In the wake of the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776, the British firmly held onto York Island (Manhattan), and would continue to control the island for nearly seven years, well after the Battle of Yorktown and cessation of military operations. Many Loyalist refugees from the colonies had fled to Manhattan throughout the war, and this number increased in 1782 following the British evacuations of Savannah and Charleston, and agreement upon the preliminary Articles of Peace. General Guy Carleton, who replaced Henry Clinton, was put in charge of disbanding British troops and overseeing evacuation of New York. Loyalists who left the city, around 40,000 in total, including several thousand black refugees, were granted passage at the expense of the British government, with most of them electing to settle in Canada.
Washington entering New York on Evacuation Day. He is flanked by Governor George Clinton and General Henry Knox. Note that the procession did not continue down the Bowery past St. Paul’s Church, instead proceeding down Queen Street and across Wall Street to the Cape Tavern. History of New York city, from the discovery to the present day by William L Stone.
George Washington had met with Carleton in May 1783 to discuss the logistics of withdrawing the troops, and on November 21st, Carleton began the final evacuation, as 6,000 troops still remained in the city. Washington and Governor George Clinton had come down from the north and dined with Lewis Morris and the Van Cortlandt family several days before the city was to be handed over. On November 21st, they, along with General Henry Knox, stayed at Day’s Tavern in Harlem, which was then 9 miles outside of the city. 800 troops camped near McGowan’s Pass (in what is now Central Park), which had been used by the Americans before the Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776.
The Van Cortlandt Mansion. Built in 1748 by Frederick Van Cortlandt, the grey fieldstone house is in the Georgian style, with a few Dutch flourishes. From Hudson-Fulton celebration: A collection of the catalogues issued by the museums and institutions in New York City and Vicinity.
McGowan’s Pass as it looked around 1789. During the War of 1812, a line of blockhouses and forts was constructed to protect Manhattan. The advantageous topography here prompted the construction of Fort Clinton, Fort Fish, and Nutter’s Battery, along with a string of blockhouses. This is now part of northern Central Park. From Historic New York; Being the first and second series of the Half Moon papers, edited by Maud Goodwin.
It was General Knox and his men who entered the city first, as rumors about people plundering the city had been circulating. Although they were unfounded, Knox could easily secure any strategic areas and ensure that the city was prepared for the triumphal return. Pickets had been sent forth to points about five miles outside of the city limits, which then were around Chambers Street. Knox and his men followed the Kingsbridge Road and neared the outer limits of the city, stopping at the Bull’s Head Tavern on the Bowery Road to await their commander. A committee organized to welcome Washington had advised citizens on horseback to meet that morning at the Bull’s Head, with those supporters on foot joining the procession at the Tea Water Pump.
The Bull’s Head Tavern along the Bowery. Its name came from its location on the outskirts of the city, and it hosted a lively cattle market. It also provided respite and refreshment to those who had come from far away. It later became the popular Atlantic Garden, a beer hall and entertainment venue. From D.T. Valentine’s Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York, 1861.
Later that morning, Washington and Clinton made their way towards the city, accompanied by the bulk of the troops. Joining up with Knox at the Bull’s Head, they awaited the signal that the British had left, which came at one o’clock. With this, an advance guard of dragoons, light infantry, and artillery left in order to take formal possession of the city. The others organized into a parade formation, with Washington and Clinton at the head, followed by Lieutenant Governor Pierre Van Cortlandt and representatives of the Council for the temporary government of the Southern parts of New York, General Knox and his men, citizens on horseback, and the Speaker of the Assembly with citizens on foot.
The scene in Wall Street as the troops entered the city. Thousands of New Yorkers rushed to see and congratulate George Washington, and many who shook his hand spoke about it for years after. From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, November 24, 1883.
Following the advance guard at a distance, the grand procession crossed from the Bowery to Queen Street (Pearl Street) and made their way across Wall Street. Their destination was the Cape Tavern, where they were surrounded by more jubilant New Yorkers, many wearing a “badge of distinction,” a Union cockade of black and white ribbon accompanied by a laurel in the hat. Knox and his men rode toward Bowling Green to take control of Fort George and the Battery. An oft-repeated story from the day, which perhaps may be more folk tale than truth, is that petty British soldiers left their flag up and greased the pole to prevent the Americans from hoisting their flag. According to some accounts, it was John Van Arsdale who made a set of cleats and, with the help of a ladder, scaled the pole and fixed the American flag in its rightful position above the fort. No matter how the colors eventually wound up flying over the fort, the occasion was marked by the firing of thirteen guns across the harbor.
The “sailor boy,” John Van Arsdale, depicted taking down the flag. Whether or not this actually happened has been debated since the day the act was said to have occurred. From Evacuation day, 1783: Its Many Stirring Events by James Riker.
Departure of the British Troops. The Battery can be seen on the right. From The Memorial History of the City of New-York, from its first settlement to the year 1892, Volume 2. Edited by James Grant Wilson.
New Yorkers enthusiastically celebrated the day, and it kicked off ten more days of raucous festivities in the city. On the evening of the 25th, Governor Clinton hosted a formal dinner at Fraunces Tavern for Washington and his officers, where they drank 13 toasts, the last of which was “may the remembrance of this day be a lesson to princes.” In the evening, every house was lit with candles, and bonfires were set up in the streets. Balls were held, more toasts were given, and people continued to carouse about the city basking in its newly-regained freedom. A magnificent fireworks display was held at Bowling Green several days later, the largest ever seen in the country. On December 4th, which was also the day that the last of the British stragglers left Staten Island, George Washington was feted at Fraunces Tavern and said an emotional farewell to his soldiers.
Washington’s farewell to his officers in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern. He said to his men, “With a heart filled with love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy, as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.” From D.T. Valentine’s Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York, 1857.
What was in later years termed Evacuation Day eventually became an annual holiday celebrated in the city for nearly a hundred years. The day was marked by a patriotic fervor, hosting numerous military reviews, parades, fireworks, feasts, and galas. The old Revolutionary War veterans marched in the parades, and were eventually joined by veterans from the War of 1812, then supplanted by them and veterans of the Mexican-American War, and they in turn were joined by the volunteer militias of the city. They would parade on the commons (which became City Hall Park), march in procession about the city, and inevitably wind up at Bowling Green and the former site of Fort George (it had been demolished in 1790). Inspired by the purported act of Van Arsdale, the annual festivities also included the climbing of a greased pole.
An Evacuation Day in front of City Hall, 1855. From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, December 15, 1855, Volume, 1 Number 1.
The 1883 centennial of Evacuation Day was a huge celebration, and one of the last of the grand affairs to be held for the public. Attended by over a million people, including President Chester A. Arthur, it featured a parade with 25,000 troops, veterans, policemen, firemen, fraternal orders, and dignitaries. They began marching at 57th Street, proceeding down 5th Avenue to Union Square, and then down Broadway to Bowling Green, where they were reviewed. A naval pageant was also held, with representatives from the Navy, shipping companies, and local ferries that went up the Hudson to around 65th Street and back down, around the Battery, up the East River to around 23rd Street, back down on the Brooklyn side, past Governors Island, and continuing on to Bay Ridge. Throughout the day the ships fired several 21-gun salutes.
The Evacuation Day centennial procession on 5th Avenue. The large marble mansion was owned by A.T. Stewart, and across 34th Street, the Astor twin mansions (now site of the Empire State Building) can be seen. From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1921.
A highlight of the day was the dedication of a statue of George Washington, sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, on the steps of the Sub-Treasury (which still stands today, now known as Federal Hall). It was unveiled by Governor Grover Cleveland, and President Arthur accepted it on behalf of the nation. Although rain stopped that evening’s fireworks display, a grand concert was put on at the Seventh Regiment Armory, and thousands were in attendance. Many more balls, dinners, and toasts were held in honor of Evacuation Day.
Unveiling J.Q.A. Ward’s Statue of Washington in Wall Street. The bronze statue, 12 and a half feet tall, depicts Washington as a statesman. The Sub-Treasury building stands on the site of Federal Hall, where Washington was sworn in as President in 1789. From Harpers Weekly, December 8, 1883, Volume 27, No 1407.
Despite the fantastic centennial display, by the early years of the 20th Century, few groups publicly celebrated it, electing instead to focus their attention on Thanksgiving. This holiday eventually far eclipsed Evacuation Day in the consciousness of New Yorkers. The advent of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, which also supplanted a charming old New York Thanksgiving tradition of “ragamuffin parades,” soon marked the central November celebration.
The extension of the Battery into the harbor. This shows the location of Fort George and the Battery in 1783, and demonstrates how much the Battery had been expanded by landfill. From In Old New York by Thomas Janvier.