Happy Independance Day to one and all! I always liked the 4th of July. To see fireworks and listen to patriotic music. To do the old "oooh" and "aaah" when you see them. I wonder if I will see some this year? Now I am grateful just to have Monday off. So I was wondering, what was my great-great-great grandpa doing during the American Revolution? Most people have no idea. Fortunately I did the family tree back in the day and know.

He was the son of the first Bass in America and his name was Samuel Bass Jr. Samual Bass Jr was born December 29th, 1724 and died Aprl of 1807. That makes him 52 when July 4th happened. He had a son, named Josiah Bass who was born in 1768 when Samuel was 44 years old. Wow, that is a late arrival. Josiah would have been 8 years old when the Revolution happened. He was in it. At 8 years old he was listed as a soldier. He must have been the kid with the drums who marches with the soldiers. They lived in Braintree Massachusets. It was later renamed to Quincy Massachusetts. Apparently that is the place where the Basses and Adams hung out. I imagine Samuel Bass Jr had a role in the war. He was a surveyer of roads and probably helped in the planning of events. He also ran an Inn and had a license to sell liquor. He probably served many a soldier.

Now his son, Josiah, was too young to be involved, but I can imagine he really wanted to be involved. As a result in his later youth that led to what I now call "The Incident". An incedent so nerve wracking that the President of the US was called on to help. On December 9th, 1781 when Josiah was 13, Josiah's mom pleaded with Abigail Adams to write her husband to get her son back from England. Apparently young Josiah had joined an American Privateer ship, called the Essex, and it was captured by England. From the letter written by Abigail Adams:

"Capt. Cathcart, Commander of the Privateer Essex, from Salem, went out on a cruise last April, and was on the 10th of June so unfortunate as to be taken while cruising in the English Channel, and carried to England. The officers were all confined there, but the sailors were sent prisoners to Plymouth jail, twelve of whom were from this town (Quincy), a list of whom I enclose. The friends of these people have received intelligence, by way of an officer who belonged to the Protector, and who escaped from the jail, that in August last they were all alive, but several of them were very destitute of clothing, having taken out few with them, and those for summer — particularly Ned Saville and Job Field, Josiah Bass and Bryant Newcomb."

He was only 13 years old and had lived through the Revolution. Apparently he was a "cabin boy" whatever that is and got caught when he was 12 and was in jail for at least a year. I wonder if Ned, Job and Bryant were all friends. I can just imagine them going to their parents "Dad, Ned and Job are going on the cruise ship this summer. I want to go to. Come on, we want some fun. I am already a war veteran, what's the worst that can happen?" Then all of a sudden they get captured and put in jail. Meanwhile the moms are worried and get together and get John Adams to work out a deal. Apparently they do and young Josiah Bass is sent back to the US. But by now he knows what he wants to do in life. He becomes Captain Josiah Bass. By age 14 he was a Revolutionary War Veteran, a pirate and a prisoner. Wow.