Happy Evacuation Day!

Yes, today is the anniversary of the day when Gen. George Washington drove the British troops from Boston by firing on them from Dorchester Heights with cannon dragged through the snow from Ft. Ticonderoga in upstate New York. The brains behind this military coup, which was desperately needed by Washington, was Boston book seller Henry Knox, made a General for his bright idea. Porcupine wrote about this on Gen. Knox's birthday last summer (HERE ) and I am sure we are all properly mindful of the significance of this day in RevolutionaryWar history.

You mean there's another holiday today?

For years, Porcupine has joked that it was considerate of Washinton to choose St. Patrick's Day to drive the British from Boston as St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland, giving generations of Boston Irish politicians a day off from hackery and a chance to drink green beer. However, it has come to light that perhaps Washington DID know what he was setting into motion.

A story, long assumed to be apochryphal, was that the password for the Revolutionary troops for that day was 'St. Patrick'. Now, a historian has found Washington's own handwritten code word for the day, and it turns out that story is true!

So, here's to a day off from labour under the Golden Dome of Bacon Hill, and a chance to squeeze into Hibernian Hall on Sunday and mumble songs that nobody remembers the words to anymore. It remains to be seen if Romney and Traviglini can top the cross-talk vaudeville act done by Bill Weld and Bill Bulger, but every political eye will be watching keenly.

Let thanks be given for good timing to Gen. Henry Knox, and may your only evacuations be Irish ones.