Von Steuben, German Revolutionary

[Faeelin]

OTL saw quite a few participants in the American Revolution end up taking an active role in other Revolutions; Lafayette in France, Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, and even, it's argued, some former slaves in Haiti. Von Steuben, in contrast, retired to New Jersey, for which you can hardly blame him.

Is there any way to get him to play a role in Germany during the Revolutionary period? He was fairly old (he was born in 1730), but there have been plenty of statesmen of that age.

 

[MrHaakwood]

Hmm, perhaps he could participate in the Befreiungskriege later when Napoleon showed up on German turf. In the time of the 1789ies there where hardly big revolutions in the HRE.

On the other hand, he will be older even more.

 

[Widukind]

I'm not absolutely sure, but wasn't Von Steuben quite moderate, politically? I doubt he was thrilled by the way the French Revolution turned out IOTL, with the mass executions and all. To make this work, I'd start with a French Revolution without the Terror. Suppose La Fayette plays a major role in the more moderate Frech government (he was sidelined by the radicals IOTL, but he was a favorite among the moderates). When the French Revolutionary Wars break out (and they will, no matter how moderate France is - if it goes republican, there will be a war), he might contact his old comrade-in-arms Von Steuben, asking him to aid France.