On this day 250 years ago in Annapolis, the Maryland Gazette published a letter from an unnamed soldier from Maryland reporting on the Battle of White Plains:

gen. M’Dougal’s brigade, of which the Maryland regulars is a part, having laid in the woods for three nights, two miles from this place, and to the right of the main body, as a covering party, was ordered to advance along the road, about a mile, near a place called the Mile-Stone, and there take post, which was accordingly done. The brigade was there joined by Hazlet’s Delaware battalion and a small regiment of militia from Connecticut. they were no sooner formed then the enemy commenced a cannonade from a great number of field-pieces, advantageously disposed on several rising grounds, which was answered by the (only) two cannon which attended our brigade, little or no execution being done by either side, till col. Smallwood with the Marylanders, was ordered to march down the hill and attack the enemy, which they did, and a smart contest ensued in which the enemy gave way, but rallying again and attacking the right of the brigade, composed of the militia aforesaid, they got the advantage and their situation being such, and being drawn up in a heavy column, only our regiment and another (Ritznia’s) could come in, for any part of the action: I note two brave regiments stood a very heavy fire of their artillery and musquetry for about half an hour, when the whole brigade, being vasty outnumbered and cramped in respect of ground, was obliged to retreat, a reinforcement under gen. Putnam not being able to get up in time to give the necessary assistance: this reinforcement was gen. Beall’s brigade. The enemy now occupy the ground where we took post yesterday, and are a mile from our lines at the White-Plains. Colonel Smallwood laid upon the place of action some time after the retreat had begun, and receive two wounds, one a flesh wound on his hip, the other through his arm; he is however in good spirits, and I hope will soon be in condition to take the field again. All our officers and men behaved with their usual brаvery. We have lost of our regiment capt. Bracco, killed in the retreat; Serjeants Belt and Wesbay, killed. Capt. Scott is mortally wounded, indeed I fear he is dead at this moment. lieutenant Goldsmith badly wounded in the leg and lieut. Water’s leg broke to pieces; as near as I can guess, our regiment has near forty killed, wounded and missing. The enemy form a considerable body near to our main body, and I expect every moment to see them attack.

Lt. Thomas Goldsmith died of his wounds a few days after this letter was written.

Sources: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001282/html/m1282-1202.html; https://msamaryland400.com/2013/10/28/the-battle-of-white-plains/