Where are the fireworks? Today is the 225th anniversary of the end of the American War for Independence!
Boston celebrates their Evacuation Day on March 17th. Schools and government offices close down. (Convenient for the St. Patrick's revelers.) At the start of the Revolutionary War, in 1776, after almost a year of occupation, the British withdrew from Boston Harbor to Nova Scotia (thanks to Washington's ability to fortify Dorchester Heights with cannons seized at Fort Ticonderoga) and the city whose interactions with the British led to the Revolution in the first place saw no more of the redcoats for the duration of the war.
New York was not so lucky and was captured within seven months. By November, 1776, the city belonged to the Brits and they did not leave our harbor until 1783, two months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris and two YEARS after the war's final battle at Yorktown.
The holiday was celebrated in New York until World War I by which time Thanksgiving had really taken over as the holiday for late November and our resentment of the British occupation had faded. One of New York's most famous statues, and one of the finest equestrian statues in the United States, commemorates Washington's return to New York. We made a video about it:
Notes and credits for this video can be found on its tour page.
A few more trivia bytes about Evacuation Day (the final act of heroism, the final shot, the final banquets) can be found after the jump.
The FINAL HEROIC ACTION OF THE REVOLUTION was performed by John Van Arsdale who climbed a greased pole in Battery Park where the British had deliberately left their flag flying. After the Union Jack was town down and replaced with the new Stars and Stripes, the procession led by Washington made its way down Broadway into the city.
The FINAL SHOT OF THE REVOLUTION is said to have been fired on Evacuation Day, by a redcoat on board one of the departing ships, at a jeering crowd on Staten Island. Not only did the soldier not hit a single Staten Islander, he missed the whole damn island, which at almost 60 square miles is now the third largest borough in our city.
The FINAL MEAL OF THE REVOLUTION took place at Fraunces Tavern on Broad and Pearl. On Evacuation Day, Washington and his officers were given a victory banquet. Nine days later, at Fraunces Tavern again, (after the very last of the British officials sailed from the harbor) Washington bade farewell to his officers. From all reports, many tears were shed as he resigned his military post to return to civilian life. Shortly afterwards, he left for his home in Virginia. (He'dbe back, don't you worry, as the nation's first president, inaugurated four blocks north on Wall Street in 1789.)
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