In March of 1864 the 37th Mississippi Regiment was ordered to Covington County Alabama and Walton county Florida. The Unit was led by Col. Holland, whose main order was to arrest two men, one was Alfred Holley of Covington County the other was J.B. Clary of Walton County. J.B. Clary turned himself in, but Alfred Holley avoided them and went to the Bass home in Boggy.
Five members of the Bass family were taking Holley across Boggy Bayou when they were attacked by a unit of the 37th Regiment and three of the Basses were killed and two injury. Those killed were Bennett Bass’ brother William Riley Bass (about 40) and two of his sons Wilson (about 24) and James H. Bass (about 16), . Now the name of the two who were injured are not mentioned in any of the writings I have found. One of those injured could have been Bennett himself and the other one might have been William Riley’s son James because about 10 days later Alfred Holley made it to Fort Barrancas with James W. Bass.
-Buzz Ward (From his Holland M. Bass Family group)
It seems, as Buzz suggests that James W. Bass was very likely one of the five Basses on the skiff. Just days later he enlisted in the Union army at Ft. Barrancas, on March 25 1864 and mustered in on April 26 1964. He is described as 5’ 7” tall, Blue eyes, Light hair, Light complexion. His papers say he was 18 years old, but the ages listed on his census forms suggest he was probably only about 16 year old.
James died in the Regimental Hospital Barrancus on Nov. 25th 1864.
