Last week we covered the British evacuation of New York. At the same time that the British were leaving, the Continental Army continued its process of disbanding. As we discussed in Episode 327, the Continental Congress furloughed most of the army in June, 1783. The furloughs allowed the soldiers to return home, but avoided the issue of settling their back pay and other things owed to them. It also permitted Congress to recall the army if some unforeseen events happened requiring the army to react.
Washington’s Farewell
In October, Congress made the furloughs permanent and discharged everyone on furlough. It also discharged all Continental soldiers except for a small contingent at Fort Pitt, and the few hundred officers and men still in New York.
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| General Washington Resigns his Commission By Jonathan Trumbull |
Despite such matters, the cost of such an army, combined with the general notion that standing armies in peacetime were not necessary, prevented Congress from accepting Washington’s arguments. Congress ordered the final discharge of the army. It also accepted the resignation of Secretary of War, Benjamin Lincoln, who wished to return to Massachusetts.
Washington himself was eager to get home. He wrote to a former officer in France,
“I, who am only waiting for the ceremonials, or till the British forces shall have taken leave of New York, am placed in an awkward and disagreeable situation, it being my anxious desire to quit the walks of public life, and under the shadow of my own vine and my own fig tree to seek those enjoyments and that relaxation, which a mind, that has been constantly upon the stretch for more than eight years, stands so much in need of. I have fixed this epoch to the arrival of the definitive treaty, or to the evacuation of my country by our newly acquired friends.”
On November 2, Washington issued his farewell orders of the army. He announced Congress’ decision to discharge virtually all of the army. He took a moment to reflect on the amazing accomplishment of defeating the British Army. He called it “little short of a standing Miracle.”
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| Entry into New York |
He called on the officers and men to be as virtuous and as useful as citizens as they had been persevering and victorious as soldiers. The general acknowledged the frustrations over the debts owed to them, but called up them to remain honorably supportive of the government, and even called on them to support a stronger federal government that would be capable of paying off all of the war debts.
Washington concluded by offering his thanks to all, professing his attachment and friendship, and called on heaven’s blessings as he concluded his own military service.
Dutch Ambassador
During this same time period, an embarrassing diplomatic incident occurred. In October. The new Dutch Ambassador to the US arrived in Philadelphia. Peter John Van Berckel had been the mayor of Rotterdam. His brother had played a role in the draft treaty that caused Britain to go to war with the Netherlands. The ambassador arrived, not only to establish formal diplomatic relations, but also with much needed cash from a loan that had been arranged in Europe.
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| Pieter Van Berkel |
The Ambassador managed to rent a room at City Tavern, figured out that Congress had moved to Princeton. He sent a letter announcing his arrival.
It took several days from Congress to receive the letter. President Elias Boudinot immediately dispatched his secretary to Philadelphia with apologies. When Van Berckel made his way to Princeton, a cavalry escort and various officials finally turned out to greet him. It was an inauspicious beginning to diplomatic relations, and a sign that Congress still had a long way to go in establishing a functioning government.
Washington in New York
As I discussed last week, Washington traveled from Princeton to West Point in mid November to await the final British evacuation. When he left Princeton, he forwarded the bulk of his baggage to Virginia, anticipating that he would be on his way home after his ceremonial entry into New York. When the British Army finally pulled out on November 25, Washington and the Continentals rode into town that same day.
New York City was a wreck. It had suffered two major fires during the British occupation. No one bothered to rebuild anything. The British simply used burned out lots and areas for camping. The occupying army also had burned most of the fences and other combustible materials, particularly in their final months. Many of the civilians, both those who had remained and those returning, appeared emaciated and with frayed clothing, owing to years of deprivation and hard living. Many witnesses contrasted the neat polished uniforms of the departing British with the bedraggled look of the Continentals and militia who took back the city.
Despite the appearances of the town or the people, the event was a joyful one. Washington had been focused on retaking New York for most of the war, and was pleased that the matter was finally complete.
That evening Governor Clinton hosted a party at Fraunces Tavern, which Washington and his officers attended. The guests drank 13 toasts, the first being “To the United States of America.” Fireworks and bonfires continued the celebrations into the night.
Washington made his quarters in the house across the street from the tavern. For the next few days, he received visitors there, many of whom were returning NY patriots who had fled the city years earlier. Washington also gave several public addresses, and attended various banquets and parties in the evenings.
On his second day in the city Washington and Alexander Hamilton paid a morning visit to Hercules Mulligan, an Irish tailor. They shared a breakfast with the local. Mulligan and Hamilton had been college roommates before the war. Mulligan had been involved in some of the early activities by the Sons of Liberty before the war. But when the British captured the town, Mulligan remained a civilian in the city, under British rule.
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| Farewell at Fraunces Tavern |
After a week and a half in the city, on December 4, the British fleet finally sailed out into open sea. Washington held a final party for his officers at Fraunces Tavern that began at noon that day. The only account of the event comes form Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, who wrote about it in his memoirs decades later:
We had been assembled but a few moments when his excellency entered the room. After partaking of a slight refreshment in an almost breathless silence the General filled his glass with wine and turning to the officers said, “With a heart full of 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.
After the officers had taken a glass of wine General Washington said, “I cannot come to each of you but shall feel obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand.” General Knox, the closest officer to Washington, walked up to the General and the two hugged and kissed with tears running down their faces. In the same affectionate manner every officer in the room marched up and parted with the general in chief. Such a scene of sorrow and weeping I had never before witnessed and fondly hope I may never be called to witness again.
When the lunch ended, the officers escorted their commander to the wharf, where a ferry carried him to New Jersey. The officers then took their leave of each other and returned home to their new lives as civilians.
Move to Maryland
Before he could return home, Washington would have to submit his formal resignation to Congress. He could no longer go to Princeton to do that, because Congress was gone.
We discussed several weeks ago how Congress had to flee from Philadelphia after the city failed to protect Congress from mutinous Continental soldiers. Congress had remained in Princeton for months, but the delegates found it unsuited to their needs. The small college town had few taverns and no real social life. Living quarters were also rather cramped. During most of the time Congress was there, it only had delegations from six states, meaning it did not even have a quorum to conduct business.
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| Washington Leaves NY |
The move to Annapolis did not do much for attendance. It took several weeks for delegates from seven states to show up, giving Congress a quorum. This was a concern because there was one issue on which the clock was ticking.
Just before Congress departed Princeton at the end of November, it received the final Peace Treaty from Paris. The final article of the treaty required that both countries ratify and exchange copies of the treaty within six months of the initial signing in early September. Nearly three months had passed until the treaty arrived before Congress. It could take another three months for a return voyage to complete the exchange. So it was critical that the treaty be ratified as soon as possible. If not, Britain could reopen the negotiations. With France and Spain now having agreed to peace, and since Britain had given the Americans so many concessions solely so that the war with France and Spain would end, Britain could simply take back many of the provisions and demand more concessions from the United States before it agreed to a new treaty.
Congress thought it should avoid that possibility, even if it was a remote one, by complying with the six month deadline. Unfortunately, when they received the treaty, there were only six state delegations in attendance, meaning Congress could do nothing.
When Congress reconvened in Maryland in mid-December, only seven state delegations were present. This was enough for a quorum, but the Articles of Confederation required that nine states approve all important matters, and the treaty ending the war was an important matter. Congress anxiously awaited the arrival of two more state delegations. It took about a month, before the delegates from Connecticut arrived. A few days later, Richard Beresford of South Carolina allowed the South Carolina delegation to vote, giving Congress nine votes to ratify the treaty. On January 17, 1784.
It was unclear if a ship could get to London by the March 3 deadline. Congress sent three copies on different ships, hoping one would arrive in time. One copy went to New York where a French Packet ship was about to leave. The ship left with the treaty a few days later, but ran aground and had to return to harbor. The other two copies could not find a ship headed for Europe for more than a month. So Congress missed its deadline.
Fortunately, Britain was in no mood to reopen negotiations. When the treaty arrived in London two months past the deadline, the diplomats exchanged ratifications, thus formally ending the war with some finality on May 12, 1784.
Washington Resigns
Washington was going to have to go to Annapolis to complete his military service. After leaving New York, he stopped in Trenton, where he met with the Governor and other state officials, spending two days there. He then traveled to Philadelphia, where he met with State President John Dickinson, Robert Morris, and two of his old generals: Arthur St. Clair and Edward Hand. Once again he was celebrated with parties and public celebrations. He also addressed the state assembly, groups of merchants, and the public. He also attended a ball at City Tavern. When he left Philadelphia more than a week later, French Ambassador Luzerne, President John Dickinson, and Robert Morris, all escorted him out of the city.
The following day, he paused again in Wilmington, Delaware to accept the honors of officials there. Two days later he sat for a public dinner in Baltimore. Every wanted a moment with the conquering hero, appreciating what he had done, and basking in this moment of victory.
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| Washington leaves Annapolis after resigning |
Finally, on Tuesday, Washington was admitted to Congress, which met in the Senate Chamber in the Maryland State House. The new President of Congress, Thomas Mifflin, received him along with the seven state delegations who were in attendance. Mifflin was the only delegate present who was in Congress when they first granted Washington his commission in 1775. If Washington still held a grudge against Mifflin over the Conway Cabal, he did not give any indication of it at this time. Washington had the Congressional Secretary Charles Thompson read his farewell address
Like most of Washington’s speeches, it was a short one, perhaps two or three minutes long. He formally resigned his commission. Interestingly, he referred to the United state in the singular form:
“Happy in the confirmation of our Independence and Sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States, of becoming a respectable Nation, I resign with satisfaction the appointment I accepted with diffidence.”
He included a brief plea that Congress make good on the promises of pay and pensions to the army.
It's also interesting from the notes for his speech, he also made a few last minute changes to his address, changed “a final farewell” to “an affectionate farewell” and changed “take my ultimate leave of all the employments of public life” by removing the word “ultimate.” Perhaps he was already thinking this would not be the final act in his public life.
When the speech concluded, Washington bowed and left the room for his formal exit. He then came back in to chat with some delegates and with other prominent members of Maryland society who were present. One witness reported:
the General seemed so much affected himself that everybody felt for him, he addressed Congress in a short Speech but very affecting many tears were shed...I think the World never produced a greater man & very few so good.
With his service complete, Washington, still with a retinue in tow, rode for Mount Vernon. They arrived on Christmas Eve. Two of their grandchildren, Nelly and Wash were there to greet them, as were the staff and a host of other visitors and well-wishers. A young girl who was present wrote “The General and Madame came home on Christmas Eve and such a racket the servants made, for they were glad of their coming. Three handsome young officers came with them. All Christmas afternoon people came to pay their Respects and Duty…. The General seemed very happy.”
The general was, in fact home and ready to enjoy the peaceful comforts of domestic life for the first time in nearly nine years. George Washington was content to be home with a job well done.
Next Week, The establishment of The Society of the Cincinnati creates a new controversy for a country that finally ended the war.
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Next Episode 332 End of the Continental Army (Available October 20, 2024)
Previous Episode 329 Signing the Peace Treaty
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Further Reading
Websites
“Washington’s Farewell Address to the Army, 2 November 1783,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-12012
Washington’s Resignation Speech December 23, 1783 https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/pdf/webversion.pdf
Proclaiming Peace, Jan. 14, 1784 https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdstatehouse/html/ratification.html
Free eBooks
(from archive.org unless noted)
Riker, James Evacuation Day, 1783, New York: 1883.
[Archive.org has been offline due to hacking problems, therefore, I've been unable to find new resources there for this episode].
Books Worth Buying
(links to Amazon.com unless otherwise noted)*
Fleming, Thomas The Perils of Peace: America's Struggle for Survival After Yorktown, Harper Collins, 2007.
Fowler, William H. Jr. American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years after Yorktown, 1781-1783, Walker & Co. 2011.
Glickstein, Don After Yorktown: The Final Struggle for American Independence, Westholme Publishing, 2015.
Head, David A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the Fate of the American Revolution, Pegasus Books, 2019.
Weintraub, Stanley General Washington's Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783, Free Press, 2003.
* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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