Battle of White Plains

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Battle of White Plains
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Battle of White Plains Historic Site
Date October 28, 1776 Location White Plains, New York Result British victory
Belligerents
United States	Great Britain Hesse-Kassel
Commanders and leaders
George Washington Alexander McDougall Joseph Spencer	William Howe
Strength
McDougall: 1,600 Spencer: 1,500	4,000–7,500
Casualties and losses
McDougall: 28 killed 126 wounded 16 captured Spencer: 22 killed 24 wounded 1 missing	47 killed 182 wounded 4 missing

The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. British troops drove Continental Army troops from a hill near the village, following which George Washington ordered the Americans to retreat further north.

Background

Main article: New York and New Jersey campaign

General William Howe, after evacuating Boston in March 1776, regrouped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and embarked in June on a campaign to gain control of New York City. His troops began an unopposed landing on Staten Island in early July, and made another unopposed landing on Long Island, where General George Washington's Continental Army had organized significant defenses, on August 22.

After losing the Battle of Long Island on August 27, General Washington and his army of 9,000 troops escaped on the night of August 29–30 to York Island (as Manhattan was then called). General Howe followed up with a landing on Manhattan on September 15, but his advance was checked the next day at Harlem Heights. After an abortive landing at Throg's Neck, he landed troops with some resistance at Pell's Point on October 18 to begin an encircling maneuver that would trap Washington's army between that force, his troops in Manhattan, and the Hudson River, which warships of the Royal Navy dominated in that area. Howe established a camp at New Rochelle, but advance elements of his army were near Mamaroneck, only 7 miles (11 km) from White Plains, where there was a lightly-defended Continental Army supply depot.

Prelude

General Washington sent Colonel Rufus Putnam out on October 20 on a reconnaissance mission from his camp at Harlem Heights. He discovered the general state of the British troop locations and recognized the danger to the army and its supplies. When he reported this to Washington that evening, Washington immediately dispatched Putnam with orders to Lord Stirling, whose troops were furthest north, to immediately march to White Plains. These arrived at White Plains at 9 am on October 21, and were followed by other units of the army as the day progressed. Washington had decided to withdraw most of the army to White Plains, leaving a garrison of 1,200 men under Nathanael Greene to defend Fort Washington on Manhattan. General Howe's army advanced slowly, with troops from his center and right moving along the road from New Rochelle to White Plains, while a unit of Loyalists occupied Mamaroneck. These latter were attacked that night by a detachment of Lord Stirling's troops under John Haslet, who took more than thirty prisoners as well as supplies, but suffered several killed and 15 wounded. As a result, Howe moved elements of his right wing to occupy Mamaroneck. On October 22, Howe was reinforced by the landing at New Rochelle of an additional 8,000 troops under the command of Wilhelm von Knyphausen,

Jacob Purdy House: George Washington's headquarters.

Washington established his headquarters at White Plains on October 23, and chose a defensive position that he fortified with two lines of entrenchments. The trenches were situated on raised terrain, protected on the right by the swampy ground near the Bronx River, with steeper hills further back as a place of retreat. The American defenses were 3 miles (4.8 km) long. Beyond that, on the right, was Chatterton's Hill, which commanded the plain over which the British would have to advance. The hill was initially occupied by militia companies numbering several hundred, probably including John Brooks' Massachusetts militia company.

On October 24 and 25, Howe's army moved from New Rochelle to Scarsdale, where they established a camp covering the eastern bank of the Bronx River. This move was apparently made in the hopes of catching Charles Lee's column, which had to alter its route toward White Plains and execute a forced march at night to avoid them. Howe remained at Scarsdale until the morning of October 28, when his forces marched toward White Plains, with British troops on the right under General Henry Clinton, and primarily Hessian troops on the left under General von Heister.

Battle

File:Whiteplainsbattleplans.jpeg

A 1796 map showing the strategies of the opposing armies.

While Washington was inspecting the terrain, seeing where it was best to station his troops, messengers alerted him that the British were advancing. Returning to his headquarters, he ordered 1,500 men under Joseph Spencer out to slow the British advance, and sent Haslet and the 1st Delaware Regiment, along with Alexander McDougall's brigade (Ritzema's 3rd New York, Webb's Connecticut, Smallwood's Maryland, and McDougall's own regiments) to reinforce Chatterton Hill.

Spencer's force crossed the Bronx River, set up behind a stone wall, and exchanged fire with the Hessians from the British left column, led by Johann Rall, that were leading the British advance. Eventually forced to retreat when Clinton's column threatened their flank, these companies retreated across the Bronx River, where fire from the troops on Chatterton Hill covered their retreat. Rall's troops attempted to gain the hill, but were repelled by fire from Haslet's troops and the militia, and retreated to a nearby hilltop on the same side of the river. This concerted defense brought the entire British army, which was maneuvering as if to attack the entire American line, to a stop.

While Howe and his command conferred, the Hessian artillery on the left opened fire on the hilltop position, where they succeeded in driving the militia into a panicked retreat. The arrival of McDougall and his brigade helped to rally them, and a defensive line was established, with the militia on the right, and the Continentals arrayed along the top of the hill. Howe finally issued orders, and while most of his army waited, a detachment of British and Hessian troops was sent to take the hill.

The British attack was organized with Hessian regiments leading the assault. Rall was to charge the American right, while a Hessian battalion under Donop (consisting of the Linsing, Mingerode, Lengereck, and Kochler grenadiers, and Donop's own chasseur regiment) was to attack the center, while a British column under General Leslie (consisting of the 5th, 28th, 35th, and 49th Foot) were to attack the right. Donop's force either had difficulty crossing the river, or was reluctant to do so, and elements of the British force were the first to cross the river. Rall's charge scattered the militia on the American right, leaving the flank of the Maryland and New York regiments exposed as they poured musket fire onto the British attackers, whose advance was temporarily halted by their fire. The exposure of their flank caused them to begin a fighting retreat, which progressively forced the remainder of the American line, which had engaged with the other segments of the British force, to give way and retreat. Haslet's Delaware regiment, which anchored the American left, provided covering fire while the remaining troops retreated to the north, and were the last to leave the hill. The fighting was intense, and both sides suffered significant casualties before the Continentals made a disciplined retreat.

Casualties

John Fortescue's History of the British Army says that Howe's casualties were 214 British and 99 Hessians. However, Rodney Atwood points out that Fortescue's figure for the Hessians includes the entire Hessian casualties from 19-28 October and that in fact only 53 of these casualties were incurred at the Battle of White Plains. This revised figure would give a total of 267 British and Hessians killed, wounded or missing at White Plains. Henry Dawson, on the other hand, gives Howe's loss as 47 killed, 182 wounded and 4 missing. The American loss is uncertain. Theodore Savas and J. David Dameron give a range of 150-500 killed, wounded and captured. Samuel Roads gives casualties of 47 killed and 70 wounded. Henry Dawson gives 50 killed, 150 wounded and 17 missing for McDougall's and Spencer's commands but has no information about the losses in Haslet's regiment or the Massachusetts militia units.

Aftermath

The two remained where they were for two days, while Howe reinforced the position on Chatterton Hill, and Washington organized his army for retreat into the hills. With the arrival of additional Hessian and Waldeck troops under Lord Percy on October 30, Howe planned to act against the Americans the following day. However, a heavy rain fell the whole next day, and when he was finally prepared to act, he awoke to find that Washington had again eluded his grasp.

General Howe

Washington withdrew his army into the hills to the north on the night of October 31, establishing a camp near North Castle. Howe chose not to follow, instead attempting without success to draw Washington out. On November 5 he turned his army south to finish evicting Continental Army troops from Manhattan, a task he accomplished with the November 16 Battle of Fort Washington.

Washington eventually crossed the Hudson River at Peekskill with most of his army, leaving New England regiments behind to guard stores and important river crossings. Later British movements chased him across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, from where he staged a crossing of the Delaware and surprised Rall's troops in the December 26 Battle of Trenton.

Legacy

USS White Plains (CVE-66)

Each year on or near the anniversary date, the White Plains Historical Society hosts a commemoration of the event at the Jacob Purdy House in White Plains, New York. Two ships in the United States Navy, CVE-66 and AFS-4, were named for the Battle of White Plains.

References

• Alden, John (1989). A History of the American Revolution. Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306803666.
• Atwood, Rodney (1980). The Hessians: Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in American Revolution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 22884 0.
• Dawson, Henry Barton (1886). Westchester County, New York in the American Revolution. Morrisania, New York: self-published.
• Boatner, Mark Mayo (1966). Cassell's Biographical Dictionary of the American War of Independence, 1763-1783. London: Cassell and Company, Ltd. ISBN 0 304 29296 6.
• Greene, Francis Vinton (1911). The Revolutionary War and the Military Policy of the United States. Charles Scribner's Sons.
• Lengel, Edward (2005). General George Washington. New York: Random House Paperbacks. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authorid= ignored (help)
• Roads, Samuel, Jr. (1880). The History and Traditions of Marblehead. Boston: Osgood. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authorid= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Savas, Theodore P.; Dameron, J. David (2006). A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution. New York and El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beattie LLC. ISBN 978 1 978 1 932714 12 8. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
• Schecter, Barton (2002). The Battle for New York. New York: Walker. ISBN 0802713742.
• "White Plains Historical Society Event Calendar". White Plains Historical Society. Retrieved 2009-12-17.

External links

• The Battle of White Plains
• White Plains Historical Society