Post a Comment. There is literally not room in this article to list all the facts that point to a practice of homosexuality on the part of von Steuben. At the end of the plus-page bio, Kapp writes, "Steuben was never married. It seems, however, that he met with disappointment in early life.

The Revolutionary War Hero Who Was Openly Gay



Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben | Gay, Straight, or Hero?
Table of Contents. But people were charged with the crime of sodomy. During the years of the Spanish Inquisition, the total number of "heretics" burned at the stake totaled nearly 32, He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines. In Germay, in , he was alleged to be homosexual and was accused of improper sexual behavior with young boys. Whether or not Steuben was actually intimate with other men is not entirely known, but the rumors compelled him to seek employment elsewhere.


Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
King Frederick the Great of Prussia. Gradually advancing up the ranks, by Brigade Major von Steuben was serving as the staff captain and aide-de-camp to Frederick the Great. After many years of service and having reached the rank of Captain, von Steuben's career was ruined by a General named Anhalt. Von Steuben was soon threatened with prosecution for his homosexuality, and was forced to leave Germany.



Thirteen disparate and mutually suspicious colonies were not yet one unified and disciplined force. The army desperately needed training and, in Paris, Benjamin Franklin found the one man he believed could save them: Baron Friedrich von Steuben. Steuben was a particularly valuable aide to the greatest military genius of his era, King Frederick II of Prussia.