What is "evacuation day"

Evacuation \E*vac`u*a"tion\, n. [L. evacuatio: cf. F.

1. The act of emptying, clearing of the contents, or discharging. Specifically:

   1. (Mil.) Withdrawal of troops from a town, fortress, etc.

   2. (Med.) Voidance of any matter by the natural passages of the body or by an artificial opening; defecation; also, a diminution of the fluids of an animal body by cathartics, venesection, or other means.

2. That which is evacuated or discharged; especially, a discharge by stool or other natural means.
   --Quincy.

3. Abolition; nullification. [Obs.]
   --Hooker.

   Evacuation day, the anniversary of the day on which the British army evacuated the city of New York, November 25, 1783.

Evacuation Day is a holiday observed on March 17 in Suffolk County (which includes the cities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and the Town of Winthrop) and also by the public schools in Somerville, Massachusetts. The holiday commemorates the evacuation of British forces from the city of Boston following the Siege of Boston, early in the American Revolutionary War. Schools and government offices (including some Massachusetts state government offices located in Suffolk County) are closed. If March 17 falls on a weekend, schools and government offices are closed on the following Monday in observance. It is the same day as Saint Patrick's Day, a coincidence that played a role in the establishment of the holiday.

Evacuation Day may refer to:

• Evacuation Day (Massachusetts), anniversary of departure of British army on March 17, 1776; celebrated in Greater Boston since 1901
• Evacuation Day (New York), anniversary of departure of British army on November 25, 1783; celebrated annually until World War I
• Evacuation Day (Syria), anniversary of departure of French army on April 17, 1946

Evacuation Day on November 25 marks the day in 1783 when British troops departed from New York Town on Manhattan Island, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. After this British Army evacuation, General George Washington triumphantly led the Continental Army from his former headquarters, north of the city, across the Harlem River south down Manhattan through the town to The Battery at the foot of Broadway.

The last shot of the war was reportedly fired on this day, as a British gunner fired a cannon at jeering crowds gathered on the shore of Staten Island, as his ship passed through the Narrows at the mouth of New York Harbor. The shot fell well short of the shore.

Evacuation Day , also called Independence Day, is Syria's national day commemorating the evacuation of the last French soldier and Syria's proclamation of full independence and the end of the French mandate of Syria on 17 April 1946.