The United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., traces its creation to the beginnings of the Continental Army during the War for Independence. George Washington appointed Captain "Baron" von Steuben, Drillmaster of the Continental Army in 1778. The Prussian veteran instituted a single manner of Infantry drill for the Continental Army by consolidating all junior officers into platoons and companies, and drilling them together to create a body of instructors for the entire Army. Later, von Steuben convinced Washington to create a model company of Infantry to demonstrate drill and maneuvers to the rest of the army. These were the origins of an American School of Infantry. After the War for Independence, Congress undid most of the fine instrument created by Washington and von Steuben by reducing the Army to an 85-man company for a year and allowing commanders of the Active Army and the militia to use whatever drill suited them.

In 1813, the Army adopted a form of Duane's Tactics during the War of 1812 to reduce the Infantry drill to one standard drill. On March 4, 1826, Maj. Gen. Edmund P. Gaines established the first Infantry training post at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Mo. The Infantry School of Instruction began training enlisted men and small units and quickly expanded to training Infantry officers in their duties. By Nov. 24, 1828, the post closed as all the troops and Infantry units were needed across the nation. Though what became known as the Infantry School of Practice lasted only two years, the overall efficiency of the United States Infantry improved immensely and the idea of recreating a similar school was not lost on those in attendance.