On April 19, 1783, the eighth anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, General George Washington officially announced the Cessation of Hostilities with Great Britain. Although the Treaty of Paris would not be signed until September of that year, the announcement meant that the war was over, and it generated relief, joy, and celebration. A stage was erected on the hill approximately 300 feet southeast of the Temple Building to celebrate the war's end with a fireworks display. One of the ground displays was a sun surrounded by thirteen interlocking rings. The fireworks included an aerial display and elaborate ground displays that amazed the soldiers, including one scene of flaming horsemen pulled on ropes to appear to fight with one another. As the war drew to a close in 1783, Washington reduced his forces, discharging many men before the return of winter. Only 500 infantry, almost entirely from the Massachusetts Line, and 100 artillerymen, mainly from New York, with proportional numbers of command and staff, remained to oversee the withdrawal of British troops from New York. On November 25, 1783, after eight years of war, Washington and his remaining troops crossed over into Manhattan as British forces slowly withdrew down the length of the island. The British evacuation had begun in August and included the removal of thousands of loyalist refugees, including a large number of formerly enslaved African descendants.
