“Ahoy scallys an’ dis’ustin’ crocroac’es! Devil be damned muc’ as Heaven be banne’, tharr correct – ’tis is ‘e day thou drrreaded cap’n Rendas (Zamator) returrns. ‘opefully. So, wy’ ain’t we kickin’ ‘e dust off ‘e boot an’ starrt ‘e s’ow wit’ cruelsome tales of fearsome bastarrds?”
Upon my planed return I’d wanted to talk about one of the notorious and feared pirate of all time. Edward Tech better known as Blackbeard. Teach was a skilled businessman and pirate who knew how to recruit and keep men, intimidate his enemies and use his fearsome reputation to his best advantage. Blackbeard preferred to avoid fighting if he could, but he and his men were deadly fighters when they needed to be. He was killed on November 22, 1718, by English sailors and soldiers sent to find him.
Early life.
Little is known about Edward Teach’s early life, including his exact last name, other spellings of his last name included Tatch, Theach and Thach. Born in Briston sometime around 1680s. Like many young lads of Bristol, he took to sea, and saw some action in English privateers during Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713). According to Captain Charles Johnson, one of the most important sources for information on Blackbeard, Teach distinguished himself during the war but did not receive any significant command.
Hornigold
Sometime in 1716, Edward Teach joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, at that time one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean. Hornigold saw great potential in Teach, and soon promoted him to his own command. With Benjamin Hornigold in command of one ship and Edward Teach of another, they could capture or corner more victims from 1716-1717, this pirate fleet was greatly feared by the locals merchants and sailors. Benjamin Hornigold retired from pirate life and accepted the King’s Pardon and became a pirate hunter.
Bonnet.
Unlike most pirates Steede Bonnet was a gentleman from the Barbados with a large estate and family who decided he would rather be a pirate captain. He ordered a ship built, the Revenge, and fitted her out as if he were going to be a pirate hunter, but the minute he was out of port he hoisted the black flag and began looking for prizes. Bonnet did not know one end of a ship from the other and was a terrible captain. After a major engagement with a superior ship, the Revenge was in bad shape when they limped into Nassau sometime between August and October of 1717. Bonnet was wounded, and the pirates on board begged Blackbeard, who was also in port there, to take command. The Revenge was a fine ship, and Blackbeard agreed. The eccentric Bonnet stayed on board, reading his books and walking the deck in his dressing-gown.
Capture of La Concorde and Queen’s Anne Revenge
The frensh slave galleon La Concorde owned by the prominent French merchant Rene Montaudoin. November 1717 La Concorde was captured by Edward Teach and his men, Teach realized she would make the perfect pirate vessel. Mouting her with 40 guns and named her Queen Anne’s Revenge, the name were a nod to Queen Anne of England and Scottland (1665-1714). Many pirates, including Blackbeard, were Jacobites: this meant that they favored the return of the throne of Great Britain from the House of Hanover to the House of Stuart: it had changed hands after Anne’s death.
Queen Anne’s Revenge became feared throughout Atlantic and Caribbean. For several mouths Edward Teach used her to effectively terrorize shipping in the Atlantic. Between the massive frigate and his own fearsome appearance and reputation, Blackbeard’s victims rarely put up a fight and handed over their cargoes peacefully. He plundered the shipping lanes at will.
Blockade of Charleston
In April of 1718, he sailed north to Charleston, then a thriving English colony. He set up right outside Charleston harbor, capturing any ships that tried to enter or leave. He took many of the passengers aboard these ships prisoner. The population, realizing that none other than Blackbeard himself was off their shores, was terrified. He sent messengers to the town, demanding a ransom for his prisoners: a well-stocked chest of medicine, as good as gold to a pirate at the time. The people of Charleston happily sent it and Blackbeard left after about a week.
Retire from piracy
Near middle of 1718 Edward Teach decided he needed a from piracy. He devised a plan to get away with as much of his loot as possible. He “accidentally” grounded the <i>Queen Anne’s Revenge</i> and one of his sloops off the coast of North Carolina. He left the Revenge there, and transferred all of the loot to the fourth and last ship of his fleet, leaving most of his men behind. Stede Bonnet, who had gone to unsuccessfully seek a pardon, returned to find that Blackbeard had absconded with all the loot. Bonnet rescued the men and set off in search of Blackbeard, but never found him.
The Governor of North Carolina.
Blackbeard and 20 other pirates went to North Carolina in 1718 where they accepted the King’s Pardon. However in secret Teach and the governor Charles Edan had made a deal. These two men realized that working together, they could steal far more than they could alone. Eden agreed to officially license Blackbeard’s remaining vessel, the <i>Adventure</i>, as a war prize. Blackbeard and his men lived in a nearby inlet, from which they occasionally sallied forth to attack passing ships. Blackbeard even married a young local girl. On one occasion, the pirates took a French ship loaded with cocoa and sugar: they sailed it to North Carolina, claimed they had found it afloat and abandoned, and shared the spoils with the governor and his top advisors. It was a crooked partnership that looked to enrich both men.
The hunt and final battle of Blackbeard.
Local merchants soon grew infuriated with a pirate operating nearby, but were powerless to stop it. With no other recourse, they complained to Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia. Spotswood, who had no love for Eden, agreed to help. There were two British warships currently in Virginia: he hired 57 men off of them and put them under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
On November 22, 1718, Robert Maynard and his men found Teach. The pirate was anchored in Ocracoke Inlet, and fortunately for the marines, many of Blackbeard’s men were ashore. As the two ships approached the Adventure, Blackbeard opened fire, killing several soldiers and forcing one of Maynard’s two ships the Ranger to drop out of the fight. Jane his second ship closed on to Adventure, where the crews fought hand-to-hand. Maynard himself managed to wound Blackbeard twice with pistols, but the mighty pirate fought on, his cutlass in his hand. Just as Blackbeard was about to kill Maynard, a soldier rushed in and cut the pirate across the neck. The next blow took off Blackbeard’s head. Maynard later reported that Blackbeard had been shot no fewer than five times and had received at least twenty serious sword cuts.
Edward Teach’s strategy.
As mentioned above Edward Teach prefered to avoid battle, he used fear and intimidation to cause his enemies to surrender without a fight. This was in his best interests, as the victimized ships could be utilized, valuable plunder was not lost and useful men such as carpenters or doctors could be made to join the pirate crew. Generally, if any ship they attacked surrendered peacefully, Blackbeard would loot it and let it go on its way, or put the men aboard some other ship if he decided to keep or sink his victim. There were exceptions, of course – English merchant ships were sometimes treated harshly, as was any ship from Boston, where some pirates had recently been hung.
Although it’s said that Edward Teach once slit a man’s finger because he refused to give him a diamond ring.
During battle, he put lengths of slow-burning fuse in his beard and hair. This would sputter and smoke, giving him an altogether demonic look. He also dressed the part: wearing a fur cap or wide hat, high leather boots and a long black coat. He also wore a modified sling with six pistols into combat. No one who ever saw him in action forgot it, and soon Blackbeard had an air of supernatural terror about him. Becuase of this he was said to be a demon or the devil himself.
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