Farewell Address to the Armies of the United States

Issued on November 3, 1783; excerpted from George Washington's Writings, 1997

"The unparalleled perseverance of the Armies of the U States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle."

George Washington

After the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781, the village lay in ruins. Victorious American soldiers looted British stockpiles, seizing food, guns, ammunition, swords, and British and German flags (German soldiers were hired to fight alongside the British). Six thousand British and German soldiers were marched off to prison camps in Virginia and Maryland, but their commanding officers returned to England. There still remained a large number of British soldiers at their headquarters in New...