John Lacey (February 4, 1755 – February 17, 1814) was an American military officer during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
[History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. J. H. Battle, Editor. Spartanburg, South Carolina, Reprint Publishers (1985) p. 1175. "General John Lacey-Our Quaker General," W.W.H. Davis. Bucks County Historical Society Papers (1909) Vol. 3, p.32. Also see Memoirs of Brigadier General John Lacey of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 25 (1901), pp. 1-2. An alternate birthdate of December 4, 1752 is given and explained.] He was appointed a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the Pennsylvania militia by the
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
Supreme Executive Council in January 1778.
[Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Volume XI, Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council, p.398]
an
Pennsylvania Archives, Volume VI, p. 168.
/ref>
A native of Buckingham Township in Bucks County
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, Lacey was a member of local militia unit which was incorporated into the Pennsylvania Line
The Pennsylvania Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Pennsylvania Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Pennsylvania at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with simila ...
of the Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
. He served as a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
under Colonel Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...
on the Canadian frontier in 1776, but he and Wayne got along poorly and Lacey resigned his commission and went home. In 1777, he served as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in a Bucks County Regiment of militia, during which he fought at Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
United States
* Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County
* Ge ...
, and Matson's Ford.[Memoirs of Brigadier General John Lacey of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 26 (1902), pp.105-109. Note: Lacey did not have a command during the Battle of Germantown but served as a volunteer. Lacey is not listed at Whitemarsh.] He gained such a reputation for skill and courage that Pennsylvania Supreme Executive made him a Brigadier General in the Pennsylvania Militia on January 9, 1778.[ He commanded the American forces in the ]Battle of Crooked Billet
The Battle of Crooked Billet was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on May 1, 1778 near the Crooked Billet Tavern (present-day Hatboro, Pennsylvania). In the skirmish action, British forces under the ...
.[Pennsylvania Archives, Volume VI, pp.470-471.]
/ref>
He was 59 years old when he died. Later, several communities were named in his honor, including Lacey Park, Pennsylvania
Warminster Heights is a census-designated place and part of Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located near the eastern border of Hatboro in Montgomery County. The population was 4,124 at the 2010 census.
...
and Lacey Township, New Jersey
Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 27,644, reflecting an increase of 2,298 (+9.1%) fro ...
.Lacey Community Profile
, Ocean County Library. Accessed September 2, 2015. "In 1809, John Lacey, a Revolutionary War general, built Ferrago Forge---for his contribution to the growth and importance of the area, the township was named for him when it was incorporated in 1871."
The Gen. John Lacey Homestead was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, John
1755 births
1814 deaths
Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania
Militia generals in the American Revolution
Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution
People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
People of colonial Pennsylvania