John Lacey and the Battle of Crooked Billet
John Lacey was a Brigadier General in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War.
For a short period, Lacey was given command of the entire State’s forces.
It was during this time that Lacey suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Battle of Crooked Billet.
John Lacey
John Lacey signed up for the Continental Army at just 20 years old.
He became an Officer in the Pennsylvania Line, serving under Anthony Wayne.
Lacey and Wayne did not play nicely together. After several arguments with his commander, John resigned from the Continental Army after just a few months.
Commander of the Pennsylvania Militia
Lacey was not yet through with the fight, and became a member of the Pennsylvania Militia.
Based on his merit, John rose through the ranks and in January 1778 he was promoted to Brigadier General and put in charge of the entire State Militia.
His status as Commander was temporary. He would only hold this high rank for five months, until James Potter returned from his temporary leave.
However, it was during his time as Pennsylvania’s top military man that he would oversee the Battle of Crooked Billet.
Protecting Valley Forge
While the Continental Army was stationed at Valley Forge, the British were occupying Philadelphia.
Lacey was ordered to patrol the area in between.
Among his many goals were to intercept any Redcoats who were making their way to Valley Forge, prevent the enemy from foraging the area and stop residents from taking their goods to Philadelphia to sell.
The Battle of Crooked Billet
In the early morning hours of May 1, 1778, one of Lacey’s guards failed to go out on patrol.
It just so happens that a large contingent of British soldiers had chosen that day to attack.
By the time Lacy and his men were alerted to the attack it was already too late. They briefly attempted to resist but fell into a retreat after just a few minutes of fighting.
John was able to escape, but he lost a large chunk of his soldiers.
The guard who didn’t not patrol property was later kicked out of the army and Lacey was vindicated of wrongdoing.
John Lacey continued to serve as a Brigadier General through the remainder of the war.
Want to read about other Brigadier Generals in the Revolutionary War?
Great! Check out these articles:
Enoch Poor Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances
John Cadwalader Shoots ‘That Damn Rascal’ in the Mouth
John Glover Ferries An Army Across the Delaware
John Lacey has just one biography that I know of.
‘Sketch of the Life’ was written in 1923 and covers Lacey’s efforts in full.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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