the large crowds of eager passengers.

The only solution was to walk from

Georgetown to Arlington over the old Aque-

duct (near the present-day Key Bridge be-

tween Georgetown and Rosslyn). The Aque-

duct was essentially an enlarged footpath

alongside the pipeline bringing drinking

water from Virginia to the District. As a

result, on a fine sunny day in Washington,

hundreds of people set out from their homes

on foot, crossed the Aqueduct, and marched

a mile further back along the Virginia shore

before reaching the Arlington festival

grounds. Because of the crowds, progress

was slow, but hundreds of citizens were

determined to attend and enjoy the Steuben

Festival.

What was the festival like? The local

newspapers gave glowing accounts. It all

started with a big parade. When the signal

gun was fired early on Saturday morning,

the long procession of marchers started off

from the City Hall (near present-day

Judiciary Square) and made their way to the

Aqueduct Bridge. The various divisions of

marchers were led by Wither's, Wagner's

and Schroeder's Bands, three very popular

and well-known German-American march-

ing bands. The route of march was down

Third Street, N.W., westward along the

Avenue (as Pennsylvania Avenue was then

called), past the "President's House" (now

the White House), around Lafayette Square

(where the Steuben Monument was later

erected), and finally further along the

Avenue to Georgetown and the Aqueduct.

Large crowds watched the parade and then

fell in behind the marchers for the trek to

Arlington.

On the festival grounds, the activities

were numerous. The younger set and the

adept of foot headed for the dance pavilion

where Fisher's string band held sway. The

Washington Star reported that the dancers'

quick feet were busily employed during the

day in treading the intricate mysteries of the

waltz. In back of the pavilion was a speak-

er's rostrum decorated by draperies, which

were festooned with picturesque medal-

lions. To the right was a large painting of

General Steuben and to the left one of Ben-

jamin Franklin. Over the rostrum hung the

flags of the organizations sponsoring the

festival. Mr. Eberly, president of the

Steuben Association, addressed the crowd

in German and then in English, congratulat-

ing one and all on their successful efforts in

organizing a festival to celebrate the life and

accomplishments of General von Steuben.

—49—

GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN D.C._____

Following the speeches, the Wash-

ington Star reported that:

the company then dispersed through

the grounds to enjoy themselves dur-

ing the succeeding hour in the thou-

sand diversified amusements provid-

ed, for which our Teutonic fellow-

citizens are so justly celebrated,

delightful vocal and instrumental

music from the singing societies and

the several bands forming a promi-

nent ingredient. At one o'clock, the

Turners marched with their band to a

site on the grounds where targets had

been set up for a crossbowshooting

contest. The athletes among the

Turners then performed gymnastic

exercises to loud applause. One of

the hits of the day was the greased

poleclimbing contest and it was

noted that no one got more than half

way up the pole.

Another popular contest was the cock-strik-

ing competition. In this event a rooster was

placed on the top of a barrel and covered by

a basket. Contestants were blindfolded,

spun around several times, and sent off with

a stick to try to knock the basket off the bar-

rel. Anyone who hit the basket, with only

one swing being allowed, got the rooster as

a prize. Amid much laughter at the many

contestants who tried and failed to find the

mark, three contestants did manage to top-

ple the basket and win a rooster.

There are several reasons why a

Steuben festival attracted visitors in such

numbers. For German-Americans it was a

chance to meet and greet their fellow ethnic

friends and relations. There was an element

of showing off as well as of pride. They

gathered to celebrate an authentic German-

American hero, General Baron von Steuben,

who was recognized as such by everybody

from George Washington on down. For the

attendees as a whole, the festival was a joy-

ful occasion for parents and children alike,

where Gemütlichkeit was pervasive and

enjoyment the order of the day.

Toward evening, tired but satisfied and

happy with the fine outing, the crowds wan-

dered back across the Aqueduct and walked

home. As the Evening Star reported it:

"During the entire day the utmost good feel-

ing prevailed inside the grounds, and at

early nightfall the procession formed in line,

and proceeded homewards in good order."

What else would one expect from a German

crowd?

THE STEUBEN MONUMENT OF 1870

The Civil War of 1861-1865 and the turbu-

lence of Reconstruction brought an end to

the earlier form of Steuben festivals, but

German-American gatherings continued in

local beer gardens and at popular picnic

spots around the District. One of the most

popular spots was the Schützenverein Park

on Seventh St., N.W., in Washington. The

Steuben Memorial Committee, which had

collected money for a statue of Steuben at

the earlier festivals continued its fundrais-

ing. After many years of fundraising by the

Committee enough money had been collect-

ed to erect a monument consisting of a large

stone block surmounted by a larger-than-

life-size bust of General von Steuben. The

dedication ceremony was scheduled to be

held during the Schützenverein's Grand

May Festival on 16-17 May 1870 on the

grounds of the Schützenverein Park. The

Evening Star excitedly anticipated the

event:

The Steuben Monument—The cor-

ner stone laying on Monday next at 4

o'clock our German citizens will lay

in the Schützen Park the corner stone

of the monument to the memory of

Baron Steuben, a distinguished vol-

unteer officer in the Revolutionary

War. The monument is being cut by

Mr. Jacques Jouvenal of this city and

—50—

____________________MILLER

will be surmounted by a bust of

Steuben two and a half feet in height

while on the panels of the pedestal

will be appropriate inscriptions. The

Grand Lodge of Masons will lay the

corner stone and the Saengerbund

will sing appropriate pieces, while

the Marine Band will perform suit-

able selections of music. The

President, the Cabinet officers,

General Sherman, Vice Admiral

Porter, Baron von Gerolt, the Ameri-

can Ministers, both Houses of Con-

gress, and distinguished personages

have been invited and will attend.

Senator Schurz of Missouri and Rep.

Mr. Degener will speak in German,

and in English. As General Steuben

has rendered valuable and to the

American people in the War of the

Revolution. It is to be hoped that all

will turn out to honor his memory.

The day began with a salute fired in the

Schützen Park at 9 a.m. followed by a

parade, which began at the Victoria Hotel on

Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W, The U.S. Ma-

rine Band led the procession followed by

well over 100 members of the Schützen-

verein. The route of march was a long one

and it wasn't until 1:30 in the afternoon that

the parade arrived at the park. Schützen

President Vogt gave a short speech of wel-

come followed by lunch. Target firing com-

menced immediately afterwards as well as

ten-pin bowling and other amusements. The

Marine Band played concert music, and a

good string orchestra performed in the

pavilion. The German singing societies also

performed.

President Grant, accompanied by

General Horace Porter, arrived on the

grounds at 4 p.m. and was greeted by the

Reception Committee while the Marine

Band played "Hail to the Chief;" and a

twenty-one-gun salute was fired. The

President, the Cabinet members, General

William T. Sherman, several Senators and

Congressmen, the German Ambassador,

Baron Gerolt, and the other distinguished

guests were served an "elegant collation."

After lunch Mr. Anton Eberly, presi-

dent of the Steuben Association, made re-

marks in German and English honoring the

service and the memory of Baron Steuben

and related the many difficulties and delays

over the years in completing the project to

erect a statue in his honor. The tenacity of

many German-Americans over the years

had now come to a successful conclusion,

and the monument was finally ready for

dedication. Eberly emphasized that Baron

von Steuben was not only an illustrious

American patriot and hero in the War for

Independence, but also a respected hero and

role model for all German-Americans.

As was often the custom in those days,

the corner stone of the monument was laid

in a ceremony conducted by the Grand

Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of

Washington D.C. The main speaker for the

occasion was the newly-elected and famous

German-American, Senator Carl Schurz of

Missouri, who gave a stirring address in

German. He pointed to the paradox that

troops trained by von Steuben had fought

against the German Hessian mercenary

troops serving in the British army. Schurz

deprecated the fact that the feudal German

rulers had in effect sold the Hessians to

King George, and added that that this was in

stark contrast to the volunteer service of

Baron Steuben in the American Revoltion

and very different from the many willing

militia and regular soldiers of German-

American background who served in the

Union Army during the Civil War.

Despite the enthusiasm and ceremony

surrounding the installation of the Steuben

statue, the saga of the Steuben monument in

Washington is finally a sad one. The monu-

—51—

GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN D.C._____

ment stood in Schützen Park for twenty-

three years. When the Park was closed in

1893, the monument was moved to the

grounds of the German Orphan Home in

Anacostia, a distant suburb in Southeast

Washington. The memorial suffered a simi-

lar fate in 1966, when the old German

Orphan Home was sold and a new orphan

home constructed in a wooded area outside

of Washington near Upper Marlboro,

Maryland. The monument was relocated to

an obscure spot adjacent to the new orphan

home—neglected, scarcely visible, and in

need of repair. In a further ironic repeat of

history, the future of the Steuben monument

is once again in question. The board of di-

rectors of the German Orphan Home sold

the property in 2000, and the monument

was moved to a private location, leaving the

question of whether the statue will ever find

a permanent home unresolved.

THE STEUBEN MONUMENT IN LAYFAYETTE

PARK

The final appearance of Baron Steuben as a

symbol for German-Americans, both local-

ly and nationally, occurred in the early part

of the twentieth century. The event signaled

a highpoint for German-Americans never

again equaled. On 7 December 1910, a stat-

ue of Frederick William Augustus Henry

Ferdinand, Baron von Steuben, Major

General and Inspector General in the

Continental Army, was unveiled in the

northwest corner of Lafayette Park directly

across from the White House in Wash-

ington, D.C. Several years before, Repre-

sentative Richard Bartholdt of Missouri had

spearheaded a drive in Congress to secure

funds for a Steuben statue. On 27 February

1903, Congress finally voted an appropria-

tion of $50,000 to commission a monument

and erect it in Lafayette Park.

The December dedication was carried

out with great pomp and ceremony.

Secretary of War, the Honorable Jacob

Dickinson, presided. Kaiser Wilhelm II sent

a large contingent from Germany, including

some German troops. The German

Ambassador, Count von Bernstorff, led the

German delegation. A large group of Ame-

rican politicians and military leaders attend-

ed. German and American military units,

including bands, and many local and nation-

al German-American organizations march-

ed through the streets of Washington,

viewed by the thousands of spectators who

lined the route. President William Howard

Taft gave the dedicatory address and the

President's daughter, Miss Helen Taft,

unveiled the monument. In his address, the

President said:

When Baron Steuben came to this

country he found Germans who had

preceded him, and who, like him,

had elected to make this their perma-

nent home. Since his day millions of

his countrymen have come to be

Americans, and it adds great interest

to our celebration and emphasizes

the propriety of the action of

Congress in erecting this statue to

know that the German race since the

Revolution has made so large a pan

of our population and played so

prominent a part in the great growth

and development of our country...

The Germans who have become

American citizens and their descen-

dants may well take pride in this

occasion and in this work of art,

modeled by the hand of an American

of German descent (Albert Jaegers),

which commemorates the valued

contribution made by a German sol-

dier to the cause of American free-

dom at the time of its birth.

German-Americans celebrated the occasion

in great numbers and were actively involved

in the planning of the day's events. Both vis-

—52—

__________________MILLER

iting and local German American organiza-

tions took active roles. A mounted escort

made up of the officers and delegates of

German-American societies accompanied

Grand Marshall Charles Schwegler of the

U.S. Volunteers to lead the parade.

Schwegler and his escort were followed by

German-American Civil War units of the

Grand Army of the Republic, the American

Legion of the day. Other units of the parade

included: veterans of the Steuben Regiment

(Seventh New York Volunteers), the Na-

tional Association of German Veterans and

Warrior Societies of North America, the

Northeastern Singers' Association, the

Turner Societies of New York, Penn-

sylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,

Virginia, and the District of Columbia; and

the Virginia and West Virginia State associ-

ations of German-American societies.

In the evening, four large banquets

were held to celebrate the day and to toast

Baron von Steuben. At the Willard Hotel,

some five hundred guests heard from

Ambassador von Bernstorff and Dr. Charles

Hexamer, president of the National Ger-

man-American Alliance. Members of the

Society of the Cincinnati,

which Steuben

had helped found, met at the Army and

Navy Club. The Washington Kriegerbund

hosted a banquet for visiting Kriegerbund

members and other veterans' groups from

several cities along the Eastern seaboard.

Last, but not least, there was a Kommers—a

tribute in song typical of many Turner

events—hosted by the Turnverein of the

District of Columbia at the National Rifles'

Armory for hundreds of visiting Turners

from all over the country.

The ceremonies all in all were impres-

sive, probably the high tide of acceptance

and recognition for German-Americans by

the city of Washington and by the country as

a whole. While it was not the first time that

a President, the Cabinet, and other high offi-

cers of the country all attended and helped

celebrate a German-American event in the

city, it was certainly the last time. A few

short years later, the outbreak of World War

I, and a generation after that, the horror of

World War II, practically eliminated Ger-

man-Americans from prominence in nation-

al public life, a position from which they

have yet to recover.

CONCLUSIONS

General Baron von Steuben was vital to the

emergence of an effective American fight-

ing force. Without his organizing ability, it

would have been very difficult to achieve

victory in the War of American Indepen-

dence. Steuben's importance was recog-

nized nationally by erecting monuments and

memorials around the country. Washington

D.C. alone had two major statues plus a bust

in the Pentagon. As a private citizen, von

Steuben was a man known for generosity

and warmth, one who inspired friendships.

Among his close friends and supporters

were such exalted names as George Wash-

ington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander

Hamilton. There were also those among the

ordinary citizens, particularly soldiers who

served under him, who named their children

after him or changed their own names to

Steuben in honor of a man they respected,

loved, and admired.

German-Americans of an earlier era

looked to Steuben in their time of need. His

name was used in Washington over the

course of the nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries as a heroic symbol around which

German-Americans could rally and with

which they could identify. During the diffi-

cult period of attack by the Know-Nothings,

the Steuben Festivals served to build favor-

able public support for beleaguered Ger-

—53—

GENERAL VON STEUBEN IN D.C._____

man-Americans. The events were popular

with the general public and boosted Ger-

man-American prestige. They also served as

fundraisers to collect money to commission

a statue.

During the Civil War, German-Ameri-

can militia units in Washington City and

many German-Americans serving as sol-

diers in the Union Army brought further

credit to local ethnic Germans. In recogni-

tion of this service as well as the positive

and productive roles played by German-

Americans in general, the nation's highest

officials, including Presidents Grant and

Taft, cabinet officers, Congressional lead-

ers, together with other high officials, were

willing to attend dedication ceremonies for

Steuben monuments in the city. The dedica-

tion of the Steuben statue in Lafayette Park

next to the White House was the high point

because its symbolism went beyond the city

to have national as well as international

implications.

The high tide for German-Americans

in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century

America was short-lived. The high spirits

and goodwill of those days were quickly

dampened by the two World Wars. The pos-

itive symbolism of Steuben proved power-

less against the negative impact of those

wars on Germans and German-Americans.

The sad saga of the Steuben statue in

Schützen Park seems to mirror the down-

ward spiral of German-American prestige.

Once the largest ethnic group in

America—widely respected and ad-

mired—German-Americans are now possi-

bly the least well-known major ethnic group

and are struggling with little success to

regain a visible place in current American

society.

— Bradford W. Miller

Silver Spring, Maryland

—54—

John McAuley Palmer, General Von Steuben,

(Port Washington: Kennikat, 1966) 238.

Palmer, 238.

Clifton Fadiman, ed. The Little,Brown Book of

Anecdotes (Boston: Little,Brown & Co.,

1985), 221.

Palmer, 315.

Laurence F. Schmeckebier, History of the

Know Nothing Party in Maryland, (Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins UP, 1899) 47ff (Schmeckebier

cites the arguments of T.S.Baker's "Lenau and

Young Germany in America")

Dieter Cunz, The Maryland Germans,

(Princeton: Princeton UP, 1948) 281-282.

Evening Star, 20 September 1859: 3.

Evening Star, 13 May 1870: 3.

Proceedings Upon the Unveiling of the Statue

of Baron von Steuben, (Washington, DC, GPO,

1912) 49-51.

The following is quoted from the Society's

website <http://www.pasocietyofthecincinnati.

org/ Cinnweb/SOC/1-1-lmain.asp>:

The General Society of the Cincinnati was

founded in May, 1783, at the Verplank house,

Fishkill, New York, by Continental Army offi-

cers who fought in the American Revolution.

This was before the Treaty of Peace was signed

and before the British evacuated New York.

The Honorable Major General Baron von

Steuben, being the senior officer, presided at

the organizational meetings. Within 12

months, Constituent Societies were established

in the 13 original states and in France under the

auspices of the General Society of the

Cincinnati. Of the 5,500 officers who were eli-

gible to join, about 2,150 did so. George

Washington was elected the first President

General of the Society in December 1783 until

his death in 1799. He was succeeded by

Alexander Hamilton.

The Society is named for Lucius Quintus

Cincinnatus, a Roman farmer of the Fifth

Century B.C,

who, like Washington, was called

from his fields to lead his country's army in

battle. Cincinnatus, as did Washington,

returned from war a triumphant leader,

declined honors, and went back to his farm.

Washington, as did Cincinnatus, lived up to the

Society's Motto: "He gave up everything to

serve the republic."

Notes

General Baron von Steuben