Blackbeard

by Craig Cabell

  Blackbeard

  The Hunt for the World's Most Notorious Pirate

  Craig Cabell

  Graham Thomas

  First published in Great Britain in 2012 by

  PEN & SWORD MARITIME

  an imprint of

  Pen & Sword Books Ltd

  47 Church Street

  Barnsley South Yorkshire

  S70 2AS

  Copyright ©

  Craig Cabell, Graham A. Thomas and Allan Richards, 2012

  9781783469147

  The right of Craig Cabell, Graham A. Thomas and Allan Richards

  to be identified as the authors of this work has been

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  Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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  available from the British Library.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgements

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Chapter 1 - The Players

  Chapter 2 - The Man and the Myth

  Chapter 3 - Nemesis – Alexander Spotswood

  Chapter 4 - Contemporaries and the Times

  Chapter 5 - The New Pirate Captain

  Chapter 6 - Flagship

  Chapter 7 - Blackbeard’s Victims

  Chapter 8 - The Adventure Continues

  Chapter 9 - Charles Town

  Chapter 10 - Death of the Queen

  Chapter 11 - Pardon

  Chapter 12 - The Beginning of the End

  Chapter 13 - Lies, Damn Lies and Politics

  Chapter 14 - Battle Plan

  Chapter 15 - Showdown

  Chapter 16 - Trials and Tribulations

  Chapter 17 - Fate and Collusion

  Chapter 18 - Legacy

  Further Reading & Information

  Appendix I - Spotswood’s Version of the Truth

  Appendix II - Unhappiness in the Colonies: Various Letters

  Appendix III - Spotswood Timeline

  Notes

  Index

  Acknowledgements

  We would like to thank the following people and establishments who made this book possible. First and foremost is David Moore, Curator of Nautical Archaeology for the North Carolina Maritime Museum. He is one of the world’s leading experts regarding Blackbeard and assisted us when we were carrying out preliminary research for this book in the United States; he then answered our questions and gave further advice during the writing stages.

  Thanks are due to the staff of the Historic Dockyard Portsmouth, the National Maritime Museum and The National Archives, for all the associated research concerning the Royal Navy and their strategies during the eighteenth century.

  The authors would also like to thank the various antiquarian book dealers who were involved – you are a great bunch of professionals.

  Sincerely, many thanks to all.

  CC, GAT & AR

  Foreword

  The reason why three writers came together to produce this book is that three writers who knew each other happened to be interested in the same subject. We also thought we could write an accessible biography and challenge certain legends that had built up about the infamous pirates of whom we intended to write, and, as this foreword was the last thing written to support this project, I can say that I believe we have.

  What makes this book different from others on the same subject is that this one is really, at its heart, about two men: the notorious pirate Blackbeard, and Alexander Spotswood, Governor of Virginia, the man who eventually brought him down. While there are other key players in the Blackbeard saga, these two are at its core. In Spotswood’s time Blackbeard was just a footnote in comparison to the various Indian, Spanish and French wars with which he had to contend, along with the almost continual opposition to his political policies throughout his time as governor.

  One of the key reasons for writing this book was to confront the myths and legends surrounding Blackbeard and the ‘media’ image that has built up around him, and it is right that books continue to do this. Society sometimes seems to glorify evil, sadistic people; rarely does it create heroes of victims. This shattering of a ‘designer’ image is something I have been keen to achieve over the years with regard to the Kray twins, and who is to say that Blackbeard was any better than them? Indeed, was he not the most notorious pirate who ever sailed the high seas? That is what the myths and legends regarding him would tell us, but are they true?

  If we look at the popular culture of the last few centuries, the evil people seem to have a better ride than the good, especially those steeped in war and violence. Are we being pessimistic here? Perhaps, but why the fascination with bad people? So many books about Jack the Ripper; so many books about Adolf Hitler. We seem to need to over-analyse our evil past, to cleanse, to understand, to solve the riddle of ‘Why?’ or ‘Who?’ Ultimately we need to understand why the human race has to be cruel to its kin. We need justification. The bravery of the good seems to go out of the window and is only documented concerning individuals from the major wars of the twentieth century, or Lord Nelson of course. Why? Well, perhaps the bad guys are more interesting, more extreme, and that’s why we thirst for knowledge concerning them: because they did things we couldn’t dream of doing, to read about them is a safe way of taking part in those dark, forbidden things. It’s probably the reason why we read horror novels and crime fiction.

  However, Spotswood is a different kettle of fish altogether. He walks the tightrope between good and bad. Some might see him as a hero, while others might paint him as being bad because he threw convention out of the window. He paid for and equipped a clandestine expedition into a neighbouring state, where he had no jurisdiction, to get Blackbeard. It was an extraordinary act by a man who, in order to maintain security and prosperity in his state, trod a thin line between light and dark. He is inextricably mixed with the dark pirate. As we journey through the story of Blackbeard we will be asking questions that challenge standard thinking. Was Blackbeard really as bad as his reputation claims or was he really one of the best PR men the world has ever seen? Was Spotswood a tyrant or a man acutely aware of the fragility of prosperity and what was necessary to ensure the state of Virginia continued to enjoy growth and prosperity?

  This story i
s not for the faint-hearted. It is one of violence, greed, bloodshed and death. Here then, is the dark world of Blackbeard. Enjoy the horrors and be enlightened.

  Craig Cabell

  Introduction

  Indeed, they were a stark and ignorant lot, and if you’d asked them what day it was, it wouldn’t have occurred to them to reply ‘February the second, good neighbour’; they would more probably have responded with ‘Candlesmass, ye iggerant booger ’, because that is how they talked...

  The Reavers, George MacDonald Fraser

  At dawn, they passed Cape Henry, the southern edge of the Chesapeake Bay. As they headed out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Lieutenant felt anxious and excited at the same time. Ahead lay battle and with God’s will they would prevail. His gaze wandered over the deck of the sleek, fast sloop and at the men, quietly preparing their weapons. He suddenly wished they’d loaded guns onto the sloop but quickly pushed the thought away. They needed speed and surprise and the cannon would simply slow them down.

  This fight was going to be a different one to the many he’d had against the French where there were some rules of engagement. Against pirates there were none. The pirates were not just rabble; they were all experienced fighters and gave no quarter. Their leader was the most notorious and ruthless pirate of all. At least, that’s what the Lieutenant had heard but he didn’t put much stock in stories.

  He looked out across the sea watching the Ranger, the smaller of the two sloops, heading away from them to take up a line abreast station eight miles away. Standard procedure but with the wind getting up and the sea frothing and rolling he had to make sure the other vessel remained in sight. High above the deck the lookout would ensure the Ranger was always in visual range.

  The deck heaved under his feet and he quickly looked around at the men for any sign of weakness but if they felt the motion of the sea none of them showed it.

  Were they ready? The crew were handpicked from the two Royal Navy warships that were anchored in the James River. They had been sent to Virginia to protect the colony from pirates and keep the trade routes open. The Lieutenant was second in command of HMS Pearl a forty gun fifth rate ship of the line, the larger of the two warships. He wished they could have used the warships. The pirates would have had no chance against such naval power. But the ships were too big to navigate the inlets and sand bars around Ocracoke Island, so faster, smaller ships were needed.

  He glanced round at the men. They were experienced, capable and ready. But the old familiar cocktail of anxiety, apprehension, adrenalin and excitement that came before every battle coursed through him. He wondered if the rest of the men were feeling it as he was.

  Clouds were gathering, blocking the sun as the wind rose. The rough sea might slow them down but that meant they would arrive under the cover of darkness. True to his reckoning night had fallen by the time they reached the seaward side of the Ocracoke Island. The tide was ebbing. He scanned the shore for any sign of movement. All was still, save for the trees swaying in high November winds.

  Quietly he called for sails to be lowered, the anchor dropped. Over the sand dunes on the southern tip of the island the tall masts of the pirates’ ships could just be made out. He ordered lookouts to keep watch for any sign that pirates might have discovered their presence.

  Now all he had to do was wait until dawn to launch his attack.

  The above is an interpretation of the events leading up to the battle that would result in Blackbeard’s death. The full account of the action we will look at in a later chapter. In the meantime, there are questions that need to be asked about Blackbeard and to some degree about Spotswood as well.

  Was Blackbeard really as vicious as the myths and legends say he was? His legend has lived on over the centuries and he is probably one of the most well-known pirates ever. While these myths and legends tell of a vicious ruthless man, there are contradicting stories about him. Who was he really and what were the actions he committed that forced Spotswood to finance and organise an expedition against him?

  That brings us to another key question: why did Spotswood organise the expedition into the neighbouring state of North Carolina where he had no jurisdiction or legal right to do so? What was it that made him spend his own money to fit out two sloops to carry Lieutenant Robert Maynard and his crew to the inevitable battle that would see the end of Blackbeard?

  Most stories or accounts of Blackbeard, or Edward Teach (Thatch, or Thach, depending on which source you use) tell of a man who was a vicious, ruthless, calculating criminal who built a reputation as the most feared pirate on the open seas that has lasted to this day. He was a tough criminal who met a spectacular and unsavoury end.

  Because so little is known about the man behind the legend, to find the truth about him we need to examine the key players who influenced him, pursued him and eventually caused his downfall. This book is about the hunt for the truth about him; in particular the truth about why his legend above all has endured. Was he a consummate PR man and spin doctor? Did he understand the need to create reputation above all else? Did he know how to manipulate people in such a way that they were forever telling stories about him? Or was he just a vicious, cold criminal?

  Let’s first of all look at the players in the Blackbeard story.

  Chapter 1

  The Players

  In our hunt for the truth we will look at the basic things that helped to shape the legend of Blackbeard: the key players who influenced him, chased him and killed him; the actions of the man himself; stories told about him from a wide variety of sources such as those members of his crew who were captured and put on trial; along with personal letters, reports and logs taken from some of the people involved.

  The main source of information on Blackbeard comes from Captain Charles Johnson whose book, A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates has a detailed account of the life of Blackbeard. What makes this book special is that it appeared on the bookshelves in 1724, six years after Blackbeard was killed. It is the closest thing we have to ‘the truth’. ‘Captain Johnson’s book took the lid off a shocking world of crime on the high seas and had all the ingredients for a bestseller.’1

  Another thing that makes Johnson’s source important is its accuracy. Indeed, pirate historian David Cordingly wrote in his preface for the 1998 edition of Johnson’s work that most of the facts in his account of Blackbeard have proven to be broadly accurate, which is true of most of the other accounts in his History. However, Cordingly tells us that Johnson did take a large degree of licence in the biographies when he brings conversation into the mix. For example, his account of the pirate kingdom of Libertalia and his account of Captain Mission are ‘certainly fictitious although it was inspired by the pirate communities on Madagascar’.2 That said, what we do know is that his accounts of Blackbeard, Major Stede Bonnet, Jack Rackham and Bartholomew Roberts are accurate. Documents, letters and logbooks found in the Public Records Office the Colonial Office papers have, over the years, corroborated Johnson’s accounts of these men.

  Cordingly tells us that Johnson wrote in his introduction to the first edition that where he himself had not been an eyewitness to events, he had interviewed or spoken with the people responsible for capturing the pirates. Adding to that, Johnson says that some of the information also comes from ‘the mouths of the pirates themselves after they were taken’.

  So it is from this basis that we start our hunt for the truth, and we will be returning to Johnson on many occasions because it is he who provides us with the basis of the legend of Blackbeard: ‘He provided a sweeping account of what came to be called the “Golden Age of Piracy”.’3

  At this point it is necessary to list the key players in the story of Edward Teach. We will go into detail in later chapters but for now, we will set the scene to enable the drama to unfold.

  The first key player is Teach himself, better known as Blackbeard. No-one really knows exactly who this pirate was. Even his real name is shroud
ed in mystery. Despite his fame he was not the most prolific, nor the most powerful, nor were his activities the most widespread. For example, Bartholomew Roberts was active on both sides of the Atlantic and took over 400 prizes, while Cheng I Sao controlled 1,800 vessels and 80,000 pirates.4 Yet, what has been his enduring appeal is the persona that surrounded him, the efforts put in place to find and dispose of him and the spectacular way in which he was taken down.

  Criminals have come and gone over the centuries but Blackbeard’s legend and fame have managed to live on. Some popular historians say that Captain Kidd is legendary because of his buried treasure, but why is Blackbeard a legend? Was it because of the way in which he was killed, and that his head was cut off and displayed for all to see? We know that by the time of his death he was already of legendary status.

  Indeed, the name of Blackbeard continues to thrill to this day and we will try to show that he was a calculating man bent on making a name for himself at the cost of everything the civilised world held dear at the time. Perhaps he was a psychotic, or perhaps deep inside him there was a hole that could never be filled, no matter what outrageous action he performed. Perhaps he was a desperately lonely man inside, and was driven by his desire to be admired and noticed. Perhaps he craved attention and so created his reputation to ensure he always had that attention.

  Second to Blackbeard was Alexander Spotswood. This man was the Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia. Although he did not take an active role in the fighting that eventually brought Blackbeard down, he was a key player in the pirate’s life. Some of the legend that we know about Blackbeard today was created by the multitude of letters written by him.5 Although the two men never met, Spotswood was the man who set the wheels in motion to capture and kill the pirate. So he is a crucial player and his information is one of our main sources.