Battle of White Plains
| date | October 28, 1776 |
|---|---|
| place | White Plains , New York |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| about 14,500 | about 14,000 |
| losses | |
|
about 300 dead and |
313 dead and |
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Northern Campaign
The Battle of White Plains was a military conflict on October 28, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War . The army of the British General William Howe completed their occupation of New York and its surroundings here with the support of Hessian units . George Washington had retired with his people to higher ground near the village of White Plains .
The battle is counted as a British victory because the fusilier regiment of the Hessian general Philipp von Heister succeeded in undermining the American position. However, Howe missed the chance to force a major battle that could have destroyed the Washington army. When Howe had taken the plateau, he paused to set up camp and artillery positions. The reason for this may be heavy rains that prevailed on the day of the battle. After spending a few miserable nights on bogus ground threatened by British rifles, the Americans managed to escape north on the night of November 1st with their injuries and supplies.
In view of the troop strengths, the losses on both sides were small. The Continental Army counted around 300 dead and wounded, while British casualties were 313. However, Johann Ewald , a Hessian officer and battle participant, claimed Howe underestimated losses on both sides and that there were over 1,000 killed and wounded. So both sides could have lost about 500 people each.
Web links
- The Battle of White Plains (English)
- White Plains Historical Society
- Historical plan of the positions on the White Plains on October 28, 1776 at the Digital Archive Marburg ( Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg )
Coordinates: 41 ° 2 ′ 24 " N , 73 ° 46 ′ 43" W.