# 93036 - 1977 Battle of White Plains
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Battle Of White PlainsÂ
After evacuating Boston in March 1776, the British regrouped in Nova Scotia and began planning a new campaign to take over New York City. General Howe hoped to use New York to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. That August the British landed on Long Island and defeated Washingtonâs troops at the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island).
While British General William Howe had established his camp at New Rochelle, he had advance units located just seven miles from White Plains, an under defended Continental Army supply depot. Washington discovered that the British were dangerously close to his army and the supplies and ordered reinforcements to White Plains immediately. Washington relocated to White Plains on October 23 and established three-mile long entrenched defensive position.
Alexander Hamilton positioned his canon strategically and held a large Hessian contingent at bay to allow an orderly retreat. A second German unit outflanked Washingtonâs men, trapping them between Howe and the Hessians. However, Howe didnât advance and lost the opportunity to destroy Washingtonâs army.
As night fell, a powerful storm moved through the region. Howe ordered his troops to set up camp and artillery batteries. After two days of soaking rain and inactivity, Washingtonâs men slipped away during the night.
First U.S. Souvenir Sheet!
A souvenir sheet is a sheet of stamps issued to commemorate an event and carries an inscription or artwork on its border. The number of stamps on a sheet ranges from one to twenty-five or more. In the U.S., these sheets are primarily printed in conjunction with major philatelic exhibitions.
Only 107,398 White Plains sheets were printed to commemorate the International Philatelic Exhibition in 1926 â about half of 1% the normal quantity for 1920s commemoratives. In the years since, many sheets have been broken up, further reducing the supply.
Artwork Created Specially for the White Plains Stamp
The stampâs fine engraving is based on an original painting by E.L. Ward. Ward used the 1869 30¢ stamp (#121) as the basis for his design, but with an idealized portrait of Hamiltonâs battery in place of the shield. The crossed flags in the lower part of the design are a U.S. flag and a White Plains battle flag, which bears a pine tree and the inscription âLiberty or Death.â It was decided to make the flags drape in such a fashion that the word âdeathâ would not appear on the stamp.
There was some discussion of issuing the stamp as a bi-color, but it was decided that would be too expensive. At the time, printing bi-color stamps cost 83¢ per thousand, while one-color stamps cost just 8.5¢ per thousand to produce.
Â
Battle Of White PlainsÂ
After evacuating Boston in March 1776, the British regrouped in Nova Scotia and began planning a new campaign to take over New York City. General Howe hoped to use New York to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. That August the British landed on Long Island and defeated Washingtonâs troops at the Battle of Brooklyn (also known as the Battle of Long Island).
While British General William Howe had established his camp at New Rochelle, he had advance units located just seven miles from White Plains, an under defended Continental Army supply depot. Washington discovered that the British were dangerously close to his army and the supplies and ordered reinforcements to White Plains immediately. Washington relocated to White Plains on October 23 and established three-mile long entrenched defensive position.
Alexander Hamilton positioned his canon strategically and held a large Hessian contingent at bay to allow an orderly retreat. A second German unit outflanked Washingtonâs men, trapping them between Howe and the Hessians. However, Howe didnât advance and lost the opportunity to destroy Washingtonâs army.
As night fell, a powerful storm moved through the region. Howe ordered his troops to set up camp and artillery batteries. After two days of soaking rain and inactivity, Washingtonâs men slipped away during the night.
First U.S. Souvenir Sheet!
A souvenir sheet is a sheet of stamps issued to commemorate an event and carries an inscription or artwork on its border. The number of stamps on a sheet ranges from one to twenty-five or more. In the U.S., these sheets are primarily printed in conjunction with major philatelic exhibitions.
Only 107,398 White Plains sheets were printed to commemorate the International Philatelic Exhibition in 1926 â about half of 1% the normal quantity for 1920s commemoratives. In the years since, many sheets have been broken up, further reducing the supply.
Artwork Created Specially for the White Plains Stamp
The stampâs fine engraving is based on an original painting by E.L. Ward. Ward used the 1869 30¢ stamp (#121) as the basis for his design, but with an idealized portrait of Hamiltonâs battery in place of the shield. The crossed flags in the lower part of the design are a U.S. flag and a White Plains battle flag, which bears a pine tree and the inscription âLiberty or Death.â It was decided to make the flags drape in such a fashion that the word âdeathâ would not appear on the stamp.
There was some discussion of issuing the stamp as a bi-color, but it was decided that would be too expensive. At the time, printing bi-color stamps cost 83¢ per thousand, while one-color stamps cost just 8.5¢ per thousand to produce.