1783: Long Island Liberated
from British Occupation

While the British soldiers who had occupied New York City for the duration of the Revolutionary War were evacuated on November 25, 1783, it wasn’t until December 4, 1783 that Long Island was liberated. This ended the island’s Revolutionary War occupation – the longest of any place within the 13 colonies. In addition to the soldiers traveling back to England on British ships, many Loyalists were also anxious to leave. In fact, so many fled that there were not enough ships to transport everyone and a large group of soldiers who had been stationed on Long Island were forced to remain for an additional nine days of occupation. At the same time, an estimated 5,000 Long Island patriots who had sought refuge in Connecticut during the war straggled home, often finding that their homes were destroyed, their farm animals were gone, their trees were cut down.