Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)
| Evacuation Day | |
|---|---|
Engraving depicting the evacuation of Boston
|
|
| Observed by |
Suffolk County, Massachusetts and some state offices located there Somerville, Massachusetts public schools |
| Celebrations |
Commemoration ceremony at Dorchester Heights |
| Date | March 17 |
| Next time | 17 March 2017 |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Saint Patrick's Day |
Commemoration ceremony at Dorchester Heights
Evacuation Day is a holiday observed on March 17 in Suffolk County, Massachusetts (which includes the cities of Boston, Chelsea, and 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 someMassachusetts 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.
The 11-month siege of Boston ended when the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, fortified Dorchester Heights in early March 1776 with cannons captured at Ticonderoga. British General William Howe, whose garrison and navy were threatened by these positions, was forced to decide between attack and retreat. To prevent what could have been a repeat of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Howe decided to retreat, withdrawing from Boston to Nova Scotia on March 17, 1776.
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