October 28 marks the anniversary of the Battle of White Plains in 1776; I posted on this battle last year around this time. At that time I posted a picture of Chatterton Hill and focused on the Hessians. Here is a picture of a different part of the battlefield, the eastern limit of the Patriot defenses, marked by a cannon.
On Merritt Hill itself, Colonel William Malcolm and the American 2nd New York County Battalion held position. Before the war, Malcolm was a Scottish businessman who came to New York in 1763. There are a few signs around Merritt Hill indicating its part of the battle of White Plains, but most evocative to me was this cannon set on a rock towards the bottom of the hill. This plaque indicates it marks "the eastern limit of the Patriot defenses . . . The high ground to the south of this spot was occupied by the New York Regiment of Colonel William Malcolm. The hill to the north was occupied by the regiments under Major General William Heath. On October 28, and again on November 1, attempted enemy attacks upon these positions were turned back."
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