Mike the Mad Biologist

Happy Evacuation Day!

Posted by Mike on March 17, 2010
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And Evacuation Day, which truly is a silly holiday, is a wonderful way to allow everybody to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day without violating all that church and state stuff. One unique Massachusetts tradition is that, on this day, some tightwad state representative rails against how much Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day cost the state. Yes, Evacuation Day isn’t a particularly momentous occasion in terms of U.S. history, but the Battle of Bunker Hill is kinda important–we should remember it. If the colonists had lost the battle, our history would be very different.

Besides, nobody’s around in June anyway.

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Comments

  1. #1 Ericb
    March 17, 2010

    Actually the colonists did lose the Battle of Bunker Hill (the actuall battle occurred on Breeds Hill). Though they gave the British troops a bloody nose at the end of the day they had to abandon their positions and cede control of the hill to the British.

  2. #2 JohnV
    March 17, 2010

    Every year around this time, the lack of recognition of St. Joseph’s day makes me very sad :p

  3. #3 Rob Jase
    March 17, 2010

    Ah but St. Paddy should have driven the cassock snakes out of Ireland.

    It would have saved the RCC a wee bit of a scandal.

  4. #4 mk
    March 17, 2010

    I thought Evacuation day was tomorrow. You know, when everyone is sitting on the can and holding a plastic bucket… evacuating the excesses of today.

  5. #5 Moopheus
    March 17, 2010

    Indeed–the Redcoats forced the colonists to retreat, but were then trapped on the peninsula, beginning the long Siege of Boston.

    I lived for a while in a house that was partially built from beams used in one of the siege fortifications on Winter Hill.