Who resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in Annapolis in 1783?

George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in Annapolis in 1783.

Washington resigned on December 23, 1783, before the Confederation Congress meeting in Maryland’s state house. The ceremony came shortly after the Revolutionary War had ended and after British forces had evacuated New York. Washington voluntarily returned military power to civilian government, a gesture that became central to his public reputation.

He had commanded the Continental Army since Congress appointed him in 1775. His resignation showed that victory would not be used to establish a military dictatorship or personal monarchy. Washington then returned to Mount Vernon, although he later returned to public life as president of the Constitutional Convention and the first U.S. president.

The Annapolis event is sometimes confused with Washington’s later farewell as president. These were separate acts: the 1783 resignation ended his wartime command, while his 1796 Farewell Address concerned retirement from the presidency.