Key figures: George Washington, William Howe, Alexander McDougall, John Haslet, Johann Rall, Alexander Leslie
Summary
The Battle of White Plains was fought on October 28, 1776, near the village of White Plains in Westchester County, New York, during the British campaign to destroy the Continental Army in the wake of its retreat from Manhattan. After landing at Pell’s Point and Throg’s Neck in mid-October to flank Washington’s position on Harlem Heights, General William Howe forced the Americans to abandon Manhattan and march north. Washington established a defensive line behind the Bronx River at White Plains, anchored on his right by Chatterton’s Hill. On October 28, a British and Hessian assault force of roughly 4,000 men crossed the river and stormed the hill, which was held by about 1,600 Continentals and militia. After repeated attacks and an outflanking move by Hessian troops under Johann Rall, the American line on the hill broke, and the defenders withdrew under covering fire from the 1st Delaware Regiment. Washington pulled his army back to the stronger heights of North Castle, and Howe — declining to assault the new position — broke off the pursuit. The battle was a British tactical victory, but Washington again preserved the bulk of his army to fight another day.
Strategic Context: The Pursuit North
Following his victory at the Battle of Long Island and the landing at Kip’s Bay, Howe sought to trap Washington’s army on Manhattan rather than assault the fortified Harlem Heights directly. In mid-October 1776 he embarked much of his force and landed in Westchester, threatening to cut the American line of retreat. Washington recognized the danger and evacuated most of his army northward, leaving a garrison at Fort Washington on the heights of upper Manhattan. By late October the Continental Army had taken up a series of entrenched positions along the high ground at White Plains, a natural defensive line behind the Bronx River.
Course of the Battle
Howe’s army — numbering roughly 13,000–14,000 British and Hessian troops — advanced toward White Plains in two columns on October 28. The decisive ground was Chatterton’s Hill, an elevation on the American right that commanded the open plain across which the British would have to attack. It was defended by Brigadier General Alexander McDougall’s brigade, including Colonel John Haslet’s Delaware Regiment and Maryland and New York troops, supported by militia and a pair of cannon.
After an artillery bombardment, British and Hessian regiments forded the Bronx River and ascended the hill under fire. The first assaults were checked, but Hessian troops under Colonel Johann Rall worked around the exposed American right flank. When the militia on that flank gave way, the entire defensive line on the hill became untenable. The Continentals conducted a fighting withdrawal, with Haslet’s Delaware Regiment covering the retreat, and fell back to the main army’s lines.
Casualties and Aftermath
| Force | Killed | Wounded | Captured/Missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Army | ~50 | ~150 | ~17 |
| British/Hessian forces | ~47 | ~182 | ~4 |
The losses were roughly comparable, with each side suffering on the order of 200–230 casualties. Over the following days Washington withdrew his army a few miles north to the more defensible high ground at North Castle. Howe, judging a frontal assault on the new position too costly, declined to press the attack; on October 31 a heavy rainstorm further delayed operations, and within days Howe turned his army south to deal with the American garrisons still holding the lower Hudson. The two armies would not meet again in force until Washington’s counterstroke at the Battle of Trenton in December.
Significance
- A second escape: As at Long Island, Washington avoided the destruction of his army despite losing the field, preserving the Continental force on which the Revolution depended.
- End of the New York lines: White Plains effectively concluded the contest for the area immediately north of Manhattan and freed Howe to reduce the remaining American forts on the Hudson, leading directly to the fall of Fort Washington on November 16.
- A war of maneuver: The campaign demonstrated Howe’s preference for flanking maneuver over costly assault and Washington’s growing skill at extricating his army from encirclement — patterns that defined the 1776 campaign and set the stage for the Continental Army’s near-collapse and dramatic recovery that winter.