The Blue Book is best described as?

• A. A tactics manual
• B. A drill manual used by Baron Von Steuben to train the colonial army. Was the first Army Field Manual.
• C. A map collection
• D. A medical handbook

Answer: (B)

The Blue Book is a drill-and-discipline manual from the Revolutionary era. Baron von Steuben wrote it to standardize how soldiers march, form, and respond to commands, turning a scattered colonial force into a disciplined, cohesive army. Its purpose was to train and drill troops, establish uniform procedures, and lay out how units should operate in the field. Because of that focus, it’s viewed as the first formal field manual for the U.S. Army. It isn’t primarily a map collection, a medical handbook, or a treatise on battlefield tactics beyond the drills that shape how troops move and fight together. That’s why describing it as a drill manual used by Baron von Steuben to train the colonial army, and as an early Army Field Manual, is the best fit.