George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief marked the end of Washington's military service in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

and his return to civilian life at Mount Vernon. His voluntary action has been described as "one of the nation's great acts of statesmanship" and helped establish the precedent of civilian control of the military. After the Treaty of Paris ending the war had been signed on September 3, 1783, and after the last British troops left New York City on November 25, Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

to the Congress of the Confederation, then meeting in the Maryland State House at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, on December 23 of the same year. This followed his farewell to the Continental Army, November 2 at Rockingham near

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

, and his farewell to his officers, December 4 at Fraunces Tavern in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Washington's resignation was depicted by

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

in 1824 with the life-size painting, '' General George Washington Resigning His Commission'', now on view in the United States Capitol rotunda.

History

Washington arrived at Annapolis on December 19, 1783, and was greeted by General William Smallwood and General Horatio Gates at the Three Mile Oak. The next day, he wrote to Congress about the method to resign, whether in person or by writing. The President of the Continental Congress, Thomas Mifflin, appointed a committee of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, James McHenry, and Elbridge Gerry to determine the details. On Monday, December 22, Congress honored Washington with a feast at Mann's Tavern, attended by between two and three hundred gentlemen. Later that night, a public ball was held in his honor by Maryland Governor William Paca at the State House. Nearly six hundred guests attended. Historian Willard Sterne Randall describes the evening: "George Washington, a famous dancer, astonished French officers with his skill and grace at the minuet." At noon, on Tuesday, December 23, Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, led Washington, accompanied by two of his aides-de-camp, Col. David Humphreys and Col. Benjamin Walker, into the Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House. While depicted in some paintings of the event, Martha Washington was not actually in attendance. Then Washington delivered his remarks to the assembly: As the last act of his resignation, Washington handed his commission and his speech to President Mifflin. The next day, December 24, Washington left for his residence, Mount Vernon.

Legacy

Brown University historian Gordon S. Wood, the recipient of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for History for '' The Radicalism of the American Revolution'' (1992), writes in his book: On May 3, 1797, King George III told the American painter Benjamin West his opinion of Washington (as reported by West to ambassador Rufus King): The American artist,

, a former ''aide-de-camp'' to Washington, after receiving word of Washington's resignation, wrote to his brother Jonathan Trumbull Jr. that it: Later, in describing his painting, '' General George Washington Resigning His Commission'', Trumbull considered Washington's resignation "one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world". The historian Thomas Fleming described the significance of the event:

Artistic depictions

Washington's resignation has been depicted by several artists in both paintings and sculptures. Raimondo Trentanove carved a bas-relief of this scene on the pedestal of Antonio Canova's ''

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

'' that was installed in the North Carolina State House in 1821. Both were destroyed by fire in 1831. Trumbull's 1824 life-size painting, '' General George Washington Resigning His Commission'', can be seen in the United States Capitol rotunda. In 1829, the sculptor completed the statue of Washington resigning his commission that is atop the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. In 1840, Horatio Greenough completed his

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of Washington returning power to the people. It is now at the National Museum of American History. About 1841, Ferdinand Pettrich sculpted a painted plaster sculpture, '' Washington Resigning His Commission'', now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 1858, Edwin White painted ''Washington Resigning His Commission'', on commission from the Maryland Legislature. It is on display in the Grand Staircase of the Maryland State House. In 1903, Edwin Blashfield created the mural, ''Washington Surrendering His Commission'', which depicts Washington laying his commission at the feet of Columbia. It is located in the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse in Baltimore.

Gallery

File:Old Senate Chamber, Maryland State House.jpg, Bronze statue of George Washington resigning his commission in the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House File:Canova-Washington.JPG, ''

''
by Antonio Canova, plaster replica File:Washington Monument, Baltimore, Statue of George Washington by Enrico Causici (cropped).jpg, ''George Washington'' resigning his commission atop the

in Baltimore
by Enrico Causici, 1829 File:George Washington Greenough statue.jpg, ''

''
by Horatio Greenough, 1840 File:Ferdinand Pettrich - Washington Resigning His Commission - Smithsonian.jpg, '' Washington Resigning His Commission''
by Ferdinand Pettrich, File:Washington Resigning His Commission 1859.jpg, ''Washington Resigning His Commission''
by Edwin White, 1858 File:Washington Surrendering His Commission - Edwin Howland Blashfield.jpg, ''Washington Surrendering His Commission''
by Edwin Blashfield, 1903

References

External links