Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States facts for kids

The Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States is an important American army book from the American Revolutionary War. People often called it the Blue Book. It taught soldiers how to train and act like a proper army.

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a skilled military officer, wrote the first version of this book in 1777 and 1778. He wrote it while the army was at Valley Forge. Important leaders like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton helped him. Other officers from the Continental Army also gave their ideas. Von Steuben then updated the book a year later.

Why the Blue Book Was Needed

During the cold winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, von Steuben noticed a problem. He was the Acting Inspector General, which meant he checked how the army was doing. He saw that different officers were teaching their soldiers different ways to drill. Drills are practice exercises for soldiers, like marching or using weapons.

Using different drills was confusing. Soldiers might not know what to do in a real battle. Von Steuben realized the army needed one clear way to train everyone.

How the Blue Book Was Created

Von Steuben wrote new drills for the entire army. He first wrote them in French. Then, his helper, Pierre Ettienne Duponceau, translated them into English. George Washington's helpers, Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens, also helped with the translation.

General George Washington would read the new drills. He would suggest changes to make them better. The team gave each lesson to the officers one by one. The officers and their helpers then made their own copies of the lessons. After that, von Steuben and the officers would use these new drills to train the soldiers.

Publishing the Book

The next year, in Philadelphia, von Steuben gathered all his Valley Forge drills into one book. He wrote this full book in French. Lieutenant Colonel Francois de Fleury helped him.

Then, Captain Benjamin Walker and Duponceau translated the whole book into English. Captain Pierre Charles L'Enfant drew all the pictures for the book. These pictures showed soldiers how to do the drills correctly.

The Blue Book's Impact

The American Congress decided to officially use the Blue Book starting in 1779. This meant it became the standard training guide for the entire American military. Soldiers used the Blue Book for many years. It helped train American soldiers until 1814.