| Edward Teach |
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| 1680 births | |
| 1718 deaths | |
| english pirates | |
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Blackbeard (c. 1680 – November 22 , 1718 ) was the nickname of '''Edward Teach''', alias '''Edward Thatch''', (other sources give his name as '''Edward Drummond''') a notorious English Pirate who had a short reign of terror in the Caribbean Sea between 1716 and 1718 , during a period of time referred to as the Golden Age Of Piracy . His final and best known vessel, the '' Queen Anne's Revenge '', is believed to have run ashore near what is now the Ocracoke Inlet , North Carolina in 1718. Blackbeard had over a dozen wives, most of which were Common-law Marriage s. His last wife was Mary Ormond (or Ormand) of Bath, North Carolina , to whom he was only married for a short while. A painting of him hangs in Van Der Veer House (ca. 1790), in Bath N.C. He is thought to have been born in either Bristol , England , or Jamaica . Blackbeard often fought with, or simply showed himself wearing, multiple Sword s, Knive s, and Pistol s, and was notorious for wearing Hemp and lighted matches woven into his enormous black beard during battle. This image, which he cultivated, has made him the premier image of the seafaring pirate. One legend says that he shot his own first mate, because "if he didn’t shoot one or two now and then, they’d forget who he was." [http://www.oceansonline.com/blackbeard.htm Little is known about his early life, though it is believed he was born in Bristol, England in s, which had ranged the west coast of Africa , taking British, Dutch and Portuguese ships. Teach renamed it '' Queen Anne's Revenge .'' Hornigold then retired, taking advantage of an amnesty extended to privateers. In the following two years Teach acquired a fearsome reputation for cruelty after repeatedly preying on shipping and coastal settlements of the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America . A running duel with the British 30-gunned man-of-war HMS ''Scarborough'' added to his notoriety. He would raid merchant ships, coming up on them in major channels and forcing them to allow him and his crew to board their ship. Teach and his men would take all of the valuables, food, liquor, and weapons from the ship and if there was no resistance, let the merchant ship go. On ships that resisted, all aboard were killed. Teach kept headquarters in both the Bahamas and the Carolinas . He lived on the island of Nassau where he was named the Magistrate of the "Privateers Republic". The governor of North Carolina , Charles Eden , received booty from Teach in return for unofficial protection and gave him an official pardon. He was forced to leave Nassau by Royal Governor Woodes Rogers when the island was raided and all pirate occupants were either killed or driven out. Despite this setback, Teach went back to piracy after a few weeks. As his violent raids increased, the citizens of North Carolina lost patience and sent an appeal to the governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood . Spotswood replied by sending troops to hunt him down. It is questionable as to whether Spotswood had the jurisdiction to do so. BLACKBEARD'S DEATH Blackbeard operated in Littoral waters with shallow-bottomed ships, it was difficult for Ships Of The Line to engage him in battle. As such, two smaller, hired Sloop s were therefore put under the command of Lieutenant Robert Maynard , with instructions from Alexander Spotswood , Governor of Virginia , to hunt down and destroy Blackbeard, offering a reward of £100, and smaller sums for the lesser crew members. Maynard sailed from James River on November 17, 1718 , in command of 35 men from HMS ''Pearl'' , and 25 men and a midshipman of the HMS ''Lyme'' , and in command of the hired sloops, the ''Ranger'' and ''Jane'', and found the pirates in a North Carolina inlet anchored on the inner side of Ocracoke Island ,on the evening of November 21st. Maynard and his men decided to wait until the following morning, as the tide would be more favorable. Blackbeard's '' Adventure '' had a crew of only 19, "Thirteen white and six Negros," as reported to the Admiralty. A small boat was sent ahead at daybreak, were fired upon, and quickly retreated. Blackbeard's superior knowledge of the inlet was of much help, although he and his crew had been drinking the night prior. Blackbeard cut his anchor cable, and quickly attempted to move towards a narrow channel. Maynard made chase, however his sloops ran aground, and there was a shouted exchange between captains. Maynard's account says this: ''"At our first salutation, he drank Damnation to me and my Men, whom he stil'd Cowardly Puppies, saying, He would neither give nor take Quarter"'', although many different versions, short and long, exist. Eventually, Maynard's sloops were able to float freely again, and began to row towards Blackbeard, as the wind was not strong enough at the time. When they came upon Blackbeard's '' Adventure '', they were hit with a devastating broadside, and Mr. Hyde, Captain of the smaller sloop, ''Ranger'' was killed, as were 6 more, and 10 men were wounded. The sloop fell astern, and was little help in the following action. Maynard continued his pursuit, managing to blast the '' Adventure '''s rigging, forcing it ashore. It was then Maynard ordered much of his crew into the holds, ready to be boarded. As they approached, Blackbeard saw the mostly empty decks, and assumed it was safe to board, and did so with 10 men. It was now that Maynard's men emerged, and the battle begun. The most complete account of the following events comes from the Boston News Letter : ''Maynard and Teach themselves begun the fight with their swords, Maynard making a thrust, the point of his sword against Teach's cartridge box, and bended it to the hilt. Teach broke the guard of it, and wounded Maynard's fingers but did not disable him, whereupon he jumped back and threw away his sword and fired his pistol which wounded Teach. Demelt struck in between them with his sword and cut Teach's face pretty much; in the interim both companies engaged in Maynard's sloop, one of Maynard's men being a Highlander, engaged Teach with his broad sword, who gave Teach a cut on the neck, Teach saying well done lad; the Highlander replied, If it be not well done, I'll do it better. With that he gave him a second stroke, which cut off his head, laying it flat on his shoulder.'' Despite the best efforts of the pirates (including a desperate plan to blow up the '' Adventure ''), Teach was killed and the battle ended. Teach was shot 5 times and stabbed more than 20 times before he died and was decapitated. His head was then placed as a trophy on the Bowsprit of their ship, and it was also needed when Maynard returned home, so he could claim his prize. Legend has romanticized Blackbeard. Many popular contemporary Engraving s show him with the smoking lit ends of his pigtails and the Pistol s stuck in his Bandolier s, and he has been the subject of books, movies, and documentaries. Contrary to popular belief, Teach never acquired a large fortune, and when his ship and all of its cargo was sold, the earning was a mere £2,500. There is also no significant evidence supporting the claims that Teach was prone to burying treasure. In times as desperate and difficult as the American Revolution , it was common for the ignorant, credulous, and desperate to dig along these banks in search of hidden treasures; impostors found an ample basis in these current rumors for schemes of delusion. His ship is believed to have been discovered near Beaufort , North Carolina in 1996 , and is now part of a major tourist attraction. BLACKBEARD IN FICTION
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