Evacuation Day...New York City...November 25, 1783

It was a long hard war for independence. The American revolution was a war that went on from 1775 till the early 1780's. There is a celebration in Boston every year called Evacuation Day. It honors the date of March 17, 1776 in which the British were pushed out of Boston and they evacuated.
It is not of this event in which I will speak, I will speak of the great evacuation of New York City which was the final act of the Revolutionary War.

New York City was under complete English control throughout the entire revolution. It truly was an occupied city. There had been a great fire in New York in 1776, started it is said by the inhabitants of the city themselves. As they saw the city was to be taken over by the British, they did whatever they could to give as little too them.

The time of the British occupation was not a pretty one. Many patriots were housed in prison boats all around the island. In fact over 11,500 colonist patriots died in those ships. That is more than all who died in every battle of the American revolution. The life for anyone who was not a loyalist was pure hell in New York. The British were most cruel in New York. Today the remains of the over 11,500 patriots are buried in Brooklyn at the Prison Ship Martyr's memorial in Brooklyn. The lofty monument is shown below. The death toll in New York was the greatest in the new nation's attempt at freedom.

There was a great hatred for the British and when it was plain that the war was over and it had been won. One of the great wishes was the reclaiming of New York to its rightful owners. This was easier said than done. New York had become a City of Loyalists and British Soldiers. It was not at all an American city, it was an extension of Britain.

The Treaty of Paris which was the peace treaty between the now called United States and England was signed on September 2, 1782. It was ratified on April 17, 1783. This would get the ball rolling.

Shortly after that the head of the British forces in North America, General Guy Carleton was instructed to evacuate the British forces in total. Most at this point were in New York City. There had to be a massive evacuation of loyalists to various countries. Soldiers needed to be re routed back to England, and there was the nasty matter of slavery. The British had freed the slaves in New York and in most of the areas they had controlled. This was a personal affront to many of the patriots who wanted their property back. Even Washington pushed to have slaves returned, but the British refused basically. So it looked like they were not going to get them back as many had long since left the area or would go with the British as they evacuated and were guaranteed their freedom in England. This was one of the few great things England did.
The area of slavery would be as John Quincy Adams so well put it "The final battle of the American Revolution". It would take another 80 years before that would be addressed.

The date for evacuation was set for November 25, 1783 at noon. George Washington and his troops were stationed right outside of the Island to give the British a chance to get out and make sure all was done in a timely manner. The last of the British forces were out completely at 1 pm, followed very shortly by Washington and Clinton and a bevy of very happy and proud soldiers. Many had died for this day, many gave as much as they could for this day. All had given much, and yet as we have come to honor the 4th of July as our independence day, it is really not. For Evacuation Day indeed it was truly the first day of complete American Independence. On that day the country was free from those who had held control of it since the days of the Dutch. It is not to take anything away from July 4th, even though for histories sake independence was declared on July 2! The actions of that day inspired the country to fight on for the very thing that paper desired.




General George Washington arrives with Governor Clinton and troops in New York on Evacuation Day



The British loaded small boats with soldiers, loyalists, freed slaves, and those who were afraid to be a part of this wild rebel country. This was done under the watchful eyes of all the colonists who were very happy to see them leave. There was a good deal of hate on both sides. It was not a pretty moment for either side. There was some bad actions on both sides that day.


The British sail by Battery Park and see the Stars and Strips on the flag pole. They had not thought they would see it as they had greased the pole and kept the Union Jack flying. But a Mr. Van Arsdale, a veteran of the late war was able to climb the pole and tear off the Union Jack and replace it with the Stars and Stripes.

The public on shore was jeering the British as they left and one of the gunboats leaving was so incensed by this act that he ordered his ship to fire a cannon at the crowd. The shot was fired but fell harmlessly into the water, and that truly was the last shot of the American Revolution. The war was over, the British were gone, and America truly enjoyed her first day of true independence.

The Kennedy assassination..November 22, 1963 . A date I will always remember. What was it like that day for me. My memories of that sad day

It is amazing that is was 46 years ago. Today the death and assassination of JFK is as old as he was when he was shot.

I was a boy in the 1960's..But from the time I could first read, listen, and study...I had a profound interest in history.
My earliest memories are of the Cuban missile Crisis...I recall the fear and terror of that event. There was so much we did not know. I started reading newspapers at that time. Although I did not know many of the words I was trying to learn and understand. It was an important moment in our history. Brought to everyones homes through the medium of TV.
John F. Kennedy was very much the star of this TV drama...His star rose quite a bit as it was well orchestrated. It was a much simpler time, we listened to everything that was said and we believed it. Today with the Internet I doubt the story would have been at all the same.

We survived that crisis and at this point, I really started to enjoy watching John F. Kennedy on TV. He had a wonderful sense of theater, and was smart. He had a happy talent for the spoken word, that is where he excelled. I thrilled at some of his press conferences.
As a young boy he became my first hero, I remember I used to make believe to be him and sign bills and make laws.I still recall so well doing that.
In 1963 I was in school and found my hero was no more.
Gunned down in Dallas. This I found out in class, as one teacher ran into the classroom and my own teacher started to cry. It was kind of funny for us, we were kids. But soon I was made aware of the gravity of it all.

I was picked up by my mother, who was crying,(my mom can cry reading a telephone directory, sadly so can I). But she was shattered that day.
We went to the dry cleaners, they were crying...and then we went home. I never left the TV each day and watched the whole solemn ceremony of death, and mourning. I cried that night.

I also had a very strange and bizarre dream that night which was so very odd. I dreamed that I was walking around and went to George Washington's grave, and put a band aid on him and he came back to life, and I went to Abraham Lincoln's grave and put a band aid on him, and he came back to life, and then I went to President Kennedy and put a band aid on him and he came back to life.
So I and the 3 Presidents were marching together. I have always remembered that Dream from that sad time in 1963. It is amazing how real it was to that 6 year old boy. But I understand that dream and still I feel the vivid nature of it.


Over the weekend the pageant went on, sometimes my mother joined me watching it, she was very upset by it all. She had voted for Kennedy cause she said he was real good looking.
I always enjoyed my mothers political value system. She would carefully weigh the issues and then vote for the best looking candidate!

She was very upset by the assassination, she ate an entire bag of tootsie rolls as she watched the funeral..My mother would eat if she was upset, she still does.

It was a great moment for me, one that I always will remember. The world changed a bit that day. I know it did for me.
I went out and bought all the newspapers I could find at that time. I was being a careful historian already. But what was it like, that day 46 years ago...It was day of outrage, sadness, helplessness, and confusion. I remember oh so well that day, I was saddened by Kennedy's death. I was saddened that I was not going to have my TV shows with my hero, and lastly I found Lyndon Johnson so boring.

You have to remember I am looking at this through the eyes of a 6 year old, but a 6 year old who was trying to capture every bit of this moment in history, as he knew this WAS history. That 6 year old watched the entire event on TV...Saw the live murder of Oswald and the grand pageant of a presidential funeral....The nation as I recalled was in deep shock, everything was a mess, all the stores closed! Of course there was no school on Monday morning of the funeral.

Today I find that much of what we all thought Kennedy was, was not, but I still admire him. I know as a historian he was pulling the wool over our eyes, but still I admire him.

In my thoughts of Kennedy there will forever be that 6 year old boy who thought JFK was one of the coolest people around, and my intellectual powers will never convince that 6 year old otherwise.


The world changed on that date, November 22, 1963, I cannot see that date without being transported to that moment. As I said before it was a simpler time, and I pray that this never happens again, but in a world that is a violent one the odds are that it will. But I do not think the world will be as loving, understanding, and shaken as it was in 1963. We have become a harder people and that is sad, but sadly true. But as I wrote about the assassination in 1988 in a book I had purchased about him. That I will be forever haunted by the terrible days of November in 1963. I am sure everyone who remembers is as well.

John Brown in the Adirondacks. Story on the famous fellow who led the Harper's Ferry raid in 1859 and died for it, and his home and grave in 1896.

December 2, 2009 will be the 150th anniversary of the hanging of John Brown. He was the leader of a slave insurrection at Harper's Ferry in 1859. His death and martyrdom became a symbol for the north during the civil war. Even his name became part of a song "John Brown's body lies a moldering in his grave...etc. This article was done in September of 1896 in the magazine Review of Reviews. This article deals with his house and the state of New York acquiring it.

Enjoy the article as it was hidden in the back of the magazine as there was a Presidential election going on that year. I do not think it has been read much at all since that time in 1896.

" Their Masters Voice"..A timely cartoon from the 1908 election on recordings of the Presidental candidates.

It was so true that in the Presidential election of 1908, both candidates were recorded and used the phonograph for the first time as a campaigning device.

The Beatles in 1964 on a far less known VJ Record! A more uncommon look at the Fab Four . A record that would only sell in 1964 as well.

VJ records issued several recordings of the Beatles in their earliest days. The VJ Record Company was a small concern that dealt with more Religious, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel recordings.
It was a black owned company and catered to many styles of music that would have such an audience in the late 1950's. One has to remember that this was an age before Motown. This company brought some really great music to a lot of people starving for it in the 1950's. Most of the recording companies in the 1950's were not at all concerned with the Black market. The name VJ stood for the initials of the founders of the company...Vivian and James. " VJ "

They started expanding in the late 1950's and early 60's to start producing pop and rock recordings that would cater to a more world wide audience.
By the early 1960's they had records by "The Four Seasons", "Little Richard", The Beatles", and many more. By the early 1960's VJ records had become a force to recon with. But they had to deal with all the big boys in the industry. They held their own for a while. For a few short years VJ records had some of the greatest talent in the field of early rock and roll and pop.





This is one of the most famous of all the albums produced by VJ. It was called "Songs, pictures and stories of the fabulous Beatles"


The early and real versions of this recording have the gate cover. What is meant by the term "gate cover" is, that is only covers 3/4's of the front of the record. and opened like a gate to reveal all that was under it.



This is the gate cover piece. It was album 1092.
This album sold quite well. However in the 1970's it was counterfeited and there were several million of these recordings made. Today the counterfeit copies are the ones most seen. They were all produced in albums that looked like the real thing, but they did not have the gate cover. They are all over today and on Ebay, as they were made in numbers never dreamed of by VJ records in 1964.



Here you can see it with the gate cover closed.

This most unique album of the Beatles came out in July of 1964. It had been recorded and pressed originally in 1963. The record had a limited sale and then was repackaged into this format. It was on sale till VJ records was forced to stop marketing it on Oct 15, 1964. This record sold well, but not like the Beatles records that would follow, but it was one of the pioneer discs of this famous and time changing group. The recording itself was made of a mixing of various recordings of the Beatles done since 1962. There was another reissue of this same record in another format by VJ in 1965 and that was basically the same record again.

The record album was numbered VJ 1092. However, it was issued with record VJ 1062 which had been issued in 1963. It was one of the last hurrahs for VJ records. For VJ records went out of business in 1965.





This is the most colorful and informative record ever put out about the Beatles till many years after they broke up.






It had a lot of great music on it too.


The plain basic label that was the original VJ. (note the number of the record) In later months it would have color.. The major copies made in the 1970's are of color labels. If you look on Ebay you will see those labels all over the place. Although there were few color labels done by VJ they were not very common. As you can see with this label, it is as simple as can be. If you think about it, VJ was a small company so their label would look like that of a small company. I have seen several copies of this record with a multi colored label as well. If you find those beware as most of them are just copies made in the 1970's. Of course the back of the album where all the girls could tape their picture next to the Beatle they loved.

The next time you hear about the first steamboat in America being made by Fulton, remember that is wrong and the right answer is Fitch

How often have we heard of the first steamboat called the Clermont. Made by Robert Fulton and sailed into history in 1807. But the true inventor of the first successful steamboat was indeed John Fitch (1743-1798).

Fitch was truly the first to this, yet we never hear that fact. In fact Fulton has captured the hearts of historians and the public alike, be it true or not as to what he did.


The first successful run of his steamboat took place on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787. The witnesses of this were some of the delegates from the Constitutional Convention. It was propelled by a bank of oars on either side of the boat. The following year Fitch launched a 60-foot boat powered by a steam engine driving several stern mounted oars. This was much like how a duck paddles themselves through water. He carried hundreds of passengers on several round-trip voyages between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey.

Fitch was granted a patent on August 26, 1791. Although his boats were mechanically successful, Fitch failed to pay sufficient attention to construction and operating costs and was unable to justify the economic benefits of steam navigation. His investors left him and he was left to paddle alone.

Fitch also invented a steam railroad locomotive during the 1780s and demonstrated his little working model before President George Washington and his cabinet in Philadelphia. It is not known what Washington may have thought of it, but I am sure they were all impressed but confused about what good such a machine would have.

The model that was shown to Washington still exists at the Historical Society Museum in Columbus, Ohio.

Fitch's idea would be made profitable and far more newsworthy by Robert Fulton, in the 19th century. Though Fulton was able to obtain a monopoly in the state of New York, because of the powerful influence of his business partner Robert Livingston.

Fitch also received patents from France, and is more widely known than Fulton in Europe for the invention and development of the steamboat, although not the train. This is because the powers that be have totally forgotten nor bothered to repair a wrong done many years ago. Today you can see a monument to Fulton in Trinity Cemetery in New York. But as for Fitch he wallows in obscurity in the files and ledgers of history.

Below is a drawing of the first type of steamboat made by Fitch in 1787 and viewed by members of the Constitutional Congress.

The Lusitania sinking from articles.. June of 1915. One of them compares the design of the Titanic to that of the Lusitania and which one was better.

Here are two articles on the sinking of the Lusitania in May of 1915. The articles are from June of 1915.
The first article presents a case on the major question of the day. Which was, why did the Lusitania sink so fast? The next article is more about the news aspect of the disaster and what everyone thought would happen next.

This is a very fascinating period of time in history. Enjoy reading this, as it truly is history when it was but only news.

The loss of the Lusitania was a ground breaking moment for the world in 1915. The echos of that disaster still reverberate to this day.

J. P. Morgan may have heard a lot of jingles in his pockets, but his uncle wrote the song all about jingles.....Jingle Bells

In August, 1857 James Lord Pierpont wrote his song "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in Savanna,Georgia, and it was published by the Oliver Ditson Company in Boston. The popularity of the song grew with time to the point where it became one of the most popular and recognizable songs of the Christmas holiday. But when first written it really was not so popular or even known. But like many songs, they grow on you. Of course this man was not so rich, but he did write about Jingle Bells and of course his famous nephew knew a lot about Jingling..Of course he did not jingle bells, he jingled money. Just so you know and can see the connection in their names. J. P. Morgan's full name was, John Pierpont Morgan. Although we always think of J.P. Morgan as a money man, he did enjoy singing and perhaps that part of his personality and life came from his very musical Pierpont side. For he was known to come marching into his library on 36th Street singing at times.
James Lord Pierpont 1822-1893


An early Columbia disc recording made in 1902 of "The sleigh ride party" in which the song Jingle Bells was sung. Today we do not think of sleigh riding much, but of course that is what the song is all about. This is one of the earliest versions of the song on record. Of course it was recorded first in the 1890's as a novelty number as it was on this disc in 1902. This recording by the way was recorded in New York City.