1Designating May 1, 2013, as "The Battle of the Crooked Billet
2Day" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, During the American War for Independence at the time
4of the Valley Forge Encampment in 1777 and 1778, President
5Thomas Wharton of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council
6commissioned Brigadier General John Lacey, the youngest general
7in American history and a native of Bucks County, to lead the
8Pennsylvania militia in patrolling the countryside outside
9Philadelphia; and

10WHEREAS, General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the
11Continental Army, charged General Lacey with the mission to keep
12the local inhabitants from selling supplies to the British Army,
13who occupied Philadelphia, and to reroute those supplies to the
14Continental Army at Valley Forge; and

15WHEREAS, Due to the success of the Pennsylvania militia, the
16British Army developed a plan to annihilate the Pennsylvania
17militia by ambush and planned to capture General Lacey; and

1WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania militia was comprised of
2approximately 300 men from Bucks County and historic Cumberland
3County, as well as from other places throughout this
4Commonwealth; and

5WHEREAS, The British Army attacked the Pennsylvania militia
6with a force of approximately 850 men in the early morning of
7May 1, 1778, in the present-day Borough of Hatboro, Montgomery
8County, and the present-day Township of Warminster, Bucks
9County; and

10WHEREAS, The Queen's Rangers attempted to push the
11Pennsylvania militia south toward the point of ambush along
12present-day Horsham Road; and

13WHEREAS, General Lacey was not fooled by the trap and led the
14Pennsylvania militia north where they fought their way through a
15blockade held by British Dragoons, thereby escaping deeper into
16Bucks County; and

17WHEREAS, Twenty-six Pennsylvania militiamen were killed in
18action that day and 58 Pennsylvania militiamen were captured and
19the Pennsylvania militia lost all of their supply wagons; and

20WHEREAS, General Lacey's heroic leadership and quick thinking
21on that fateful day prevented further casualties, saving the
22lives of hundreds of Pennsylvania militiamen; and

23WHEREAS, Forty-eight hours after the battle, later referred
24to as the Battle of the Crooked Billet, General Lacey continued
25with his orders of keeping supplies from occupied Philadelphia
26and redirecting supplies to Valley Forge; and

27WHEREAS, General Lacey continued to serve the people of
28Pennsylvania when, in November of 1778, he was elected to the
29Pennsylvania General Assembly and, in November 1779, he was
30elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council; therefore

1be it

2RESOLVED, That the Senate designate May 1, 2013, as "The
3Battle of the Crooked Billet Day" throughout this Commonwealth
4to honor the men of the Pennsylvania militia under the command
5and leadership of Brigadier General John Lacey for their
6heroism, and especially those men who paid the ultimate
7sacrifice on May 1, 1778, for the competent and heroic
8leadership of Brigadier General John Lacey in preserving the
9militia from annihilation and leading them to safety and for all
10their sacred participation in the fight and struggle for freedom
11in the early years of the Republic of the United States of
12America.