December 23, 1783

Resignation of George Washington as commander-in-chief

George Washington resigns his Continental Army commission

He carried the original commission inside his coat, drew it out after speaking, and placed it in the hands of the man presiding over Congress.

Noon, 23 December 1783, Annapolis

At noon on 23 December 1783, George Washington appeared before the Confederation Congress in the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House and offered his commission back to Congress. Congress had first voted that seven states constituted enough of a quorum to receive it.

He congratulated Congress on confirmed independence and sovereignty, thanked the army and his staff, and declared that he was taking leave of public life.

The commission changes hands

At the end of the address Washington drew the physical commission from his coat and handed it to Thomas Mifflin, the president of Congress, who delivered the prepared congressional response.

Washington bowed, left the chamber, said farewell to the delegates, and departed Annapolis the same day.

Home by Christmas Eve

He reached Mount Vernon on 24 December, returning to private life after surrendering his military authority — a deliberate, public demonstration that military command answered to the civil government.

One familiar embellishment should be handled carefully: the celebrated remark attributed to George III comes secondhand through the painter Benjamin West, who related differing versions years later.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 7 sources 3 audit passes

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet, rewritten from that sheet, then audited against it by a different model. How the pipeline works →

What the sources leave uncertain

The date, place, and central actions are securely documented.
The celebrated remark attributed to George III is hearsay transmitted by painter Benjamin West. West related differing versions years later, and the 1797 account's reference to Washington's 'resignation' is chronologically ambiguous.
Thomas Fleming's 'most important moment in American history' is a modern historian's evaluative characterization, not a contemporary description of the ceremony.