On November 25, 1783, British troops completed their evacuation of New York City, their last major military position in the newly independent United States. General George Washington and Continental Army units then marched in and took formal control of the city. New York had been under British occupation for most of the Revolutionary War and had served as a major base and refuge for Loyalists. The evacuation symbolized the end of British rule in the thirteen states and the practical conclusion of the war. New Yorkers celebrated the event annually for many years as Evacuation Day. The date marked a transition from wartime occupation to American governance in a key port city.
