by Kathy Fischer-Brown
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| Idealized picture of John Van Arsdale raising the flag |
Having recently celebrated Thanksgiving here in the
States, it was interesting to discover an even older, and now mostly forgotten,
holiday commemorated by our ancestors in New York. Evacuation Day was an
observance begun at the end of the American Revolution and a major holiday into
the early part of the twentieth century. Since 1901, the 125th
anniversary of the Continental Army’s first victory over the British, it has
been an official holiday in the Boston area. Through the first years of our
republic, Evacuation Day in New York City rivaled the Fourth of July in its
celebratory nature.
At noon on November 25, 1783, after seven years as an
occupying force in the city, the last of His Majesty George III’s red-coated
troops sailed from the southern tip of Manhattan into New York Harbor. (In Boston, the
occupation army left the city and its environs on March 17, 1776, a date that coincides
with St. Patrick’s Day). In New York, the event was marked with a parade of
sorts. After the city was secured by American troops under the command of General
Henry Knox, George Washington and New York’s governor, George Clinton (yup,
lots of Georges in those days), led a procession of rag-tag soldiers into lower
Manhattan to Cape’s Tavern, one of the most famous inns of its time. The troops
then marched farther on down Broadway to Fort George (now Battery Park).
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| Menu from Delmonico's Evacuation Day Centennial |
There they attempted to lower the British flag and raise
the stars and stripes, but for a bit of British trickery. The pole at the fort,
it seems, was “thoroughly soaped,” its halyards cut, and the Union Jack nailed
to the staff. This while the artillery had taken up position and guns were held
in readiness for a grand salute, and the British in their ships and boats
watched from the harbor in amused silence.
After many futile attempts to climb the
flag pole, one John Van Arsdale, a young sailor with quickly improvised wooden cleats
on his shoes and a pocket full of nails, worked his way up the pole, attached new
ropes, and with the aid of a ladder brought from a nearby shop, accomplished
the task.
The sight of the American flag waving on the breeze inspired a
thirteen gun salute and was the cause for much revelry lasting for days, as
rockets blazed through the night, buildings were illuminated, and bonfires
burned on every street corner. A public feast was held at Fraunces Tavern,
where over 120 guests honored Washington with thirteen toasts…and the celebration
continued until the general left the city on December 4, when he resigned his
commission. (British flags continued to fly over Staten Island, Governor’s
Island, and Long Island until this date.)
The first anniversary of Evacuation Day was observed with
a flag raising at the fort…on the selfsame pole…amid the pealing of church
bells. Entertainments were held at the City Tavern. And the tradition continued
well into the next century, evolving into an official holiday, complete with
school closings, fireworks, displays of patriotism, feasting and pageantry. But
as the veterans of the conflict became fewer and fewer, eventually dying off
altogether, their accomplishments no longer seemed important enough to warrant such
a full-blown expression holiday pomp. Neither did the ever-growing expense of
such extravagance. Eventually Evacuation Day was supplanted by a new national holiday,
Thanksgiving.
On the centennial of the original celebration, in November
1883, New York gave the old holiday what would be its grand send-off. Imagine
the bi-centennial of the nation’s 200th birthday in 1976…with tall and
small ships jamming the harbor and both the East and Hudson Rivers. Fireworks
lit up the night sky, observed by upwards of 500,000 people. Madison Square Garden
and Delmonico’s Restaurant hosted banquets.
Even as its observance continued
into the 20th century with decreasing fanfare and interest, there were
many reasons why Evacuation Day slipped out of favor, not the least of which
was the American alliance with Great Britain during World War I. The last official
observance was held in 1916.
~*~
Sources: “Evacuation Day: New York’s Former November
Holiday,” Megan Margino, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; The Memorial History of the City of New-York, James
Grant Wilson; Evacuation Day, Many
Stirring Events, James Riker
~*~
Kathy Fischer Brown is a BWL author of historical novels,
Winter Fire, Lord Esterleigh's Daughter; American Revolution-set novels, Courting the Devil, The Partisan's Wife, and The Return of Tachlanad, her latest
release, an epic fantasy adventure for young adult and adult readers. Check out
her Books We Love Author
page or visit her website.
All of Kathy’s books are available in e-book and in paperback from Amazon.
