(Transcript of presentation by Professor Pride - Link below the text)
Three years into the American Revolutionary War and their fight against Britain for independence, the American armies were losing massively.
They were extremely low on discipline, morale and even food.
They were about to lose the entire war and General George Washington knew this. And that's why he enlisted the help of Benjamin Franklin.
These two men would later go on to become two of the founding fathers of the United States, and one of them, George Washington, even became our first ever president.
But when they were losing the revolution, Benjamin Franklin recommended that Washington hire a Prussian man by the name of Baron Friedrich von Steuben.
And you've most likely never heard of the Baron, but he is credited with leading the American soldiers to win the United States Revolutionary War.
He was largely erased from American history books not because he was Prussian, but instead it was because he was gay. Homosexuality in the American Revolutionary War was largely tolerated.
Baron joined the Prussian military when he was just 17 years old and soon became the personal aide to Frederick the Great.
He had what many considered to be a promising career, but then was suddenly dismissed from the Prussian military in 1763.
While circumstances could vary, his dismissal is believed to have been because the army found out that Baron was gay.
He then went from job to job working for very minimal amounts just to live on.
He applied for a job in another military position and again was denied because rumours circulated from him being gay.
After this point, Baron chose to flee his homeland while simultaneously the Americans were looking for a new leader to help them win their revolution.
So when Benjamin Franklin recommended Baron because of his promising military experience, George Washington accepted the recommendation and hired Baron to be the Inspector General.
In his new position, Baron taught the army more efficient fighting techniques and helped instil discipline in the ranks.
His contributions won the United States the Revolution, and some of his drill manuals are still used in today's U S military.
After winning the war, Baron was such a trusted advisor to George Washington that he even became his chief of staff and was granted US citizenship.
But the most shocking part of the story is that both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin knew Baron was gay and hired him anyway.
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