White Plains

1732–1799 · Commander-in-Chief · Mount Vernon Planter · Enslaver

Virginia planter and Continental Army commander-in-chief who owned and managed Mount Vernon's enslaved workforce. Absent from his estate for most of the war, he directed Lund Washington's management by correspondence and returned to find the plantation's human community shaped by eight years of wartime disruption.

1729–1814 · British Commander-in-Chief in North America · General · Admiral's Brother

British commander who pursued Washington from Manhattan to White Plains but chose not to press his advantage after taking Chatterton Hill — a decision that allowed the Continental Army to escape across the Hudson and eventually reach the Delaware.

1732–1786 · Continental Army General · New York Militia Leader · Son of Liberty

New York general who commanded the American forces on Chatterton Hill during the Battle of White Plains. His mixed force of militia and Continentals contested the British assault on the hill before withdrawing in reasonable order — one of the better performances by a mixed American command in the New York campaign.

1732–1797 · Continental Army Colonel · Marblehead Amphibious Regiment Commander · Massachusetts Fisherman

Massachusetts fisherman and colonel who commanded the Marblehead regiment — the same men who rowed Washington across the Delaware. At Pell's Point, days before White Plains, Glover's four regiments conducted a delaying action against 4,000 British troops that bought Washington critical time to reach White Plains and fortify.

1732–1792 · Maryland Continental Regiment Commander · Continental Army Colonel · Future Governor of Maryland

Commander of the Maryland Continental Regiment who fought at White Plains. The Marylanders had been among the soldiers who covered the Long Island retreat; at White Plains they again served as reliable Continentals in a force that mixed professional soldiers with unreliable militia.

1707–1777 · Hessian General · German Mercenary Commander · Hessian Corps Commander

Commander of the Hessian forces in North America during the 1776 campaign. His troops participated in the assault on Chatterton Hill at White Plains and were among the most feared elements of the British force. Hessian discipline and aggressiveness at White Plains put significant pressure on the American right flank.

1732–1782 · Continental Army General · Former British Officer · Subordinate Commander

Eccentric former British officer who served as a senior Continental general during the White Plains campaign. Washington ordered Lee to bring a substantial force from the Hudson Highlands to reinforce the army at White Plains; Lee delayed, which contributed to Washington's vulnerability during the retreat across New Jersey.

1742–1786 · Continental Army General · Southern Department Commander

Rhode Island Quaker who became Washington's most capable general. Commanded the Southern Department from December 1780, rebuilding the shattered army and fighting a campaign of strategic attrition that expelled British forces without winning a single tactical victory.

1740–1790 · Local Farmer · Civilian · Property Owner

White Plains-area farmer whose house on the eastern edge of town served as Washington's headquarters during the Battle of White Plains. The Miller House still stands as one of the few surviving structures directly associated with the battle.