Von Steuben and the German Contribution to the American Revolution: A Selective Bibliography by Margrit B. Krewson (Washington: Library of Congress, 1987) is a curated research guide rather than a narrative history. It compiles and organizes scholarly works, primary sources, and archival references relating to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben and the broader role of German participants in the American Revolutionary War.
The bibliography centers on Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who served in the Continental Army and played a key role in training and professionalizing American troops at Valley Forge. Krewson’s work situates von Steuben within the wider context of German involvement in the conflict, including both volunteer officers and auxiliary troops from states such as the Electorate of Hesse who served under British command.
The guide is structured thematically, covering categories such as military training, biographies, regimental histories, archival collections, and studies of German-American relations during the Revolutionary period. It includes both older historiography and more recent academic work up to the late 20th century, making it a reference tool for researchers rather than a interpretive study.
A major focus is the distinction between different forms of German participation: professional officers like von Steuben who joined the Continental Army voluntarily, and the subsidized auxiliary forces (“Hessians”) contracted by Britain. The bibliography reflects scholarly interest in comparing these two contributions to the American military effort.
Produced by the Library of Congress, the work reflects institutional efforts to systematize research resources on Revolutionary War studies. It is intended to support academic inquiry by providing a structured entry point into a wide and dispersed body of literature on German-American military connections in the 18th century.
