On this day 250 years ago in New York, the Americans fought the British in the Battle of White Plains. After facing off against each other for the previous week in Westchester County with little combat, British Gen. William Howe ordered his British and Hessian troops to assault the Continental Army and Militia defending the heights west of White Plains. In fierce fighting, the British pushed the Americans from their position on Chatterton Hill but the rest of the lines of the Continental Army held, and the battle was largely a draw. The estimates of the losses for the battle vary, but it is clear that the British and Hessians suffered more casualties than the Americans. The American losses are estimated to range from 125 to 300 killed, wounded and captured but the British and Hessians lost between 233 and 400 men.

Although for many battles of the Revolution I am unable to find a list of the American casualties, I did locate a roster of Americans who fought at White Plains that listed many of the approximately 45 Americans killed in the battle. Here are soldiers who gave their lives for American liberty at White Plains:

Capt. Nathan Adams of Haslet’s Delaware Regiment; Pvt. Allyn of Connecticut; Pvt. Jotham Atwater of Capt. Peck’s Company of Col. William Douglas’s Connecticut levies; Pvt. Elijah Avery of Connecticut; Pvt. Joseph L. Babcock of Connecticut; Pvt. Elisha Beckwith of the 6th Battalion of Connecticut (Chester’s Levies); Sgt. Belt of Brig. Gen. William Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment (the famed Maryland 400 who had fought at the Battle of Brooklyn); Pvt. Stephen Bends of Hutching’s Co. of the 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Bennett Bracco of the First Independent Company of Maryland; Pvt. Parlee Brown of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Peter Burges of Horton’s Co., 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Elijah Clayes of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment; Lt. John Comstock of 4th Connecticut Battalion (Selden’s Levies); Pvt. Reynolds Cumpton of the 3rd New York; Pvt. Thomas Darby of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Corp. Henry Darren of the 3rd New York Regiment; Pvt. Thomas Derby of New Hampshire; Pvt. Daniel Downes of the 19th Continental (Webb’s Connecticut) Regiment; Pvt. George Dunn of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Theophilus Fairington of Capt. Nathan Adams of Haslet’s Delaware Regiment; Pvt. Allyn of Connecticut; Pvt. Jotham Atwater of Capt. Peck’s Company of Col. William Douglas’s Connecticut levies; Pvt. Elijah Avery of Connecticut; Pvt. Joseph L. Babcock of Connecticut; Pvt. Elisha Beckwith of the 6th Battalion of Connecticut (Chester’s Levies); Sgt. Belt of Brig. Gen. William Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment (the famed Maryland 400 who had fought at the Battle of Brooklyn); Pvt. Stephen Bends of Hutching’s Co. of the 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Bennett Bracco of the First Independent Company of Maryland; Pvt. Parlee Brown of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Peter Burges of Horton’s Co., 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Elijah Clayes of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment; Lt. John Comstock of 4th Connecticut Battalion (Selden’s Levies); Pvt. Reynolds Cumpton of the 3rd New York; Pvt. Thomas Darby of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Corp. Henry Darren of the 3rd New York Regiment; Pvt. Thomas Derby of New Hampshire; Pvt. Daniel Downes of the 19th Continental (Webb’s Connecticut) Regiment; Pvt. George Dunn of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Theophilus Fairington of Capt. Nathan Adams of Haslet’s Delaware Regiment; Pvt. Allyn of Connecticut; Pvt. Jotham Atwater of Capt. Peck’s Company of Col. William Douglas’s Connecticut levies; Pvt. Elijah Avery of Connecticut; Pvt. Joseph L. Babcock of Connecticut; Pvt. Elisha Beckwith of the 6th Battalion of Connecticut (Chester’s Levies); Sgt. Belt of Brig. Gen. William Smallwood’s Maryland Regiment (the famed Maryland 400 who had fought at the Battle of Brooklyn); Pvt. Stephen Bends of Hutching’s Co. of the 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Bennett Bracco of the First Independent Company of Maryland; Pvt. Parlee Brown of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Peter Burges of Horton’s Co., 3rd New York Regiment; Capt. Elijah Clayes of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment; Lt. John Comstock of 4th Connecticut Battalion (Selden’s Levies); Pvt. Reynolds Cumpton of the 3rd New York; Pvt. Thomas Darby of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Corp. Henry Darren of the 3rd New York Regiment; Pvt. Thomas Derby of New Hampshire; Pvt. Daniel Downes of the 19th Continental (Webb’s Connecticut) Regiment; Pvt. George Dunn of the 21st Continental (Ward’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Theophilus Fairington of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Pvt. John Farrind of Bostwick’s Company of the 1st Connecticut Battalion (Silliman’s Levies); Capt. John Felch of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Maj. John Fleming of the 1st Virginia Regiment; Pvt. Simeon Flint of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Pvt. William Fursman; Pvt. Philip Gentleman of the 3rd New York Regiment; Pvt. Peter Gerritsen; Capt. Micajah Gleason of Eleazar Brooks’ Massachusetts Regiment; Pvt. John Gray; Lt. Thomas Goldsmith of the Maryland 400; Pvts. John and Simon Hause of the 5th Orange County New York Militia; Pvt. Hernan of the 6th Connecticut Battalion (Chester’s Levies); Pvt. Josiah Hibbard of Connecticut; Pvt. Jered Hine of Northrup’s Company of 1st Connecticut Battalion (Silliman’s Levies); Pvt. Daniel Hobart of the 7th Continental (Prescott’s Massachusetts) Regiment; Pvt. Eliphalet Holmes of the 3rd New York Regiment; Pvt. William Howard of the 11th Connecticut Militia; Pvt. Levi Hughson of New York; Lt. Thomas Hughson of New York; Capt. John Day Scott of the Maryland 400; Sgt. Robert Westbay of the 8th Company of the Maryland 400

Although the battlefield of White Plains has been mostly swallowed by urban sprawl, a little more than an acre has been preserved as the Battle of White Plains Park in the City of White Plains and there are numerous historical markers explaining the battle in the park and other locations of the city including two houses that Washington used as his headquarters.

Sources: Schecter at pp. 236-41; Fischer, David Hackett, Washington’s Crossing, New York: Oxford University Press (2004) at pp. 110-11; McCullough, David, 1776, New York: Simon & Schuster (2005) at p. 234; https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/battle-of-white-plains/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Plains; https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/white-plains; https://revolutionarywar.us/year-1776/battle-white-plains/; https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/battle-of-white-plains; https://www.scribd.com/document/570835621/Battle-of-White-Plains-Roster; https://msamaryland400.com/2013/10/28/the-battle-of-white-plains/; https://cityofwhiteplains.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Battle-of-White-Plains-Park-33; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=310576; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8310; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8309; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8307; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=237147

Also on this day 250 years ago, Capt. Daniel Roe of the 2d New York Regiment led 36 men in six whaleboats on a raid of his hometown of Brookhaven, Long Island, capturing two sloops that were loading wood for the British in New York City.

Sources: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-06-02-0140 (note 1); The Diary of Captain Daniel Roe, Worcester, Massachusetts: Blanchard Press at p. 16 accessed at https://archive.org/details/diaryofcaptainda00roed_0/page/n33/mode/2up