Second-Most Indispensable Hero of the American Revolution Was Gay: Baron von Steuben

Benjamin Franklin recruited Baron von Steuben to help train the American militia, fully aware of rumors of von Steuben’s homosexuality. A Prussian military genius, he trained George Washington’s bedraggled militia at Valley Forge, molding it into a powerful force that, to everyone’s amazement, fought the mighty British to a draw at the Battle of Monmouth. Many historians consider him to be the second-most-indispensable hero of the American Revolution after Washington. In fact, von Steuben’s ideas and techniques remained the foundation of the U.S. military for 150 years. Read more…

So those “patriots” who want to return to what our Founding Fathers had intended for our country might want to rethink their attitudes towards gays — especially in the military. We might be under British rule today had it not been for Baron von Steuben’s help during the American Revolution.

Tags: American Revolution