| Book Reviews | The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 133.2

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the Pennsylvania Magazine of History online. About 140 words from this article are provided below; about 356 words remain.

If you are an individual member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, you can:: • join here.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Pennsylvania Magazine of History.
Instititutions can:: • Join the Society or subscribe to the journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Reviews | The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 133.2 | The History Cooperative

BOOK REVIEWS

The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army. By Paul Lockhart. (New York: HarperCollins, 2008. 377 pp. Illustrations, notes, index. $27.95.)

A new look at Baron Friedrich von Steuben is long overdue. The last serious biography appeared in 1937. In Paul Lockhart, the Baron has found an ideal chronicler. Lockart's background in European history—a subject he teaches at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio—enables him to sketch Steuben's German years and dismiss several myths. Steuben did not "invent" his noble birth or his title; he was eminently entitled to a "von" or "de" before his name. "Baron" was a legitimate term for those elevated to the Order of Fidelity, a version of knighthood which enabled Steuben to wear a spectacular eight-pointed star on his dress uniform.

. . .

There are about 356 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.