John -- > Teresa Bonetti, a descendant of another son says there is a letter (I > haven't seen it) from the youngest daughter > Elizabeth that states that John was a Hessian from the Ansbach Bayreuth > regiment. > I have not been able to confirm the authenticity of that letter. > It is interesting though because Hessians captured at Yorktown were first > sent to barracks near Winchester. > If one looks at the Ansbach-Bayreuth listing there is a Leonhard Busch in > the 1st Ansbach that is a regular soldier > and whom deserted in 1781 I believe. John Merz has stated that this is > our man. I am not convinced yet. > If he deserted than he probably wasn't captured at Yorktown. So I don't > know. Ansbach-Bayreuth Mousquetier [musketeer] Leonardt Busch was from Wollhausen (if I read the 1802 "Wanted List" correctly, or perhaps "Wallhausen"). He served in Major von Reitzenstein's company in the Ansbach Regiment ("reds") until he deserted August 7, 1781. This would be about five days after he arrived at Yorktown but a month before the siege of Yorktown began. It appears that he took off with Johann Michael Oed from Dortnesselbach (or Dorfnesselbach) who was a member of the same company. Below is a list of those Anspach-Bayreuth troops who deserted in the five week period from Sunday, 21 July to Saturday, 24 August 1781. The A, B & J followed by I, II, III, IV or V is Städtler's company unit code. You will note a propensity for the men to desert with a buddy. 81.07.22 Schmid, Karl Friedrich, Jäger. J II 81.07.22 Weigel, Adam, Jäger. J II 81.08.06 Vogel, Michael, Gemeiner. A III 81.08.07 Busch, Leonard, Gemeiner. A II 81.08.07 Oed, Johann Michael, Gemeiner. A II 81.08.10 Beck, Johann, Gemeiner. B II 81.08.10 Eberlein, Johann, Gemeiner. B II 81.08.10 Kaufman, Heinrich, Jäger. J II (off a patrol) 81.08.10 Blümlein, Karl, Jäger. J II 84.08.18 Hopfer, Simon, Gemeiner. A IV (from the cattle-watch) 81.08.18 Berthold, Johan Georg, Jäger. J I Where he went and how he got there are unknowns. After four years service in America, I presume he had picked up enough English for basic communication. Doubtless he encountered the American troops. If he was unarmed, he might have received a written pass. If armed (and not shot on the spot) he would have been taken as a prisoner. In the latter case, he could have ended up in any one of the POW compounds. Could Leonardt Busch and your Johann Busch be the same person? Could? -- yes! Are? -- I don't know. While I don't subscribe to some of the unequivocal "naming rules" espoused on this list I will concede that Leonhardt Busch could have been formally christened Johann Leonhardt Busch or Leonhardt Johann Busch which got Americanized to John Bush. I checked the AMREV-HESSIAN archives for "Oed" but find he has never been mentioned except on the entire list presented at: < http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/textindices/A/AMREV-HESSIANS+2003+5651225384+F > [You need everything between the < > so you may have to cut and paste.] There is the noble German family von Öd, von Oedt, von Ödt, Öth, now with three separate noble lines. If you can put your John Bush in the same woods with Mike Oed [Oedt, Öd, Ödt -- sounds like "owed"] I'd suggest that you were close to proving John Bush and Leonhardt Busch were the same person. Bob Brooks

I inquired about the availability of the Merz Collection with the Librarian at the SAR Library in Louisville. They advised me this morning that the collection has not been processed and is not available for use by patrons. They suggested I contact them later this year. Karen