John Lacey (general)

John Lacey (February 4, 1755 – February 17, 1814) was an American military officer during the American Revolutionary War.[1] He was appointed a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia by the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council in January 1778.[2]

John Lacey
Born(1755-02-04)February 4, 1755
DiedFebruary 17, 1814(1814-02-17) (aged 59)
Service/branchBrigadier General
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War

A native of Buckingham Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Lacey was a member of local militia unit which was incorporated into the Pennsylvania Line of the Continental Army. He served as a captain under Colonel Anthony Wayne 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 in a Bucks County Regiment of militia, during which he fought at Germantown, and Matson's Ford.[3] 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.[2] He commanded the American forces in the Battle of Crooked Billet.[4]

He was 59 years old when he died. Later, several communities were named in his honor, including Lacey Park, Pennsylvania and Lacey Township, New Jersey.[5]

The Gen. John Lacey Homestead was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[6]

References
  1. 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.
  2. Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Volume XI, Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council, p.398 and Pennsylvania Archives, Volume VI, p. 168.
  3. 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.
  4. Pennsylvania Archives, Volume VI, pp.470-471.
  5. Lacey Community Profile Archived 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine, 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."
  6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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