Evacuation Day: A forgotten American Holiday

[Music] it is november 25th and i would imagine that many of our viewers or at least the american ones are already in the holiday spirit but it might surprise you to find out that america celebrated november 25th as a holiday for more than a century and it had nothing to do with thanksgiving november 25th 1783 the united states having won its independence less than three months earlier had much to celebrate and owed a unique debt of gratitude to a young sergeant a nearly forgotten hero named john ben arsdale the forgotten holiday of evacuation day is history that deserves to be remembered on october 19 1781 the british army under the command of lieutenant general charles cornwallis surrendered to combined american french forces under the command of american general george washington and french general the rochambeau i say the army surrendered because cornwallis did not rather not wanting to face washington he claimed to be ill and sent his second in command regular general charles o'hara to the surrender ceremony o'hara also reticent to admit that such a large british force could be defeated by americans at first tried to offer cornwallis sword to roshambo but the frenchman directed him to washington as a response to cornwallis absence washington then directed o'hara to his second in command major general benjamin lincoln it was an odd dance and one that represented a unique level of enmity between the combatants but that feeling wasn't complete that evening the american and french officers hosted the british officers with a dinner and the british were said to have been impressed with their opponent's civility still the unique passing of cornwallis sword at yorktown was not the last act of pettiness between the two armies in many ways the passing of the sword did mark the end of the war with the surrender more than seven thousand british troops went into captivity hearing of the loss and the enormous cost associated with parole in the army the british prime minister lord norris reportedly exclaimed oh god it's all over in a practical sense it was washington took his army into an encampment in new windsor new york where they remained for the rest of the war the king wanted to fight on but his supporters lost control of parliament in february the following year parliament officially approved a motion declaring it inexpedient and improper any longer to prosecute the american war by a vote of 234 to 215. the decision effectively ended military operations in america but the war was not yet over there were still some 26 000 british troops in america occupying charleston savannah and particularly distressingly for george washington new york city britain maintained a powerful fleet in america and the french army and navy departed the years of 1782 and 83 even without any major campaigns were still a test for both washington and the nation the struggle was simple the british could resume hostilities at any time and if washington could not keep an army in the field to oppose them the struggle for independence could collapse the war in its winning years was a question of keeping the continental army in the field and that was not as easy as it sounds the problem was that an army cost money and under the limits of the articles of confederation congress had almost no ability to raise any the articles didn't give congress the authority to levy taxes congress could not make demands of the states all they could do was request aid from the states and the states were often either unable or unwilling to provide that aid the united states did have some loans from foreign governments but congress didn't have the ability to raise money to pay back the loans as a result congress often didn't have the money even to supply the army more or less to pay its soldiers to address the problem in 1781 congress created the position of superintendent of finance and the man chosen for the job pennsylvania and robert morris proposed that the articles of the confederation be amended to allow congress to collect a five percent tax on all imports that the monies arising from the said duties be appropriated to the discharge of the principle and interest of the debts already contracted which may be contracted on the faith of the united states for supporting the present war the proposal was supported by prominent members including washington's former aide de camp alexander hamilton morris also stopped all army pays the congress simply didn't have any money claiming that congress would make up the arrears later but under the articles of confederation which had only been ratified in february of 1781 any new taxes like this 5 tax on imports required the approval of all the states and rhode island refused to go along by november congress was at an impasse and the problem festered through 1782 this led to an interesting political situation the treasury was empty the army was not being paid and was struggling with supply many officers were supporting themselves out of pocket and feared that congress would not make good on a promise to provide pensions to soldiers when their term of service ended while there were some potential solutions including passing the debt directly to the states or having a one-time tax supporters of a stronger federal government including hamilton saw an opportunity if the army grew restive over the issue they felt they could force the state's hands in december 1782 a delegation of officers including several generals sent a memorandum to congress the memorandum ended in a big threat any further experiments on their patients may have fatal effects the secretary at war the head of the war department benjamin lincoln the same man who had accepted cornwallis's sword at yorktown warned of the seriousness of the situation it's unclear exactly what role people like alexander hamilton played in directing the actions of those officers but george washington was known to be adamantly opposed to using the army to threaten congress through february letters circulated among the officers suggesting that the army give congress an ultimatum a meeting was finally called a march 15th the nation seems to forgotten the importance of march 15 1783 but the army was on the brink in fact some historians argue that the so-called newberg conspiracy was actually a coup that the army intended to overthrow congress peace negotiations were going on in paris but the young nation looked like it could descend into anarchy before it even gained its independence what was perhaps the greatest crisis of the american revolution came not during war but during that period of unsteady peace were it not for one man to everyone's surprise george washington showed up to the meeting washington's address to the officers called the newberg address was characteristically brief but uncharacteristically passionate he expressed his sympathy for the officer's complaints saying i've ever considered my military reputation as inseparably connected with that of the army and my heart has ever expanded with joy when i have heard its praises and my indignation has arisen when the mouth of detraction has been opened against it it can scarcely be supposed at this late stage of the war that i am indifferent to its interests but he expressed his sound belief that the army threatening civil authority was against the republican values for which the revolution was fought saying and let me conjure you in the name of our common country as you value your own sacred honor as you respect the rights of humanity as you regard the military and national character of america to express your utmost horror and detestation of the man who wishes under any species pretenses to overturn the liberties of our country and who wickedly attempts to open the floodgates of civil discord and deluge of rising empire in blood he concluded you will give one more distinguished proof of unexampled patriotism and patient virtue rising superior to the pressure of the most complicated sufferings and you will by the dignity of your conduct a for occasion for posterity to say when speaking of the glorious example you have exhibited to mankind had this day been wanting the world had never seen the last stage of perfection to which human nature is capable of attaining if the speech did not have the desired effect what happened next did washington went to read a letter from a member of congress but to read it needed a pair of reading glasses something the proud man usually did not let his officer see he said simply gentlemen you will permit me to put on my spectacles for i've not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country that small statement of his own sacrifice moved many officers to tears the conspiracy collapsed there is quite a lot for history to say about george washington both his flaws and his greatness but in that moment the force of his character alone preserved the nation and set forth a principle which has never been questioned in the united states of civilian control over the military in april washington was able to announce the official end of hostilities the army was disbanded soldiers were given three months back pay that since congress still had no money it was paid with promissory notes the issue didn't end and june soldiers in pennsylvania had not yet received their promissory notes marched on congress forcing them to relocate from philadelphia to new jersey on september 3rd the treaty of paris was signed between representatives of king george ii and of the united states of america article 1 states britain acknowledges the united states new hampshire massachusetts bay rhode island and the providence plantations connecticut new york new jersey pennsylvania delaware maryland virginia north carolina south carolina and georgia to be free sovereign and independent states and that the british crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the government property and territorial rights of the same and every part thereof the news that great britain had given up its claim to the united states arrived in america on november 1st george washington was in new jersey at the time and the following day he issued his farewell orders to the army of the united states but the general who had gone not only gray but almost blind in the service of his country had still one more duty to perform as commander-in-chief the battle of long island had taken place august 26 1776. it was the first major battle we fought after america had declared independence in july in the largest battle of the revolutionary war it was also washington's greatest defeat of that war washington had been outflanked in his attempt to defend new york harbor from an invasion by an army under the command of general william howe the only victory for washington was that he managed to evacuate his army keep it intact new york was occupied by the british for the duration of the war but the war was over and the twenty thousand british soldiers occupying new york city would have to leave and george washington with the 800 soldiers who were still enlisted in the continental army would have a parade the british commander-in-chief sir guy carlton initially promised that his force would be out of new york on november 22nd but it took a tad longer than expected for the british army to disentangle itself from what had been its command post of operation in the united states for seven years the final british evacuation of new york city would come november 25th 237 years ago today that day would become known as evacuation day the process had not been easy in addition to the 20 000 british soldiers some 35 000 loyalists were taking the crown's offer of relocation some to england others to canada or the caribbean the last british soldiers were supposed to leave at noon in washington along with new york governor george clinton and general henry knox one of the officers who had signed the memorandum to congress over pay in 1782 would lead a procession of soldiers and citizens to cape's tavern on broadway where speeches would be made and the group would then proceed to fort george in upper manhattan to raise the american flag over the fort according to the independent new york gazette november 22 1783 washington and the dignitaries had resolved to all wear a black and white union cockade as a badge of distinction representing louis xvi although the paper suggests that this might have been more to annoy the british soldiers than for any abiding affection for their ally but if the goal was a thumb in the eye of the british they returned the favor before abandoning fort george the british had cut the lanyard on the flagpole making it impossible to take down the union jack to make the situation worse they'd removed the cleats used for climbing and greased the flagpole their goal was to have washington march to fort george only to find the union jack still flying a hero came in the form of a young sergeant from new york regiment john ben arsdale who volunteered to climb the pole and remove the offending flag when his initial attempt failed some cleats were procured from a nearby hardware shop and he nailed them to the pole as he climbed finally reaching the flag and ripping it down to the tumultuous tears of the crowd ben arsdale's descendants would be involved in celebrating the anniversary of evacuation day for the next hundred years the british had entirely abandoned new york just yet governor's island in new york harbor was not evacuated until december third the following day washington attended a dinner in france's tavern and bit his officers farewell saying with a heart full of love and gratitude i now take leave of you he traveled from there to maryland where congress was in session and resigned his commission among the loyalists who departed were many prominent businessmen lawyers a clergyman mr argued that after the evacuation the city was more democratic and much more open to ambitious entrepreneurs from middle class and poor backgrounds public celebrations of the anniversary of evacuation day began in 1787 and followed every year thereafter with parades and fireworks and other festivities but the enthusiasm for the holidays started to wane as the celebration of thanksgiving started to gain popularity in the united states and the two holidays so close together that sometimes they occurred on the same day simply seemed redundant continue to be celebrated through the 19th century became particularly popular among irish americans who appreciated the anti-british sentiment of the holiday and there was a large celebration on the centennial in 1883 but the popularity of the holiday continued to wane and disappeared almost entirely in the 20th century as the relationship between the united states and great britain rehabilitated and the two became allies in the great war there was a celebration in 2008 for the 225th anniversary of evacuation day and in 2016 a street in lower manhattan was renamed evacuation day plaza but while the holiday is nearly forgotten its importance shouldn't be the british evacuation of new york really represented the end of the american revolution and underlied the challenges that were facing the still new republic some of which the republic still contends with today among the loyalists evacuated during carleton's departure were some 3 000 black loyalists who had been promised freedom in exchange for their support for the british as a test of the limits of his republican ideals for the new nation washington disagreed with removing the slaves which he saw as stolen property the question of slavery would lead to the most contentious debates at the convention creating the new constitution and would plague the nation eventually leading to the u.s civil war the names of the black loyalists that were relocated were kept in a registry ostensibly to facilitate compensation by the british to the slaves owners for the loss of property no compensation was ever made but the registry a hand-written ledger called the book of negroes provides a rare comprehensive record of the history of the black loyalists in canada i hope you enjoyed this episode of the history guy short snippets of forgotten history between 10 and 15 minutes long and if you did enjoy please go ahead and click that thumbs up button if you have any questions or comments or suggestions for future episodes please write those in the comment section i will be happy to personally respond be sure to follow the history guy on facebook instagram twitter and check out our merchandise on teespring.com and if you'd like more episodes on forgotten history all you need to do is subscribe

Channel: The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Views: 143,612

Keywords: history, history guy, the history guy, new york, american revolution, george washington, evacuation day, US History

Id: bcjQo7fwbQ0

Length: 16min 21sec (981 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 25 2020