Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania to Brigadier General John Lacey, Jr.
February 13, 1778

Sir,

Your letter of the 2nd instant is now before us, and we hope you are considerably reinforced before this time.

It is the wish of he Council that you would Direct your Brigade Major to Transmit to the Secretary, from time to time, abstracts of returns of the Adjutants. This was, heretofore, the business of Mr. BULL, but the reduced numbers of the Militia not requiring his Services, he was dismissed & no person retained for this Service. Want of information of this nature makes it difficult to regulate the march of Militia. Their arrival in camp is also retarded by not knowing what Arms, Accoutrements, Axes, Kettles, & blankets remain at Camp. from time to time, on the dismissal of Militia. The Corps, W'ch has lately gone down from Cumberland , whose Services at Camp was greatly needed at that time, spent a week here, & were not without difficulty persuaded to proceed, because they were short of Arms & Blankets, tho' after the late return of 3000 of our people, there should be a very considerable Quantity of these furniture at or near Camp. You will see by this the utility of such notices.

It is not usual to grant a Commission to Brigade Majors, and it is wholly unnecessary in the case of Lieut. FROST, as he has a Commission as Lieut^t.

His Ex^y General WASHINGTON, having expressed his disapprobation of the distribution of Spirits of any kind, in the manner proposed by the General Assembly, and they having received information of his opinions herein; on Sunday, September the fourteenth, resolved the following words, Viz^t., "That the Militia of this State, now in actual Service, and those who shall be called out during this Campaign, shall receive one Shilling Per Day, in lieu of all retained rations of liquor, voted them at the last Sitting of Assembly."