Joseph Barss

For the ice hockey player and coach, see Joseph Barss (ice hockey).

Joseph Barss Junior
Joseph Barss (1776 - 1824)
Born	(1776-02-21)21 February 1776 Liverpool, Nova Scotia
Died	3 August 1824(1824-08-03) (aged 48) near Kentville, Nova Scotia
Resting place	Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada 45°4′39″N 64°29′45″W / 45.07750°N 64.49583°W / 45.07750; -64.49583
Nationality	Nova Scotian
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Known for	Captain of the Liverpool Packet
Spouse(s)	Olivia DeWolf
Parent(s)	Joseph Barss Sr. Elizabeth Crowell
Relatives	John Barss (brother) Elisha DeWolf (father-in-law)

Joseph Barss (21 February 1776 – 3 August 1824) was a sea captain of the schooner Liverpool Packet and was one of the most successful privateers on the North American Atlantic coast during the War of 1812.

Early life

Born 21 February 1776 in Liverpool, Nova Scotia to the son of sea captain Joseph Barss Sr. and Elizabeth Crowell. Barss' parents had married in 1773. They were one of the first families to settle in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Barss was the second of fourteen children. In 1798 the Barss family built one of the largest homes in Liverpool. The house still stands today and is part of the Lane's Privateer Inn.

Privateer activities

Barss gained experience as a privateer against the French in the 1790s, serving in several privateer vessels, as an officer in the ship Charles Mary Wentworth and in command the privateer schooner Lord Spencer. The schooner sank after striking a reef in the West Indies but Barss and his entire crew survived to be rescued by other Nova Scotian privateer vessels. Barss briefly served as commander of the brig Rover, a noted privateer vessel from Liverpool, Nova Scotia famous for its voyages commanded by Alexander Godfrey, another colonial Nova Scotian privateer.

War of 1812

In 1812, Barss took command of the Liverpool Packet, a captured slave ship originally named the Severn and sometimes nicknamed the Black Joke. Within a year, he had captured at least 33 American vessels. He was known for his excellent use of intelligence on American shipping movement, due in large part to his brother, John Barss. He was also known for his fair treatment of prisoners.

In 1813, following pursuit by the schooner Thomas of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which ended in a short battle, Barss surrendered the Packet. This defeat brought no embarrassment upon Barss, as the Thomas was over twice the size of the Packet, not only in gross tonnage (143 tons vs. 67 tons) - but in firepower (12 guns vs. 5) and crew (80 vs. 45) as well. After several months of harsh imprisonment Barss was set free, paroled so long as he did not command a privateer vessel. He was briefly captured a second time during the war in command of a merchant vessel.

Personal life

In 1804, he married Olivia DeWolf, the daughter of judge Elisha DeWolf. After the War of 1812, Barss settled near Kentville, Nova Scotia. He had nine children and lived there the rest of his life.

Death

Joeseph Barss' Tombstone,
Oak Grove Cemetery, Kentville, NS

Barss died 3 August 1824 near Kentville, Nova Scotia. Barss is buried in the Oak Grove cemetery at Kentville.

Other

The Stan Rogers' song, "Barrett's Privateers" may have taken some inspiration from the exploits of Barss, although the ship described in the popular song bore little resemblance to the sleek, fast lines of the Liverpool Packet and the inept Captain Barrett has no resemblance to the skilled and successful Joseph Barss.

War of 1812

Battles Campaigns Origins Chronology Results

	People	Isaac Brock Andrew Jackson Francis Scott Key James Madison Laura Secord Tecumseh

	Places	Fort Detroit/Shelby Illinois Indiana Kentucky

	Battles	Baltimore Beaver Dams Chateauguay Crysler's Farm Frenchtown Lundy's Lane New Orleans Queenston Heights Spur's Defeat Thames

	Songs	The Bold Canadian The Hunters of Kentucky The Star-Spangled Banner

	Other	Books Opposition in United States War of 1812 Bicentennial

	Related	Tecumseh's War Creek War

Portal

Piracy

Historical times	1610s 1620s 1630s 1640s 1650s 1660s 1670s 1680s

Modern times	1990s 21st century

Types of pirate	Pirates Privateers Buccaneers Corsairs Sindhi corsairs Timber pirate River pirate Caribbean Pirates Barbary pirates Moro pirates Wōkòu Vikings Ushkuiniks Narentines Cilician pirates Baltic Slavic pirates Uskoks Cossack pirates Sea Beggars Sea Dogs Freebooters

Areas	Piracy in the Caribbean Piracy on Lake Nicaragua Piracy in the British Virgin Islands Piracy in the Strait of Malacca Piracy off the coast of Somalia Piracy in the Sulu Sea Piracy on Falcon Lake Anglo-Turkish piracy Port Royal Tortuga Saint-Malo Barbary Coast Lundy Lagos Salé Spanish Main Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Piracy in Indonesia Barataria Bay Piracy in the Persian Gulf

Noted pirates	Bartholomew Roberts Hendrick Lucifer Hayreddin Barbarossa Blackbeard Stede Bonnet Anne Bonny Abshir Boyah Laurens de Graaf Michel de Grammont Calico Jack Alexandre Exquemelin William Kidd Edward Low Redbeard William Dampier Black Caesar Henri Caesar Roberto Cofresí Jean Lafitte Henry Morgan Lawrence Prince François l'Olonnais Henry Strangways Charles Gibbs Benito de Soto Diabolito Pedro Gilbert Mansel Alcantra Hippolyte Bouchard Samuel Hall Lord Nathaniel Gordon Albert W. Hicks Eli Boggs Bully Hayes Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah Louis-Michel Aury Shirahama Kenki John Newland Maffitt Joseph Baker Joseph Barss Jørgen Jørgensen Vincenzo Gambi Dominique You Pierre Lafitte John Hawkins Peter Easton Nicholas van Hoorn Moses Cohen Henriques Piet Pieterszoon Hein Charlotte de Berry Samuel Bellamy Benjamin Hornigold Samuel Mason Henry Every Roche Braziliano Gan Ning Liang Daoming Wang Zhi Limahong Zheng Zhilong Zheng Jing Cai Qian Cheung Po Tsai Ching Shih Shap Ng-tsai Chui A-poo Lai Choi San Fūma Kotarō Olivier Levasseur

Categories	Piracy Pirates By nationality Barbary pirates Female pirates Years in piracy Fictional pirates

Pirate ships	Adventure Galley Fancy Ganj-i-Sawai Queen Anne's Revenge Quedagh Merchant Saladin Whydah Gally Marquis of Havana Ambrose Light York

Pirate hunters	Pedro Menéndez de Avilés Angelo Emo Richard Avery Hornsby Robert Maynard Chaloner Ogle Pompey Woodes Rogers David Porter James Brooke Miguel Enríquez (privateer)

Pirate battles and incidents	Jiajing wokou raids Turkish Abductions Chepo Expedition Battle of Mandab Strait Blockade of Charleston Battle of Cape Fear River Battle of Ocracoke Inlet Capture of the William Sack of Campeche Attack on Veracruz Raid on Cartagena Battle of Cape Lopez Capture of the Fancy Persian Gulf Campaign Battle of New Orleans Anti-Piracy in the Aegean Anti-piracy in the West Indies Capture of the Bravo Action of 9 November 1822 Capture of the El Mosquito Battle of Doro Passage Falklands Expedition Great Lakes Patrol Balanguingui Expedition Battle of Tysami Battle of Tonkin River Battle of Nam Quan Battle of Ty-ho Bay Battle of the Leotung Antelope incident North Star affair Battle off Mukah Salvador Pirates Battle of Boca Teacapan Capture of the Ambrose Light Irene incident 1985 Lahad Datu ambush Operation Enduring Freedom – HOA Action of 18 March 2006 Action of 3 June 2007 Action of 28 October 2007 Operation Atalanta Carré d'As IV incident Action of 11 November 2008 Action of 9 April 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking Operation Ocean Shield Action of 23 March 2010 Action of 1 April 2010 Action of 30 March 2010 Action of 5 April 2010 MV Moscow University hijacking Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden Operation Dawn 8: Gulf of Aden Beluga Nomination incident Battle off Minicoy Island Quest incident MT Zafirah hijacking MT Orkim Harmony hijacking

Slave trade	African slave trade Atlantic slave trade Arab slave trade Barbary slave trade Blockade of Africa African Slave Trade Patrol Capture of the Providentia Capture of the Presidente Capture of the El Almirante Capture of the Marinerito Capture of the Veloz Passagera Capture of the Brillante Amistad Incident Capture of the Emanuela

Fictional pirates	Tom Ayrton Barbe Rouge Hector Barbossa Captain Blood Captain Crook Captain Flint José Gaspar Captain Hook Don Karnage Monkey D. Luffy Captain Nemo Captain Pugwash Red Rackham Captain Sabertooth Captain Stingaree Sandokan Long John Silver Jack Sparrow Roronoa Zoro

Miscellaneous	Truce of Ratisbon Piracy Act 1698 Piracy Act 1717 Piracy Act 1837 Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law Golden Age of Piracy Confederate privateer Jolly Roger Walking the plank Treasure map Buried treasure Pirate booty No purchase, no pay Marooning Pirate code Pirate utopia Victual Brothers Pirate Round Libertatia Sack of Baltimore A General History of the Pyrates Mutiny Pegleg Eyepatch Letter of marque Davy Jones' Locker Air pirate Space pirate

Lists	Pirates Privateers Timeline of piracy Pirate films Women in piracy Fictional pirates Pirates in popular culture List of ships attacked by Somali pirates

Literature	Treasure Island Facing the Flag On Stranger Tides Castaways of the Flying Dutchman The Angel's Command Voyage of Slaves Pirate Latitudes

Pirates of the Modern Age

Anne Bonny Bartholomew Roberts Benito de Soto Benjamin Hornigold Blackbeard Calico Jack Charles Gibbs Charlotte de Berry Cheung Po Tsai Ching Shih Chui A-poo Edward Low Francis Drake François l'Olonnais Hayreddin Barbarossa Hendrick Lucifer Henry Every Henry Morgan Henry Strangways Hippolyte Bouchard Jacques de Sores Jean Lafitte Jørgen Jørgensen José Gaspar Joseph Baker Laurens de Graaf Michel de Grammont Nicholas van Hoorn Limahong Louis-Michel Aury Moses Cohen Henriques Pedro Gilbert Peter Easton Pier Gerlofs Donia Pierre Lafitte Samuel Bellamy Samuel Mason Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah Roberto Cofresí Shirahama Kenki Stede Bonnet Vincenzo Gambi Wijerd Jelckama William Dampier William Kidd Roche Braziliano Bill Johnson Diabolito Edward Jordan Bartholomew Roberts Lawrence Prince Dominique You John Halsey Dixie Bull Bill Johnston

References

Under the Red Jack, C.H.J. Snider, 1926
Prize and Prejudice, Faye Kert, 2000
A Private War in the Caribbean: Nova Scotia Privateers 1793-1805, Dan Conlin, MA Thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax

External links

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