Crooked Billet Students Commemorate Revolutionary War Battle

Singing. Dancing. Clapping. Cheering.

The Revolutionary War couldn't have been as much fun as commemorating it was Friday morning as students and staff, dressed in period clothing, remembered the battle fought on the school grounds May 1, 1778. 

The outdoor ceremony, which featured a flag-raising with assistance from fifth-graders Nicholas Chapman and Adam Suder and the Pledge of Allegiance led by fifth-grader Rachel Branco, paid tribute to those who fought for our freedom 233 years ago. 

Students sang, read essays and fifth-graders danced the Virginia Reel as hundreds of parents, grandparents and other spectators snapped pictures, shot video and watched proudly.

The hour-long ceremony took on an air of solemnness as fifth-graders Murphi Gage and Conor Walker, trailed by a bagpipe player, walked to the battle's monument to lay a wreath decked out in red, white and blue.

The Battle of Crooked Billet occurred when American Patriots under the command of Gen. John Lacey were attacked in the early morning hours by the British Redcoats, led by Lt. Col. Ambercromby. The American troops had stopped on what is now school land to rest during their journey to deliver fresh food to troops at Valley Forge. Twenty-six Americans died in the surprise attack, including John Downey, a young school master.