Evacuation Day November 25, 1783 American Holiday

“A nation that forgets its past has no future” - Winston Churchill

"Evacuation Day," which commemorates the departure of British troops from New York harbor on Nov. 25, 1783, was once a big American holiday on the order of the Fourth of July, but with a more stick-it-to-the-Brits flavor. The holiday lost prominence after World War I, when the U.S. and Britain became allies. Local history buffs gather at historical sites across the state to symbolically light seven beacon signal towers once used to warn local militias of approaching British troops. Thanks to Cate Litvack, Executive Director, Crossroads of the American Revolution Association and NJ.com videos for this YouTube video in 2008.

Forgotten Patriots 

Thanks to Sarah Vowell for recommending Forgotten Patriots: The Untold Story of American Prisoners During the Revolutionary War by Edwin G. "Ted" Burrows Professor of History and the co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898

Between 1775 and 1783, some 200,000 Americans took up arms against the British Crown. Just over 6,800 of those men died in battle. About 25,000 became prisoners of war, most of them confined in New York City under conditions so atrocious that they perished by the thousands. Evidence suggests that at least 17,500 Americans may have died in these prisons—more than twice the number to die on the battlefield. It was in New York, not Boston or Philadelphia, where most Americans gave their lives for the cause of independence.