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Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben
A graphic novel biography of Baron von Steuben, the soldier, immigrant, and flamboyant homosexual who influenced the course of US history during the Revolutionary War despite being omitted from our textbooks
In this graphic novel biography, author Josh Trujillo and illustrator Levi Hastings tell the true story of one of the most important, but largely forgotten, military leaders of the American Revolution, Baron Von Steuben, who brought much-needed knowledge to the inexperienced and ill-prepared Continental Army. As its first Inspector General, Von Steuben created an organizational framework for the US military, which included writing the Blue Book guide that became the standard for training American soldiers for more than a century.
Von Steuben was also, by all accounts, a flamboyant homosexual in an era when the term didn’t even exist. Beginning with Von Steuben’s career in the Prussian Army, Trujillo explores his recruitment by Benjamin Franklin, his work alongside General George Washington at the Battle of Valley Forge, and his eventual decline into obscurity. In Washington’s Gay General , Trujillo and Hastings impart both the intricacies of queer history and the importance of telling stories that highlight queer experiences.
In this graphic novel biography, author Josh Trujillo and illustrator Levi Hastings tell the true story of one of the most important, but largely forgotten, military leaders of the American Revolution, Baron Von Steuben, who brought much-needed knowledge to the inexperienced and ill-prepared Continental Army. As its first Inspector General, Von Steuben created an organizational framework for the US military, which included writing the Blue Book guide that became the standard for training American soldiers for more than a century.
Von Steuben was also, by all accounts, a flamboyant homosexual in an era when the term didn’t even exist. Beginning with Von Steuben’s career in the Prussian Army, Trujillo explores his recruitment by Benjamin Franklin, his work alongside General George Washington at the Battle of Valley Forge, and his eventual decline into obscurity. In Washington’s Gay General , Trujillo and Hastings impart both the intricacies of queer history and the importance of telling stories that highlight queer experiences.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
January 26, 2024
Outstanding graphic non-fiction about Baron von Steuben, a gay Prussian who came to America and helped win the Revolutionary War. The story's amazing because author Trujillo doesn't sugar coat von Steuben's life, or the lives of people like George Washington either. He also inserts himself into the story, comparing today with the late 1700's. Great way to learn history and realize how we can piece together queer stories from the past in a genuinely satisfying and honest way. I've often said adult graphic novels are a wonderful way to quickly digest a piece of history. We need more books like Washington's Gay General.
September 25, 2023
3.5 stars. It was interesting, but I was anticipating a novel and not a biography. I had a little bit of a hard time differentiating the characters bc of the art style. The interruptions of the narrative so the authors could disclaim that von Steuben did morally dubious things felt a little out of place, though I agree it was probably necessary to have them in there. Ultimately, the real power of the book is from the sense of time and place that comes from reading queer history
July 21, 2023
While everyone else was busy theorizing about Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens, Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings were captivated by the story of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military strategist--and kind of a con man, tbh--who played a pivotal role in the American Revolutionary War. Washington's Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben is the expansion of Trujillo's much shorter comic at The Nib and is a much more thorough biography supplemented with author commentary, historical context and the inclusion of other figures of the time.
Baron von Steuben grew up poor in a highly military culture and as a highly ambitious and crafty man, he sought fame and fortune through military prowess and social climbing. He was also, in modern parlance, Super Gay.
This graphic biography is engaging and nuanced, with dynamic illustrations, fascinating bits of history and a writing style that fits solidly in the "edutainment" category.
While the focus is on von Steuben, the creators highlight several other queer figures of the time, from royals to soldiers to seamstresses. They also try, somewhat awkwardly at times, to make sure readers don't forget that the entire American Experiment was only possible by the intentional, systematic, brutal destruction of Native bodies and culture and the enslavement of millions of Black people. We are reminded that Washington was an enslaver and that he dragged at least one of the people he enslaved around with him during the war.
"The atrocities of Washington and his allies were well-known and celebrated. He built his reputation on it! Washington was given the grim nickname of "Town Destroyer" for his success in suppressing Native peoples. This was the bloody New World von Steuben was heading into."
We also learn that though chattel slavery didn't exist in von Steuben's home country and he consistently felt like an outsider in the colonies, he quickly adopted the custom and enslaved at least one person.
And while the creators want to lift up this much-forgotten but influential queer man, they also discuss the problematic way he engaged with men and boys much younger than himself. At forty-seven, he was in a relationship with a seventeen year old and brought him to the colonies with him. That young man eventually moved on, married, and had children. We can only guess at the nature of their relationship, but it seems reasonable to conclude that both got something out of it and that von Steuben was aware that many or most of his lovers weren't especially in love with him. How do we reckon with the long history of gay men in relationships with much younger men and boys? The dynamics are different, but are those "Greek" customs necessarily any more problematic than say, Benjamin Franklin who was catting around through his 70's? Von Steuben seems a far cry from *shudder* Thomas Jefferson. Levels of fuckery, to be sure.
As with many other historical figures, the story of von Steuben's life is one of contradictions. How do we as readers and learners celebrate his successes as a Very Gay man and military leader in the 1700's while acknowledging the horrors he and his contemporaries perpetuated? Washington's Gay General is interesting in large part because it directly grapples with these questions and because the authors don't attempt to make von Steuben out as a hero. Yes, he wrote a military training manual that is still used to this day and played a decisive role in turning the war in favor of the colonies. He also lied constantly and sucked up to powerful figures in order to gain favor he hadn't earned. He was accused of sodomy and chased out of one country, but he also appears to have misused his power to surround himself with men who'd sleep with him. He enslaved at least one person. He also died poor and mostly alone.
Queer history is complicated. It's rarely recorded in church records and often intentionally hidden. Washington's Gay General is an interesting book on its own, but placed in context it becomes something really heartening. I hope we can keep the stories told within in mind as we face yet another wave of homophobic, transphobic and anti-free speech rhetoric in the country von Steuben fought so hard to create.
***
Washington's Gay General releases on August 15, 2023. I received a digital copy from the publisher for review.
Baron von Steuben grew up poor in a highly military culture and as a highly ambitious and crafty man, he sought fame and fortune through military prowess and social climbing. He was also, in modern parlance, Super Gay.
This graphic biography is engaging and nuanced, with dynamic illustrations, fascinating bits of history and a writing style that fits solidly in the "edutainment" category.
While the focus is on von Steuben, the creators highlight several other queer figures of the time, from royals to soldiers to seamstresses. They also try, somewhat awkwardly at times, to make sure readers don't forget that the entire American Experiment was only possible by the intentional, systematic, brutal destruction of Native bodies and culture and the enslavement of millions of Black people. We are reminded that Washington was an enslaver and that he dragged at least one of the people he enslaved around with him during the war.
"The atrocities of Washington and his allies were well-known and celebrated. He built his reputation on it! Washington was given the grim nickname of "Town Destroyer" for his success in suppressing Native peoples. This was the bloody New World von Steuben was heading into."
We also learn that though chattel slavery didn't exist in von Steuben's home country and he consistently felt like an outsider in the colonies, he quickly adopted the custom and enslaved at least one person.
And while the creators want to lift up this much-forgotten but influential queer man, they also discuss the problematic way he engaged with men and boys much younger than himself. At forty-seven, he was in a relationship with a seventeen year old and brought him to the colonies with him. That young man eventually moved on, married, and had children. We can only guess at the nature of their relationship, but it seems reasonable to conclude that both got something out of it and that von Steuben was aware that many or most of his lovers weren't especially in love with him. How do we reckon with the long history of gay men in relationships with much younger men and boys? The dynamics are different, but are those "Greek" customs necessarily any more problematic than say, Benjamin Franklin who was catting around through his 70's? Von Steuben seems a far cry from *shudder* Thomas Jefferson. Levels of fuckery, to be sure.
As with many other historical figures, the story of von Steuben's life is one of contradictions. How do we as readers and learners celebrate his successes as a Very Gay man and military leader in the 1700's while acknowledging the horrors he and his contemporaries perpetuated? Washington's Gay General is interesting in large part because it directly grapples with these questions and because the authors don't attempt to make von Steuben out as a hero. Yes, he wrote a military training manual that is still used to this day and played a decisive role in turning the war in favor of the colonies. He also lied constantly and sucked up to powerful figures in order to gain favor he hadn't earned. He was accused of sodomy and chased out of one country, but he also appears to have misused his power to surround himself with men who'd sleep with him. He enslaved at least one person. He also died poor and mostly alone.
Queer history is complicated. It's rarely recorded in church records and often intentionally hidden. Washington's Gay General is an interesting book on its own, but placed in context it becomes something really heartening. I hope we can keep the stories told within in mind as we face yet another wave of homophobic, transphobic and anti-free speech rhetoric in the country von Steuben fought so hard to create.
***
Washington's Gay General releases on August 15, 2023. I received a digital copy from the publisher for review.
August 16, 2024
Rating this 3 stars, but it could have been a 4 or even 5 star book. I recommend this book, but it has some serious flaws. First, there are several factual mistakes in the book. For example, the author states that Baron von Steuben died at age 84, when it fact he was 64. Speaking of facts, there are many things we don't know about von Steuben's life and the people around him. Generally speaking, the author often lets us know that such-and-such a fact might not be the whole truth - that there might be more, or possibly LESS, than what is being presented - but it still felt sometimes that the book might be stretching things.
This brings me to the most important flaw of the book. There is a lot we don't know, and a lot of the historical record is missing. A lot of the history has been erased. What's a historian or author to do? Sift through what we do have, and make informed assertions and guesses based on the sources on hand. A better book would have provided those sources, so that the reader could then look for themselves and make their own conclusions, but there is not a scintilla of sources here, much less a bibliography. This would be bad enough in other books, but the author and the illustrator/collaborator are very earnest in retrieving lost history, in helping the LGBTQ+ community and other interested readers find the history that has been erased, so the lack of sources, the failure to provide them, either in this book and/or a dedicated web space, is especially egregious. Perhaps future editions will redress this and the other mistakes I've described.
This brings me to the most important flaw of the book. There is a lot we don't know, and a lot of the historical record is missing. A lot of the history has been erased. What's a historian or author to do? Sift through what we do have, and make informed assertions and guesses based on the sources on hand. A better book would have provided those sources, so that the reader could then look for themselves and make their own conclusions, but there is not a scintilla of sources here, much less a bibliography. This would be bad enough in other books, but the author and the illustrator/collaborator are very earnest in retrieving lost history, in helping the LGBTQ+ community and other interested readers find the history that has been erased, so the lack of sources, the failure to provide them, either in this book and/or a dedicated web space, is especially egregious. Perhaps future editions will redress this and the other mistakes I've described.
July 26, 2023
Wow, this book was amazing! I was blown away by the story of a historic figure I never would have realized was queer because of the omission in our history books. Trujillo did a fantastic job keeping this story entertaining and interesting, something I struggle with when reading historic period pieces; Trujillo brings in pieces of his own experience to put in conversation with the Baron’s, and it works so well. This book is so important and well done; I think every high school and library should have it on hand. Baron had many aspects of his life that were controversial, as was the time period, but he also lived his life as openly queer as possible— and that’s fascinating to read about. 5/5 stars and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys history or learning about queer figures.
January 7, 2024
A nifty biography of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben that fully claims him as a gay icon even as it lays out all his faults as a person. He was certainly a colorful figure, a military lifer who survived the Seven Years' War and became a key figure of the American Revolution by whipping George Washington's troops into shape.
Thankfully, this is not a dry history, as the author inserts himself in the telling to share his personal feelings about von Steuben and the all-too-spotty history of LGBTQIA+ people in America's story that often necessitates writers having to rely on conjecture as they build a narrative from scraps.
Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings previously worked together on a short story about von Steuben, "The American Revolution’s Greatest Leader Was Openly Gay," that is still available to read on The Nib and has been reprinted in the graphic anthology Be Gay, Do Comics. Now it serves as a nice trailer of sorts for this full-blown graphic novel.
Thankfully, this is not a dry history, as the author inserts himself in the telling to share his personal feelings about von Steuben and the all-too-spotty history of LGBTQIA+ people in America's story that often necessitates writers having to rely on conjecture as they build a narrative from scraps.
Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings previously worked together on a short story about von Steuben, "The American Revolution’s Greatest Leader Was Openly Gay," that is still available to read on The Nib and has been reprinted in the graphic anthology Be Gay, Do Comics. Now it serves as a nice trailer of sorts for this full-blown graphic novel.
January 5, 2024
By all means, I think you should read this book. But, it has its problems.
The art of this graphic novel is beautiful: approachable and informative. The von Steuben parts of the novel are interesting: shedding light on a person I'd never heard of before picking up the book. The incessant need for the author to place themselves in the novel and provide pages of personal narrative on queer existence is decidedly less effective. The forced woke history lessons along the way further detract from what was ostensibly supposed to be a book about "Washington's Gay General."
This books tries to achieve too much in its short 200 pages. An early editors note needed to be: More on von Steuben, less on other topics.
Overall, good but meandering. Three stars.
The art of this graphic novel is beautiful: approachable and informative. The von Steuben parts of the novel are interesting: shedding light on a person I'd never heard of before picking up the book. The incessant need for the author to place themselves in the novel and provide pages of personal narrative on queer existence is decidedly less effective. The forced woke history lessons along the way further detract from what was ostensibly supposed to be a book about "Washington's Gay General."
This books tries to achieve too much in its short 200 pages. An early editors note needed to be: More on von Steuben, less on other topics.
Overall, good but meandering. Three stars.
November 13, 2023
Trujillo gives us a unique look at history; one we likely didn't learn in school. The two-tone illustrations are fun in their reminiscence of 1970s-era textbooks. The more modern autobiographical material on the book's creators may feel out-of-place to some readers, and a needed connection of von Steuben's very different times to our own to others.
April 26, 2024
I really enjoyed this but I have to knock a star for a lack of a bibliography or reference list.
Shelved as 'pause'
September 1, 2024the library loan expired and it won’t be back available for like six months
August 12, 2023
Deftly weaving biography, autobiography, and American, all in as few colors necessary, this is a must-read for history lovers and must-buy for libraries.
November 3, 2023
2.75
It was interesting, but also kind of schematic and too full of facts at the same time; too much of a non-fiction graphic novel, when some novelization might have made for a more thrilling reading, as Baron von Steuben is, for sure, a fascinating real-life character.
All in all, it won't stay in my memory for long as a work of art, but I indeed learned some good facts about queer history, and just history at large.
It was interesting, but also kind of schematic and too full of facts at the same time; too much of a non-fiction graphic novel, when some novelization might have made for a more thrilling reading, as Baron von Steuben is, for sure, a fascinating real-life character.
All in all, it won't stay in my memory for long as a work of art, but I indeed learned some good facts about queer history, and just history at large.
December 9, 2023
A really interesting history of a mostly forgotten Revolutionary War hero, Washington's Gay General covers the raucous life of Baron von Steuben. Yes, he's (almost certainly) a gay man who lived large, but he's also a key component of early America. Josh Trujillo covers both these topics very well, always being sure to include the momentous fact of Steuben's homosexuality alongside his accomplishments. Along the way, we meet numerous other (most likely) gay historical figures, a reminder that gay people have always existed.
Washington's Gay General is somewhat more interesting as a straightforward history book than as a pride read, but it definitely meets the desires of both markets. The artwork is clean and simple, the plot fast-paced and engaging. Certainly one of those books that makes you run to Wikipedia for a deeper dive.
Washington's Gay General is somewhat more interesting as a straightforward history book than as a pride read, but it definitely meets the desires of both markets. The artwork is clean and simple, the plot fast-paced and engaging. Certainly one of those books that makes you run to Wikipedia for a deeper dive.
October 1, 2023
Queer history is human history. Thank you Trujillo and Hastings for helping tell part of von Steuben's story. I want to read more about him and other queer people in history. I imagine this will inspire other readers as well.
I found this to be an engaging and enjoyable book. I recommend it.
I found this to be an engaging and enjoyable book. I recommend it.
September 13, 2023
I understand and applaud the thought behind this, but it was a miss. not very well-written and the graphic novel was an odd choice considering it was literally just exposition with pictures basically--like there was SO MUCH TEXT and just like little drawings that basically went alongside the text instead of text going along with pictures. some questionable things said in certain moments about slaves and pedophilia that kinda made it seem okay! meh.
September 24, 2023
This was a really good reading experience! The author tied in his own experiences as a gay man, how stories of queer people have been lost to time, silence, and purposeful destruction to the life story of General Von Steuben. Sometimes transitions felt clumsy to the point that I was convinced I had missed a page (I had not), but one thing I really liked is that the author did not suggest hero worship of Von Steuben just because he was queer. In fact, the author specifically calls out the character flaws of the general and warns against hero worship of this founding father or anything of them. Educational, informative, and worth a read!
November 5, 2023
4.5. History is drenched with messy, messy gays. And this guy? King daddy. In my opinion, when you decide to make a graphic biography (using pieces of prose and not dialogue), you better use the medium to your advantage. Tell a story with the art and panels and tell me why you chose that story. This book does just that. Von Steuben is fascinating, but more fascinating is the way the creators insert themselves and all of queer history into the story. I’m always enamored with the tragedy of the many queer stories lost to history’s straight-washing, but am always fulfilled finding stories of reclamation such as this one. A story about that reclamation itself.
Read
November 20, 2023Very interesting little biography of von Steuben, a Prussian soldier who helped train and lead the US Revolutionary army, despite not speaking English. And all the while quite openly sharing his quarters with a succession of young men. There is a statue of him on the capitol mall which even includes the names of two of his lovers from one of his "throuples".
I think it would be great to have a TV mini-series about early US history that includes such details that are left out of the usual stories. There are lots of strange stories that deserve to be better known.
I think it would be great to have a TV mini-series about early US history that includes such details that are left out of the usual stories. There are lots of strange stories that deserve to be better known.
November 20, 2023
Very disappointing. The artwork is half-assed; I don't know why there wasn't more variation in the palette (switching to b&w was used only once when there were multiple sequences where it would been appropriate and useful). The writing is dry, with an occasional joke that relies on gay stereotypes and the odd swear word that reads as misplaced. And the choice to force so many random queer characters into the story ruined what might have been an interesting narrative if more value had been placed on storytelling. This is supposedly a biography but the writers clearly wanted to write more broadly about lgbtq+ history so insist on blundering off in multiple directions instead of using the framework of vonStuben's life to get the point across.
February 8, 2024
This graphic biography of Baron von Steuben, one of Washington's generals, was recommended to me by another librarian, and looks at his life through the lens of him being gay. As always with history, because the labels we have today were not available, it can't be assumed 100% that he was gay, but it's clear from the evidence that it isn't a wild accusation. The fact that the men von Steuben lived with for years wrote about him so lovingly did mean something, and the authors include all the other reasons why they make this educated guess about his sexuality. Also included are very brief mentions of other historical figures who could have been queer, and bits of more modern history. Overall it was an interesting read about a figure I had never heard of.
November 30, 2023
This was good. The parts that related this historical figure to current queer status and placed him within the historical context were excellent. So little is known that a lot felt like conjecture.
January 4, 2024
A revealing look at one of America's founding fathers, as well as how queer people have been recorded, or rather, largely ignored throughout history. Very enjoyable and thoughtful read!
September 3, 2024
I really loved this graphic novel. The authors do a fantastic job of blending the queer history of the 1700s with the queer experiences of today to recount the life of an important historical figure. It truly is a special thing when we get such well documented queer stories, and the authors are able to tell this one with nuance and heart.
June 9, 2024
That was great! Happy Pride everyone 🏳️🌈🌈🏳️🌈🌈
September 22, 2023
This was a very entertaining, educational read. I learned a lot about a historical figure I'd only heard of in passing and had fun doing it.
The illustrations and text were engaging and easy to follow. A good read for anyone who likes history and/or graphic novels.
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway listed by Abrams Books. All comments are my own.
The illustrations and text were engaging and easy to follow. A good read for anyone who likes history and/or graphic novels.
I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway listed by Abrams Books. All comments are my own.
October 28, 2023
Expressive art with sweeping blues, blacks and reds tell the fascinating life of American Revolutionary hero Baron Von Steuben via this unique graphic memoir told through the perspective of a present day gay man, who related to the Baron’s struggles of simply trying to be accepted while living his life.
Consumed with a will for success and to put himself out there—pun intended—Von Steuben was a talented expert in military strategy who rose to reside in royal circles, yet still needed to live closeted and hidden in plain sight in days when queer population were jailed and/or executed. This story reveals how he built a life and family as best he could, despite broken promises from George Washington’s government and his own shortcomings. Btw, George is not venerated in the least in this book.
If you enjoyed Hamilton this will probably be up your alley. Does not romanticize the American Revolution but instead humanizes it, and bluntly tells it like it was. Doesn’t rap it, tho. ;-)
Consumed with a will for success and to put himself out there—pun intended—Von Steuben was a talented expert in military strategy who rose to reside in royal circles, yet still needed to live closeted and hidden in plain sight in days when queer population were jailed and/or executed. This story reveals how he built a life and family as best he could, despite broken promises from George Washington’s government and his own shortcomings. Btw, George is not venerated in the least in this book.
If you enjoyed Hamilton this will probably be up your alley. Does not romanticize the American Revolution but instead humanizes it, and bluntly tells it like it was. Doesn’t rap it, tho. ;-)
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June 14, 2024First of all this is about a gay man. That is what is written in the title and confirmed throughout the book. Why are you labeling him Queer? You don’t state the proof? You don’t provide any references at all of where you are getting your information from. The word Queer was never used or in the vernacular of this time period it was introduced in the late 1800s. Are you identifying him as Queer due to his flamboyant nature you refer to? His being over the top EXTRA? The JVN of the late 1700s? That JVN makes my skin crawl. But I digress. A definite zero rating because you are assuming and wrongly labeling Von Steuben as being Queer ‘Where is your proof’? You can’t and shouldn’t have done this without the documentation to back up your using this term. This type of blatant oversite makes my blood boil. Plus you can’t just take people from history and the present and just add them into the ‘They/Them’ agenda. I hope he is Turning over in his highly ornately decorated and hand carved mausoleum. I definitely would be.
February 7, 2024
TL;DR. I really enjoyed this book, and simultaneously it could improve. This review compliments the art and goal while critiquing the history and propaganda; also spoilers ahead.
Also for reference, I am a queer historian and historical reenactor who has volunteered at a dozen historic sites across New England that specializes in the American War for Independence. I focus on the social and material history of the late 18th century, especially military, and primarily Western.
First few pages had me engaged and enjoying the art (my hobbyist graphic designer self is amazed at the realistic but also cartoon style and how the art draws the focus of the reader in all the right directions). I can tell the artist really spent time trying to study period art (or rather modern depictions of the period rather than paintings from the war) but doesn't understand how the garments work (e.g. the front flap of the breeches, hook and eyes on the top of the coat facings, the fairly lazy cocked/tricorn hats) or social constructs like the soldiers being clean shaven. I would suggest for the artist to take some inspiration from Don Troiani here, the way he understands a piece of clothing before painting it--he uses reenactors as models and owns a huge collection of period and replica clothing. (That part is in no way required! I just mean to say he has cool references, but museums and photos are fantastic.) Also there's very little regard to the women's fashion... not nearly as well researched. Granted, I don't know much about women's fashion in the 1770s, but I recognize that the silhouettes are off.
I am in love with the quote on page 16, "We're looking at the colonial era from a modern point of view, which means we are assigning sexualities to a world where these labels didn't exist. There's no way of knowing how these people might have described themselves." This is golden and clearly explains the nuance of deciding what qualifies as "queer history" and the language and labels available to us through time. However... the very next page completely overwrites that quote by saying "Baron von Steuben was unmistakably gay." I think it is so very important to show people who strayed outside the "norm" of heterosexuality/cisgender who otherwise may be overlooked, but I think the authors should've stayed with their original nuanced thought from page 16 and should not have shoved labels onto bon Steuben. I love this graphic novel's accessible and meaningful goal to showcase queer history to a younger audience, but it does so in a broad and generalized way that fails to account for nuance in history on multiple levels.
I appreciate the clarification from the authors that they are not historians in any regard. That being said, I think they should've consulted historians or had professionals edit the novel. I fear there are influences from American propaganda films such as The Patriot and inaccuracies in the authors' main source: a biography of von Steuben written in 1859. Many historians, such as myself, make it a rule to double check all sources about the American Revolution written between 1800 and 1950. Textbooks did not necessarily write history not with the goal of truth, but of drama and modern political beliefs sewn in. (One example is History of the Navy by Edgar S. Maclay (1892) that said Isaac Hull's father was killed in the American Revolution for the sole reason of adding flair and revenge to the narrative of USS Constitution's first 1812 victory. Recent websites and books cite this text. However, the USS Constitution Museum has letters written from Isaac Hull to his father asking to borrow money well after his father's "death". So, Maclay was misinformed. Today, historians have a much broader access to digitized libraries and period documents.) I see a lot of inspiration from the musical Hamilton in this novel's storytelling and implications of queer founding fathers, but I appreciate the way the authors tell the readers flat out: von Stueben was not perfect, he was simply human, and most importantly--he owned slaves. (While Hamilton does point out Jefferson's owning of enslaved people, the musical doesn't mention that this was true of most of its characters; Hamilton was also involved in the slave trade and Washington owned slaves.) Also, social norms have changed over time. So while the authors argue that, despite today's language being unavailable to von Steuben, he was gay. I find their introductory reasons lackluster. The authors mention his "extra" (as in flamboyant) clothing choices. Here's where the authors simply could've asked some social historians' input. Heavily embroidered coats, colorful breeches, makeup, and red heels were all staples of men's high society fashion in the late 18th century. These were not overtly "feminine" at that time. (For references, look at paintings of royalty from the 1700s. Not all kings were called "feminine" for showing off their wealth in these ways.) So von Steuben's fashion? No, not obviously gay to the period's standards despite being seen as queer to a modern eye; but oh the naked cocktail parties with cadets? There's no straight explanation for that. Also, I need to research this further because it fascinates me so. More on social norms, having clean-shaven facial hair was the norm. Aside from specific cultural or disability reasons, men in the 18th century shaved with frequent regularity. Journals from private soldiers such as Roger Lamb and Joseph Plumb Martin only mention shaving when they were unable to for a few weeks. So, while central and northern Europe (including Prussia) had some mustaches, generally very few had full beards. This is a minor detail art-wise but heavily fussed over in the historical reenacting community where accuracy is concerned -- in fact the Minuteman National Historic Park outright turns away volunteers (yes all militia, redcoat, and civilian) with beards if they refuse to shave on the spot.
The British were "best army the world had ever seen"??? Sorry to say this is American propaganda. The Royal Navy ruled the seas, sure, but they weren't dominant on land. I'd argue the Prussian Army was the most efficient and highly trained army of Europe in the 18th century. Some reasons the British lost in North America were: poor strategy but good tactics (looking at you Burgoyne; ultimately the British won a great many battles but lost the war because of their tactics on the field, including the overuse of bayonets which let the enemy run away and live to fight another day while when the rebels did win they won pyrrhic battles which decimated the British regulars), and the overseas logistics in a war of attrition (very hard to maintain troops so far away from the central government, same reason USA lost in Vietnam). For further reading, I encourage a look at With Zeal and Bayonets Only by Matthew Spring. Also, I didn't like the lack of military terms in the book, but that's a me problem. I enjoyed reading about the light infantry tactics described, though the language the novel used seemed unfamiliar with warfare and tactics. This isn't necessarily bad, considering the authors aren't historians, so they did pretty well there.
Overall, the novel provides a good well rounded view of the good and bad of the time including racism, genocide, and classism. Story doesn't paint von Stueben or any founding fathers as perfect, considering that most owned slaves and many participated in genocide against Native Americans. Also same goes for British not being completely evil; because they weren't evil, nor were the patriots saints.
The writing isn't super captivating... but the art is, so that helps. I found there were too many phrases "and who knows what else 💅" I see the goal of trying to add more modern language and pop culture narration and similes, but I think the authors could have put more trust in their readers to understand the story as it is without the random comparisons ("Disney castle", "music festival to city", etc) but I love the focus on not only sharing von Steuben's story but also many other queer or possibly queer stories of his contemporaries.
Thank you for reading all the way through this review. Again, I overall really enjoyed this graphic novel and its goal to highlight queer history. I do hope my critique is received as constructive and educational (N.B. please contact me if you would like more sources for my information) and I hope these authors continue their amazing work together, because I'd love to see more books like this one.
Bonus: more speculatively queer names from history. (You should look them up.) The Public Universal Friend, Hannah Snell, Deborah Sampson, Mary Lacey, Mary Ann Talbot, Frederick the Great, William III, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Anne Lister, the phrase "female husbands". Again, I don't want to give people of the past labels of today, so I leave this list as folks who in some way could have been seen as queer. This list is not exhaustive and consists of names from the 18th and early 19th centuries only. I'm glad this graphic novel includes a good handful of these names at the end of von Steuben's section of the story too.
Also for reference, I am a queer historian and historical reenactor who has volunteered at a dozen historic sites across New England that specializes in the American War for Independence. I focus on the social and material history of the late 18th century, especially military, and primarily Western.
First few pages had me engaged and enjoying the art (my hobbyist graphic designer self is amazed at the realistic but also cartoon style and how the art draws the focus of the reader in all the right directions). I can tell the artist really spent time trying to study period art (or rather modern depictions of the period rather than paintings from the war) but doesn't understand how the garments work (e.g. the front flap of the breeches, hook and eyes on the top of the coat facings, the fairly lazy cocked/tricorn hats) or social constructs like the soldiers being clean shaven. I would suggest for the artist to take some inspiration from Don Troiani here, the way he understands a piece of clothing before painting it--he uses reenactors as models and owns a huge collection of period and replica clothing. (That part is in no way required! I just mean to say he has cool references, but museums and photos are fantastic.) Also there's very little regard to the women's fashion... not nearly as well researched. Granted, I don't know much about women's fashion in the 1770s, but I recognize that the silhouettes are off.
I am in love with the quote on page 16, "We're looking at the colonial era from a modern point of view, which means we are assigning sexualities to a world where these labels didn't exist. There's no way of knowing how these people might have described themselves." This is golden and clearly explains the nuance of deciding what qualifies as "queer history" and the language and labels available to us through time. However... the very next page completely overwrites that quote by saying "Baron von Steuben was unmistakably gay." I think it is so very important to show people who strayed outside the "norm" of heterosexuality/cisgender who otherwise may be overlooked, but I think the authors should've stayed with their original nuanced thought from page 16 and should not have shoved labels onto bon Steuben. I love this graphic novel's accessible and meaningful goal to showcase queer history to a younger audience, but it does so in a broad and generalized way that fails to account for nuance in history on multiple levels.
I appreciate the clarification from the authors that they are not historians in any regard. That being said, I think they should've consulted historians or had professionals edit the novel. I fear there are influences from American propaganda films such as The Patriot and inaccuracies in the authors' main source: a biography of von Steuben written in 1859. Many historians, such as myself, make it a rule to double check all sources about the American Revolution written between 1800 and 1950. Textbooks did not necessarily write history not with the goal of truth, but of drama and modern political beliefs sewn in. (One example is History of the Navy by Edgar S. Maclay (1892) that said Isaac Hull's father was killed in the American Revolution for the sole reason of adding flair and revenge to the narrative of USS Constitution's first 1812 victory. Recent websites and books cite this text. However, the USS Constitution Museum has letters written from Isaac Hull to his father asking to borrow money well after his father's "death". So, Maclay was misinformed. Today, historians have a much broader access to digitized libraries and period documents.) I see a lot of inspiration from the musical Hamilton in this novel's storytelling and implications of queer founding fathers, but I appreciate the way the authors tell the readers flat out: von Stueben was not perfect, he was simply human, and most importantly--he owned slaves. (While Hamilton does point out Jefferson's owning of enslaved people, the musical doesn't mention that this was true of most of its characters; Hamilton was also involved in the slave trade and Washington owned slaves.) Also, social norms have changed over time. So while the authors argue that, despite today's language being unavailable to von Steuben, he was gay. I find their introductory reasons lackluster. The authors mention his "extra" (as in flamboyant) clothing choices. Here's where the authors simply could've asked some social historians' input. Heavily embroidered coats, colorful breeches, makeup, and red heels were all staples of men's high society fashion in the late 18th century. These were not overtly "feminine" at that time. (For references, look at paintings of royalty from the 1700s. Not all kings were called "feminine" for showing off their wealth in these ways.) So von Steuben's fashion? No, not obviously gay to the period's standards despite being seen as queer to a modern eye; but oh the naked cocktail parties with cadets? There's no straight explanation for that. Also, I need to research this further because it fascinates me so. More on social norms, having clean-shaven facial hair was the norm. Aside from specific cultural or disability reasons, men in the 18th century shaved with frequent regularity. Journals from private soldiers such as Roger Lamb and Joseph Plumb Martin only mention shaving when they were unable to for a few weeks. So, while central and northern Europe (including Prussia) had some mustaches, generally very few had full beards. This is a minor detail art-wise but heavily fussed over in the historical reenacting community where accuracy is concerned -- in fact the Minuteman National Historic Park outright turns away volunteers (yes all militia, redcoat, and civilian) with beards if they refuse to shave on the spot.
The British were "best army the world had ever seen"??? Sorry to say this is American propaganda. The Royal Navy ruled the seas, sure, but they weren't dominant on land. I'd argue the Prussian Army was the most efficient and highly trained army of Europe in the 18th century. Some reasons the British lost in North America were: poor strategy but good tactics (looking at you Burgoyne; ultimately the British won a great many battles but lost the war because of their tactics on the field, including the overuse of bayonets which let the enemy run away and live to fight another day while when the rebels did win they won pyrrhic battles which decimated the British regulars), and the overseas logistics in a war of attrition (very hard to maintain troops so far away from the central government, same reason USA lost in Vietnam). For further reading, I encourage a look at With Zeal and Bayonets Only by Matthew Spring. Also, I didn't like the lack of military terms in the book, but that's a me problem. I enjoyed reading about the light infantry tactics described, though the language the novel used seemed unfamiliar with warfare and tactics. This isn't necessarily bad, considering the authors aren't historians, so they did pretty well there.
Overall, the novel provides a good well rounded view of the good and bad of the time including racism, genocide, and classism. Story doesn't paint von Stueben or any founding fathers as perfect, considering that most owned slaves and many participated in genocide against Native Americans. Also same goes for British not being completely evil; because they weren't evil, nor were the patriots saints.
The writing isn't super captivating... but the art is, so that helps. I found there were too many phrases "and who knows what else 💅" I see the goal of trying to add more modern language and pop culture narration and similes, but I think the authors could have put more trust in their readers to understand the story as it is without the random comparisons ("Disney castle", "music festival to city", etc) but I love the focus on not only sharing von Steuben's story but also many other queer or possibly queer stories of his contemporaries.
Thank you for reading all the way through this review. Again, I overall really enjoyed this graphic novel and its goal to highlight queer history. I do hope my critique is received as constructive and educational (N.B. please contact me if you would like more sources for my information) and I hope these authors continue their amazing work together, because I'd love to see more books like this one.
Bonus: more speculatively queer names from history. (You should look them up.) The Public Universal Friend, Hannah Snell, Deborah Sampson, Mary Lacey, Mary Ann Talbot, Frederick the Great, William III, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Anne Lister, the phrase "female husbands". Again, I don't want to give people of the past labels of today, so I leave this list as folks who in some way could have been seen as queer. This list is not exhaustive and consists of names from the 18th and early 19th centuries only. I'm glad this graphic novel includes a good handful of these names at the end of von Steuben's section of the story too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2024
A beautifully drawn and important history book about several queer people who greatly influenced the founding of the USA. It is not afraid to tackle difficult topics like homophobia and slavery to ensure the reader has a fully fleshed out vision of who these people were, warts and all.
I was denied this critical American history as a child. Baron von Steuben see,ed to have saved the military as an organization and directed its general course for 150 years with his creation of the military standards book. And he was openly gay.
I loved that the book made him important, sympathetic, deeply flawed, and a powerful figure worthy of study.
I was denied this critical American history as a child. Baron von Steuben see,ed to have saved the military as an organization and directed its general course for 150 years with his creation of the military standards book. And he was openly gay.
I loved that the book made him important, sympathetic, deeply flawed, and a powerful figure worthy of study.
July 25, 2023
4.5 stars would be better, but the messaging/symbolism (even if unintentional) with the dust jacket made this a bump up for me on Goodreads. I received this, as I understand it, as an early hardcover before its publication on August 15th. My thanks to the creators (author Josh Trujillo and illustrator Levi Hastings) and publisher for giving me this copy in advance.
I did not intend to read this as soon as I opened the package it came in, but after looking at the art and briefly reading a couple of pages, I ended up doing so in one sitting. This biographical graphic novel being a historical nonfiction, that already says a lot in my opinion.
I won't go into details of the book as I have seen another reviewer so do, but I will give some of my thoughts and feelings. I did like the art style--although I wondered about the lack of red compared to the dust jacket (it's all blues, blacks, grays, and white but I'm not sure if there's supposed to be any other colors, so I must merely give you an imaginary shrug). I found the weaving together of some of the authors' experiences, the telling of Baron Von Steuben's story, and meditations on queer history and other important queer figures impactful. I will say that I am not entirely new to Baron Von Steuben, but this illuminated his life in a way I hadn't seen in the times I did some minor research on him online. Of course, I do not have the access to materials or anything else the creators may have used, so there's that to bear in mind.
That is something I wish was provided--some materials to do further research or provide more detailed citations of where information came from. I believe the only sources explicitly mentioned/shown are the earliest biography of Von Steuben (I cannot currently recall or find the name of it), "A Queer History of the United States" by Michael Bronski, and the ONE archives in Los Angeles. Whether the latter is mentioned more for covering queer history or was used to detail Von Steuben's life, I'm a little unsure. Anyway, the lack of evidence/source citation is a bit of a bummer for someone who was interested in potentially looking into the material more.
However, I still find this a compelling piece of history work done. History is, after all, more of an argument on what happened, and we so often use it to reflect upon and connect more deeply with our current times. In that, I must counter the creators in their saying they are "not 'real' historians." Because while they may want to consider sharing their sources in a more detailed list, they have no doubt made an argument about the life and times of Von Steuben to explore his legends and loves with this book. They may not be traditional historians, but when it comes to the work of queer history now--I don't know how they ever could be.
I did not intend to read this as soon as I opened the package it came in, but after looking at the art and briefly reading a couple of pages, I ended up doing so in one sitting. This biographical graphic novel being a historical nonfiction, that already says a lot in my opinion.
I won't go into details of the book as I have seen another reviewer so do, but I will give some of my thoughts and feelings. I did like the art style--although I wondered about the lack of red compared to the dust jacket (it's all blues, blacks, grays, and white but I'm not sure if there's supposed to be any other colors, so I must merely give you an imaginary shrug). I found the weaving together of some of the authors' experiences, the telling of Baron Von Steuben's story, and meditations on queer history and other important queer figures impactful. I will say that I am not entirely new to Baron Von Steuben, but this illuminated his life in a way I hadn't seen in the times I did some minor research on him online. Of course, I do not have the access to materials or anything else the creators may have used, so there's that to bear in mind.
That is something I wish was provided--some materials to do further research or provide more detailed citations of where information came from. I believe the only sources explicitly mentioned/shown are the earliest biography of Von Steuben (I cannot currently recall or find the name of it), "A Queer History of the United States" by Michael Bronski, and the ONE archives in Los Angeles. Whether the latter is mentioned more for covering queer history or was used to detail Von Steuben's life, I'm a little unsure. Anyway, the lack of evidence/source citation is a bit of a bummer for someone who was interested in potentially looking into the material more.
However, I still find this a compelling piece of history work done. History is, after all, more of an argument on what happened, and we so often use it to reflect upon and connect more deeply with our current times. In that, I must counter the creators in their saying they are "not 'real' historians." Because while they may want to consider sharing their sources in a more detailed list, they have no doubt made an argument about the life and times of Von Steuben to explore his legends and loves with this book. They may not be traditional historians, but when it comes to the work of queer history now--I don't know how they ever could be.
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