#August Heinrich

[diioonysus]

me when i have to work to make money & live

[oldpaintings]

The Bacchanal by August Heinrich Riedel (German 1799--1883)

[pub-lius]

Why don't you have any detailed posts about Steuben smh do better

AW FUCK NO MY REPUTATION!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE THE GAY HISTORY PERSON IF I DONT HAVE A DETAILED POST ABOUT STEUBEN!!!! i have to fix this...

Early Life

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Baron de Steuben was born on September 17, 1730 in Prussia. He joined the Prussian army at the age of 17, so he got a real early start.

Note: I've written his name here as "Baron de Steuben", as this name is from a French record, however he is typically referred to as "Baron von Steuben", as "von" is the translation of "de" from French to Prussian, and they both mean "of" in English. I just wanted to clarify that for the sake of my own linguistically correct sanity

Steuben began his service in the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War if you're a dirty European) as a second lieutenant, and was then wounded at the Battle of Prague, a Prussian victory. Then, he joined General Johann von Mayer's adjutant and principle staff officer in a special detached corps.

Then, he was promoted to first lieutenant and wounded AGAIN at the Battle of Kunersdorf, which was a Russian and Austrian victory. He was then transferred to general headquarters as a staff officer in the position of deputy quartermaster (this is important!!).

He was taken prisoner when Major General von Knoblock surrendered at Treptow, and was released after a year in 1762. He was promoted to captain and then became an aide-de-camp to Frederick the Great, which is as metal as it gets. He joined the King's class on the art of war, where he learned even more super cool military leadership skills.

Life Between Wars

Steuben met St. Germain in Hamburg (a notoriously great place to meet people). If you aren't in the know like I clearly am, St. Germain would eventually be the French Minister of War during the American Revolution. They'd meet again in France when Steuben was serving as Grand Marshall to the Prince of Hollenzollern-Hechingen, and if that sounds made up to you, it's because you don't even know him like I do.

Steuben continued looking for military work, but those European assholes (the British, French, and Austrians) rejected my man for no good reason (probably because he was gay or something). It was during his stay in France where he heard of the rowdy Americans across the pond.

St. Germain introduced Baron von Steuben to Silas fucking Deane and Benjamin "Slim Shady" Franklin, but they weren't able to promise Steuben anything but some regurgitated American propaganda, since, by this time, they were already getting yelled at by Congress and Washington for allowing too many incompetent Frenchmen into the Continental Army. They told him that the only way he could assist in the American fight for independence would be to go to America and present himself as a volunteer to Congress (like Lafayette ended up having to do).

This obviously pissed off Steuben since he was actually experienced trying to get a job, because its not fun being an overqualified, unemployed gay man in 18th century Europe. But still, he settled for being a volunteer, and set out for America, his passage being paid for by the French government.

WHAT THE FUCK IS A KILOMETERRRRRRR

Steuben traveled to America with his Italian greyhound, Azor, and his two assistants, Louis de Pontiere (ADC) and Pierre Ettienne Duponceau (military secretary). They arrived in New Hampshire on December 1, 1777. They were almost arrested upon arrival because Steuben had a blond moment and mistakenly dressed them in red uniforms instead of blue. They traveled through Boston to York, Pennyslvania, arriving on February 5, 1778.

In Steuben's letter of recommendation, Franklin mistranslated Steuben's rank to "His Excellency, Lieutenant General von Steuben, Apostle of Frederick the Great", which made him seem way more distinguished than he was. As a result, he was presented a much higher rank by Congress.

Steuben was ordered to report to Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge, where he arrived on February 23, 1778, and was described by a soldier as "a perfect personification of Mars."

Steuben's good first impression also had an effect on Washington, who appointed him temporary Inspector General, and it was in this position that he had his largest impact on American history, and changed the course of the war

Why Every Army Should Have Gay People, An Essay by Publius

Baron von Steuben began his transformation of the Continental Army by writing training drills, overriding the regional trainings of the state militias into a unified and universal regimen. There was a significant language barrier, however, as Steuben originally wrote the drills in French, which were then translated into English by Duponceau, John Laurens, and Alexander Hamilton. Then, they were given to the brigade inspectors, who made the copies which were then copied to be delivered to each officer. There was definitely a more efficient way to do this, but you know. It was also Valley Forge.

General Washington's Life Guard and some men from each state (totalling around 120 men) were used as a model to show the rest of the army how they were supposed to go through the drills. As they trained and demonstrated the drills, Steuben was writing new ones, only a few days ahead, which is a massive time crunch. This was done intentionally to make the drills as simple as he could, so the training of the army was dispersed in a rapid, orderly fashion. This man was a genius, I can't emphasize it enough.

The officers in the British army, which was the standard for Americans in many respects, would allow the sergeants to drill the men, but Steuben said fuck that, I'm gonna do it myself. This made many American officers uncomfortable because the men developed a bond with him because of how talented he was (and the fact that he was funny and used profanity in multiple languages), and along with the fact that Steuben's office seemingly had no limitations, this caused them to complain to the big boss, Washington. To make them feel better, Washington issued orders on June 15, 1778 to govern the Inspector General's office until further word from Congress.

The reformed Continental Army showed off their swag on May 6, 1778 when they celebrated the news of the Franco-American Alliance, which impressed soldiers, officers, and civilians. More happy news came when Steuben was given his commission from the Congress as Inspector General, with the rank of Major General.

It was at the Battle of Monmouth when the new training of the Continental Army was able to take what would have been a losing battle for the Americans to a technical draw. Steuben was actually almost killed/taken prisoner (depending on the mood of the British) during this battle because he was wearing so many metals of honor that he glimmered in the sunlight, and was spotted by the British. He was fine, though.

General von Steuben went to Philadelphia in the winter of 1778-79 to write his book of regulations, referred to as The Blue Book. Lieutenant Colonel Francois de Fleury, a volunteer, assisted in writing it. It was with the assistance of ~Benjamin Walker~ and Duponceau that the blue book was translated into English, which is why we know Walker as being important! And the fact that he and Steuben totally boned! Anyway, Captain Pierre Charles L'Enfant was illustrated it, and the book was used all the way until 1814.

After the war

General von Steuben rejoined the Continental Army in April of 1779 to serve through the end of the war. He was an instructor and supply officer for General Nathanael Greene's southern army from the beginning of the southern campaign until Yorktown. Steuben commanded one of three divisions in the Continentals at Yorktown. He assisted in demobilizing the army in 1783, and resigned his commission in 1784, which is actually the latest I've heard of a Continental General resigning his commission!

Steuben continuously petitioned Congress for financial compensation for mesothelioma (not really) and fuck ass Congress only gave him a part of what he was owed, which was pretty typical. But! New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia all gave him land grants, which he sold portions off to have enough money to live. So, he retired from NYC to his land holdings to live the remainder of his life.

Oh, and fun fact, Steuben was present at one of the riots in New York that Alexander Hamilton tried to stop, and they both had bricks thrown at them. It might have been the Cadaver Riots, but I could be wrong since I didn't feel like double checking.

Steuben never married, and instead lived with Benjamin Walker for a long period of time. He died on his 16,000 acre farm tract in the Mohawk Valley of New York on November 28, 1794.

Homosexuality

The source I used for this does not mention his homosexuality at all, but I'm going to, because the last thing you'll ever see me do is pretend like gay people didn't exist or are "unprofessional" to talk about in history.

If you say that Alexander Hamilton was gay, you have to say Steuben was, and vice versa. Rumors of homosexuality followed Steuben from Europe all the way to America, and play a large role in why he relocated many times, and never seemed to have a permanent home until the end of his life. This was a form of unofficial exile that many queer people faced in times where their existence was illegal. As soon as your name was associated with possible homosexuality, you couldn't get comfortable anywhere.

But von Steuben wasn't brought down by this, and you've gotta respect that. He threw elaborate parties starting almost as soon as he arrived at the Continental Army. If you're new to the amrev community here, this is what we mean by "flaming shot/pantless parties", because they had shots of liquor that they would light on fire, and in order to get in, at least part of your breeches had to have been missing. While straight men did attend these parties, the subtext in discussions about them seem to imply that they were also a gathering place for queer men.

These parties continued, and some familiar faces were there, such as Duponceau, Walker Hamilton, Laurens, and, later on, Charles Adams. However, I'm not going to speculate on who was fucking who, though it has been largely accepted by historians that General von Steuben and Benjamin Walker were lovers, and I personally think there is substantial evidence to support this when you align their personal correspondence with the close proximity they maintained throughout their lives.

General von Steuben is a figure that is very important to many queer people as a conspicuous queer man in history who had an undeniable impact on the course of American history. Portrayals of Steuben in media typically disregard this, however more and more biographers are discussing his homosexuality and the significance it plays in queer history. So, I'll end this post by saying this: Steuben is just as significant in American history as he is in Queer history, and it is irresponsible to pretend like he isn't.

Source:

National Park Service- Valley Forge

British Battles.com- Battle of Kunersdorf

George Washington's Indispensable Men by Arthur S. Lefkowitz

John Laurens and the American Revolution by Gregory D. Massey

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Anyway, thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about Steuben lol. I didn't previously know much about his life before the American Revolution, so I was very happy to learn. I actually bought a biography about him not long ago, The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: The Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army by Paul Lockhart, but I haven't read it yet. If anyone has, pls let me know if it's good or not. After Massey and Chernow, I'm practically on my hands and knees begging for a male author to treat queer history seriously. Anyway, thank you for the ask! I'm going to go watch the george washington mini series for steuben content

[emeraldotter]

Which two of your characters are the most deserving and least deserving of head pats?

So... I found this question somewhat tricky. I considered it from a couple of angles, when trying to think of the "most deserving." I think August would be the more pleasant to head pat, but Felix is certainly the most morally deserving.

On the other hand, Atticus is a one-boy trauma machine, so maybe he could most handily use the head pats? I'm really not sure. Either way, it's probably one of those three.

As for who is "least deserving..."

No contest: None of them! They are all deserving of head pats. Heinrich may, on paper, not deserve head pats by virtue of being one of the messiest murgs in existence, but he desperately needs them. As for Yetz, yes, he will certainly bite the hand that pats him, but I really want to head pat him, so... Head pats for all, I suppose.

[osc-piastri]

before going to bed here r the ways some of my ocs could be connected (keyword: could. i fear for the reality of some of these)

jethro was adopted by atítlan royalty at some point. idk. maybe it became a thing that he won consecutively a couple years at the circuit there and the royal family “took him in” and tayen goes to races bc they’re a HUGE f1 fan so ofc they’ll come along. esp if it means meeting some of their faves. this however does often limit them to the red bull garage. but it’s okay. jethro is somewhere on the faves list

vera and inez were teammates in f3. they, however, did not speak too much and it was only for one season before vera moved up into f2 and inez stayed in f3 for another year.

this. this is the one i’m hesitant to say. but i think vera and konrad would have hooked up before. DONT ASK ME HOW IT HAPPENED. it might’ve been at an f2 afterparty and they were both there. vera did not know who he was there for and konrad did not know about the rivalry until the next morning when cormac expressed disgust at how reporters were fawning over vera in an article. konrad has not and will not ever bring this night up. vera does not care enough to recognize him off the bat

not a close connection like the others but i think ginny is alara’s favorite artist <3 def made the top 3 in her spotify wrapped (maybe was the top artist one year) and i think it def makes her feel old seeing ginny’s success when she’s like. a few years older n still trying to reach success

henry was invited to a race by mercedes and became unexpected friends with alexius. i think they both communicate in german away from the cameras. not my oc but he’s a huge harley rossi fan. i think he sees elias in him, in some ways.

finley has both taken in strays and brought donations (food, blankets, etc) to the shelter august works at and because of her frequent trips to the shelter they’ve gotten to a pretty good stage of knowing one another. it’s definitely not like Super friendly like they’d hang out in another setting but they will update each other on little happenings since finley last came around and will say hello if they DO happen to see each other out n about

yeah okay that’s it i’m eepy. if i think of others i’ll post them another time

[flowers-and-fichte]

Schlegel: Fighting with my brother about which fruit would win if they were sentient and could fight.

Kleist: Obviously pineapple.

Achim: Except coconut would kick its ass...

Heine: Uh...have you seen a durian before?

Schiller: Dragonfruit is the obvious right answer.

Goethe: That's ridiculous. Pomegranate is known as "grenade" in many languages, e.g. "grenade" in French, "grenade apple" in Swedish...

Bettine: Grapefruit, duh.

Fichte: Obviously the kiwi, as it's the only fruit that can fly. I mean, how would you even fight back?

Humboldt: But kiwis don't fly. Neither the birds nor the fruit.

Tieck: Tomato obviously. It would be hanging out with the vegetables and no one would notice until the other fruits kill each other off, then it swoops in and claims victory.

Brentano: Pumpkins are pretty tough.

Eichendorff: Jackfruit. Have you ever seen those fuckers?

Kleist: CAN'T YOU SEE FRUIT VS. FRUIT BATTLES ARE TEARING US ALL APART?!?!?!?!?!

*everyone arguing*

Novalis: Grapes.

*everyone stops and looks in Novalis's direction*

Novalis: What? They're like a...little...purple...gang.

[kriegsabstieg]

Adolf Hitler in Berlin at the ceremony for Horst Wessel in the Nikolaifriedhof with Joseph Goebbels and Prince Auwi

[randomberlinchick]

A Few Thoughts on National Identity

I spent a good chunk of my adult life researching the concept of national identity. I was particularly interested in how German national identity is manifested in various forms of media, such as film and music. So I suppose it was with a sense of having come full circle, that I found myself sitting in a room with about 15 other people yesterday taking the German citizenship test.* I think all of that needs to be properly unpacked, but not just yet.

For the moment, here is my musical offering for the day. Suffice it to say that her performance of the German national anthem gives me goosebumps. Simply beautiful!

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit für das deutsche Vaterland! Danach lasst uns alle streben brüderlich mit Herz und Hand! Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit sind des Glückes Unterpfand: |: Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes, blühe, deutsches Vaterland! :|

*I'll get the results in about 8 weeks . . . thanks German bureaucracy!

[yr-obedt-cicero]

John Laurens's breeches dilemma

“As to the situation of our army, suffice it to say, that we were in want of provisions, of clothing, of fodder for our horses, in short, of everything. I remember seeing the soldiers popping their heads out of their miserable huts, and calling out, in an under tone, ‘No bread, no soldier.’ Their condition was truly pitiful, and their courage and their perseverance beyond all praise. Who lived in good quarters did not feel the misery of the times so much as the common soldiers and the subaltern officers, yet we had more than once to share our rations with the sentry at our door.... Once, with the Baron's permission, his aids invited a number of young officers to dine at our quarters, on condition that none should be admitted who had on a whole pair of breeches. This was, of course, understood as pars pro toto, but torn clothes were an indispensable requisite for admission, and in this the guests were very sure not to fail. The dinner took place. The guests clubbed their rations, and we feasted sumptuously on tough beefsteak and potatoes, with hickory nuts for our dessert. Instead of wine, we had some kind of spirits, with which we made Sala-manders, that is to say, after filling our glasses, we set the liquor on fire, and drunk it up, flame and all. Such a set of ragged, and at the same time, merry fellows, were never brought together. The baron loved to speak of that dinner, and of his sans culottes,' as he called us. Thus this denomination was first invented in America, and applied to the brave officers and soldiers of our revolutionary army.”

(source — Notes and Queries)

So, basically when Baron Von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge in the February of 1778, he tried to make light of the terrible conditions by hosting what is famously known as the “flaming shots pantless party”. Where a bunch of young officers and aide de camps got inebriated off of flaming shots, and either came pantless, or everyone else would forcibly remove the other's pants. Pretty gay.

Additionally; sansculotte (sans-culotte), was a French term for “without knee breeches”.

Anyway, just a little later John Laurens writes to his father from the Headquarters of Valley Forge;

“My dear Father_

I have barely time to thank you for your kind favor of the 18th. and the pleasure of Baron Stubens acquaintance, nothing that depends on me shall be wanting to make his Stay in Camp agreeable, and if he enters into Service to make myself useful to him. I deplore the misfortune of Charles Town if it has fallen upon Individuals of moderate fortune;_ if it affects only a number of rich men & will contribute to bring equalizing estates I shall not regret it. Garçon being masculine, requires un the article to be of the same gender, therefore une which is feminine makes a false concord, take away the e final and make it un, all will be right_

I am, my Dear Father / ever your affectionate and dutiful

John Laurens”

(source — From John Laurens to Henry Laurens [February 24, 1778])

But then, he also adds rather embarrassedly that he is dire need of some new breeches;

“I have but one pair of breeches that are wearable. If James can possibly procure me some white cloth to reinforce me in this article, it will be of great service to me_”

Hmmm, what happened to your breeches there, Laurens.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Prince August Wilhelm Heinrich Günther Viktor of Prussia and Princess Alexandra Viktoria Auguste Leopoldine Charlotte Amalie Wilhelmine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg with their son Prince Alexander Ferdinand Albrecht Achilles Wilhelm Joseph Viktor Karl Feodor of Prussia

German vintage postcard

[calcedon79]

The joys of being a parent

I have to have a little bit of a rant now.

Sometimes children are …. aaaach! 😤

Son (9) casually mentions that they are writing a test tomorrow.

I ask what about?

A bit about Germany.

Ah okaay. And since when do you know that?

Since a week ago. (Great! 🤦‍♀️)

(Oops, forgot. Sorry, mom.)

I look up what they are supposed to learn and the result is:

- all 16 federal states with their capitals,

- all 9 neighboring countries with their capitals,

- the three largest rivers, lakes and mountains in the country (and where to find them on the map),

- the names of the Federal Chancellor and Federal President and how long they've been in office,

- who wrote the lyrics and melody of the national anthem

- and three famous sights in our federal state.

Of course, he must be able to spell all of this correctly, otherwise points will be deducted.

Child! And you couldn't have thought of that a bit earlier? 😓

That was a very fun afternoon, I tell you!

[diioonysus]

cats + art

[yunidraws]

Embracing being cringe and being free, so here's some Genshin-based OC x canon stuff ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[justineportraits]

August Heinrich Niedmann Gedankenverloren (Lost in thought) ca. 1910

[gogmstuff]

It’s the 1830s (from top to bottom) -

ca. 1832 La M. de la Corsets lithograph by ?. From tumblr.com/historical-fashion-devotee 1629X2048 @72 2.6Mj.

Harriet Mill by ? (National Portrait Gallery - London, UK). From Wikimedia 2400X2936 @72 2.2Mj.

1833-1834 Anna Maria Bischoff by Heinrich Beltz (private collection). From tumblr.com/baroque-beauty-24/700737029128044544/history-of-fashion-1833-1834-heinrich-henri; fixed flaws & spots w Pshop 2041X2575 @72 2Mj.

1835 Lady in an elegant dress by Auguste Alexis Canzi (auctioned by Dorotheum). From tumblr.com/historical-fashion-devotee 829X1077 @72 175kj.

[bauerntanz]

Landtag beschmiert

An die Fassade des Landtags in Hannover ist Samstagnacht mit roter Farbe großformatig der Schriftzug „Free Gaza“ angebracht worden. Auch weitere Teile des Gebäudes seien „mit politischen Parolen und Symbolen einer radikal-islamistischen Terrororganisation beschmiert“ worden, erklärte Landtagspräsidentin Hanna Naber (SPD). „Ich verurteile diese Tat auf das Schärfste.“ Die Polizei habe Spuren…