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The Evacuation of Charleston by the British, December 14, 1782

Date1898

Illustration Citation"The Story of the Revolution," by Henry Cabot Lodge, in Scribner's Magazine, September 1898

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions23 1/4 × 35 1/4 in. (59.1 × 89.5 cm)
frame: 29 1/4 × 41 1/2 in. (74.3 × 105.4 cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1912

Object number1912-94

On View

On view

Label TextA month after the preliminary peace treaty ending the American Revolution was signed, the British forces occupying Charleston, South Carolina, agreed not to destroy the city if the Americans allowed them to evacuate in an orderly manner. As agreed, the British moved out of the harbor, while the American forces moved in, keeping their distance.

Pyle imagined the foreground scene of two commanders in small boats greeting each other. He probably meant to portray the British commander Major General Alexander Leslie (in his red coat) signaling his departure to his counterpart, the American Major General Anthony Wayne, who lifts his hat in return.