Evacuation Day

All those who read this article are probably familiar with the Gettysburg celebration of Remembrance Day, held the weekend closest to the November anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Hosted by The Sons of Veterans Reserve, the ceremonial uniformed military component of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, it honors the service and sacrifices of those who served the Union cause during the War of the Rebellion.

However, prior to the Civil War, Evacuation Day, commemorating the November 25th departure of British forces form New York City after the end of the Revolution was celebrated in the area and is done so even to this day.

New York City had been under British occupation, serving as their colonial headquarters, since American troops were forced out in September of 1776. During that period it served as haven for Loyalists and escaped slave, sadly prison ships off its shores also took the lives of over 10,000 Patriot soldiers and sailors.

In August of 1783, pursuant to the terms of the Treaty of Paris, Sir Guy Carlton, Britan’s last commander in the Colonies began the evacuation process. During this time General Washington contacted Carlton concerning the return of any slaves in New York that may have fled his plantations. Carlton replied that the treaty provisions did not apply to former slaves that had been promised their freedom by the British and that returning them would be a “dishonorable violation of the public faith.”

Carlton along with soldiers, Loyalist and former slaves, departed New York on November 25th, 1783, but not before nailing a Union Flag to a heavily greased flag pole at a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. This tactic delayed Gen. Washington’s return to the city. After much effort, the flag was removed and replaced with the Stars and Stripes before the last British warship sailed out of sight.

The first public celebration of Evacuation Day occurred in 1787. Over the following years various types of celebrations occurred. An 1832 event featured a theatrical production featured a performance by acclaimed actor Junius Brutus Booth. On Evacuation Day 1864,his son,  John Wilkes Booth and his two brothers were performing a play to raise funds for a Shakespeare statue to be placed in Central Park. During the performance Confederate saboteurs set an adjoining building on fire in an attempt to destroy the city, disrupting the performance. To this day The Sons of the Revolution, a  fraternal organization, holds an annual Evacuation Day Dinner at Fraunces Tavern in New York City, the site of Gen. Washington’s farewell address to his officers.

Jon Taylor, Patriotic Instructor