Never trust Blackbeard with your booty!
Blackbeard, Edward Teach was born in England. Although one of the most famous of all pirates, he reigned terror for only 2 years. Legends have it that he had 14 wives and dozens of children. He was born in England and he plundered ships traveling to and from the American Colonies and in the Caribbean Sea .
His early life is not recorded. However, as a young man he went to sea as a privateer during the War of the Spanish Succession. He robbed ships in the West Indies . When the war ended in 1713 he turned to the private life.
He enlisted with Benjamin Hornigold in 1716 at New Providence Island . On one voyage, Teach got the command of a captured sloop. Hornigold and Teach plundered several ships off the American coast and in the Caribbean in 1717. Toward the end of the year, they seized a large well built ship that had been trading between Africa and Martinique. After dividing their plunder, Hornigold and Teach split. Hornigold went to New Providence and Teach to America. Hornigold gave up piracy. Captain Woodes Rogers, the British appointed governor of the Bahamas, had been given the power to pardon pirates who agreed to change their ways. Hornigold and other members of Blackbeard's circle, sailed to New Providence to accept the King's pardon. Edward Teach did not. He had just begun his short but active life as a pirate.
Teach kept the ship and renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge. After he armed her with 40 cannon, he captured and burned a large British merchant ship near Saint Vincent. Blackbeard also took several sloops off Crab Island and Saint Kitts with a crew of 300.
He mastered an intimidating image. Teach was very charismatic, a natural born leader. His crew was highly disciplined and Teach was shown the utmost respect as were his officers. He was a skilled navigator, literate, and physically impressive. He was tall and slender with long black hair and big black beard. We would put cannon fuses under his hat to scare people. With his height and massive amount of hair, including the ribbons and smoking fuses, he must have made and impressive but intimating sight.
As did most pirates Blackbeard had his seasonal routes. He would winter in the Caribbean and summer in the waters off of the Carolinas . Having spent the winter of 1717 in the Caribbean, His crew landed in Charleston, South Carolina and in the spring of 1718. With three other small pirate sloops the pirates blockaded the city's harbor and attacked any ship that attempted to leave or enter. They took prisoners and sent a landing party that had instructions to bring back medical supplies. Teach promised to release the prisoners in exchange for the supplies. After he received a chest full of expensive medicine, he did release the prisoners but first he took all of their private possessions.
Teach sailed for the Bay of Honduras in March, 1718. He met Stede Bonnet and took Bonnet's ship the Revenge and held Bonnet against his will. A member of Teach's crew by the name of Richards was given command of Bonnet's ship. Not long after, Teach captured the sloop Adventure putting Israel Hands in charge of that ship. It had been captained by David Herriot. He then became a member of Teach's crew. Teach would soon add another sloop. This brought Blackbeard's fleet to 4 sloops. With this fleet he looted several ships in the Bay of Honduras . Teach then headed north where he would take several more.
Shortly after this incident the Queen Anne's Revenge sank. Sailing on another ship, a ten-gun vessel called the Adventure, Teach headed up the Pamlico River to the town of Bath in North Carolina. He was in search of a royal pardon. England 's King George I, reigned from 1714 to 1727, he offered to pardon pirates who gave up their profession. As a British colony, North Carolina was able to extend the king's pardon to pirates. Charles Eden, the governor of North Carolina, granted Teach a pardon, and then ordered the court to declare him a privateer.
As a privateer, Teach was able to continue to plunder ships in Carolina waters with no fear of being punished although he must share his loot with Governor Eden and his secretary and collector of customs, Tobias Knight. Sailing up and down the Pamlico River, Teach stole from ships he met as well as from local plantations.
Unable to appeal to Governor Eden for assistance, local traders asked Thomas Spotswood, the governor of Virginia, for protection from the pirates. In November 1718, Spotswood issued a proclamation offering rewards for the capture of Teach and his shipmates. He also enlisted the help of British navy officers to organize an expedition to capture the infamous pirate, even though the Carolina shoreline was out of his jurisdiction.
Teach arrived at Bath where he was welcomed as an important member of the community. Teach received a second pardon from Governor Eden. The sloop which he had stolen from British merchants was certified to Teach by the Vice Admiral court. At Bath, Carolina, Teach purchased a house across from the governor's house and anchored his ship at Ocracoke Island. Teach married the 16 year old daughter of a wealthy plantation owner. Teach was wined and dined by the local gentry. Teach would show his appreciation by lavishly entertaining them in return. Blackbeard would stay at Bath for several months.
Blackbeard then went to Philadelphia where a warrant had been issued for his arrest. So he quickly left Philadelphia , sailing for Bermuda where he seized 2 French ships.
The governor of Virginia , Alexander Spotswood had become wary of the pirates that were settled to his south. During the trial of William Howard who was Blackbeard's former quartermaster, he testified to Blackbeard's crimes. Governor Spotswood desired Teach's riches. He took the opportunity to dispatch 2 sloops to attack Ocracoke. He also sent forces by land to attack in conjunction with the two sloops commanded by Robert Maynard.
Under the charge of Lieutenant Robert Maynard, an experienced officer, two ships sailed to the Carolina coast with orders to defeat the pirates. Because the pirate ships were anchored in shallow waters that were difficult to navigate, Maynard took small vessels that had no guns, which meant his crew would be forced into hand-to-hand combat with knives and swords. Having learned from other seamen that Teach was anchored in a sheltered spot off Ocracoke Island , Maynard reached the area in the evening. He anchored his ships and waited until morning to attack.
Maynard arrived at Ocracoke with about 60 men. They attacked Teach's force of about 20. A shouting match ensued between the two captains and Teach gave a toast. Maynard trying to close in on Maynard ran both his ships aground on a sandbar. Teach fired a broadside, disabling one of Maynard's sloops and killing about 20 of Maynard's men. Maynard tried again to close after hiding his men below deck. Teach's men threw grenades when Maynard's ship closed, but they were ineffective as only Maynard's pilot and helmsman were on deck. Teach grappled and boarded with about 12 others. Maynard's force clambered onto the deck and commenced to fight hand to hand. Teach and Maynard met in personal combat. Teach was shot by Maynard but the ball had no visible effect. Maynard's cutlass stopping a powerful blow from Teach snapped at the hilt. When Teach moved in to finish Maynard a British seaman attacked him from behind wounding Teach in the throat and neck. Teach continued to swing his cutlass as blood was spurting from his neck. Teach was encircled by Maynard's men. Teach received five pistol shots and 20 severe sword wounds before finally succumbing. Maynard allegedly cut off Blackbeard's head and attached it to the bowsprit of his ship as a trophy.
Spotswood's dreams of riches were unfulfilled as only about 2,200 of booty was collected from Blackbeard's hold.
Many have sought in vain for supposed buried treasure only to find nothing. It is doubtful that Blackbeard ever had any treasure to bury as he never took a prize of much value and that which he took was more than likely spent on his lavish lifestyle.
In June 1718, shortly before Teach was captured, his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge sank, taking with it secrets about the day-to-day existence of one of the world's most infamous sea robbers. But on November 21, 1996 , one day before the anniversary of Blackbeard's death in 1718, archaeologists found what they believe to be his long lost flagship.
QAR (Queen Anne's Revenge)
QAR (Queen Anne's Revenge)
Since the start of the QAR (Queen Anne's Revenge) project in 1996, over 2,000 artifacts have been recovered and conserved, while potentially several thousand more await removal from treatment in the laboratory. The QAR artifact assemblage reflects many aspects of early eighteenth-century maritime culture. Ship parts and equipment, arms, scientific, navigational and medical instruments, personal effects, and food preparation and storage items have already been recovered from the shipwreck. By studying the artifacts, archaeologists are able to gain valuable insight into the period's naval technology, colonial provisioning, the slave trade, shipboard life, and the material culture of piracy.
Two hand grenades were found attached to a pewter platter recovered in 1998. The grenades are cast iron spheres packed with gun powder and pierced to accept a hollow wooden fuse. The fuse also contained powder and a paper match, and was lit and thrown at the enemy with devastating results. Occasionally the fuse was too long, giving the intended victims the opportunity to return the grenade to the pirates. Identical examples were recovered from the pirate ship Whydah Galley, lost off Cape Cod in 1717.
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Last updated 2008-05-15
