The Book of Pirates

by Jamaica Rose

  Over the years, word spread about the settlement in Tortuga. Passing ships brought more and more recruits looking for freedom and a new start. These recruits included soldiers from the losing sides of wars, people looking for religious freedom, runaway slaves, people in trouble with the law, and escaped prisoners. They hated the Spanish, they hated bullies, and they swore to be free.

  For a while, Le Vasseur ruled well, but power soon went to his head. His character changed, and he ruled as a sort of buccaneer king. He became vicious and greedy, and was very disliked. In 1652, he was killed by one of his own lieutenants in an argument over a woman.

  Soon after, the Spanish decided it was time again to get rid of their unwanted neighbors in Tortuga. In early 1654, Spain sent a squadron headed by five heavily armed warships to attack the fortress. They landed several hundred men and eventually succeeded in taking Fort de Rocher.

  With their fortress taken by the Spanish, the buccaneers fled to the larger island of Hispaniola. The Spanish, thinking they had solved the “Tortuga problem,” soon withdrew. But they made a big mistake! They didn’t leave soldiers behind on the island.

  Within a few years, the French buccaneers not only moved back to Tortuga, but they also took over the western half of the island of Hispaniola as well. Their numbers and their strength grew. The Spanish would never get rid of them again.

  Pirates in the Movies: Le Vasseur

  In the 1935 movie Captain Blood, there is a sneeringly evil villain named Le Vasseur. The duel on the beach between Le Vasseur and Captain Blood (played by Errol Flynn) is one of the classic movie sword fights.

  “I Shall Order Chains from France for these Rascals!”

  In 1665, King Louis XIV of France appointed Bertrand d’Ogeron as Royal Governor of La Tortue (French name for Tortuga) and of Saint Domingue (French name for Santo Domingo) in western Hispaniola, now the country of Haiti.

  Bertrand d’Ogeron was a good man for the job. He had several years of experience in the New World. He had been a soldier, a trader, AND a buccaneer. He was known for his honesty, wits, and leadership. His abilities were quickly put to the test when he landed on Tortuga. There were a few people living in the town of Cayonne, on the west side of Tortuga Harbor. These were mainly the townspeople and merchants. Most of d’Ogeron’s subjects were the cattle-hunting buccaneers, and they were scattered about Hispaniola, still living like savages. They were willing to let him be governor as long as he didn’t bother them, though they generally ignored his laws.

  D’Ogeron knew that as long as the cattle hunters roamed freely about the islands, there was no hope of governing them. His only chance was to get them to settle down. He encouraged them to become planters. Anyone wanting to build or start a plantation was given a loan at little or no interest (often from d’Ogeron’s own pocket). He also came up with a clever method for getting some of his buccaneers to stop roaming. He exclaimed to a friend, “Corbleu! I shall order chains from France for these rascals!” And he was as good as his word.

  Rumors spread throughout the area that the governor was planning something big, but no one was sure what it was. Finally, several months later, a French ship pulled into Tortuga’s harbor. D’Ogeron quickly rowed out to meet it while curious buccaneers gathered on the docks to see what the governor was up to.

  When the governor returned to shore, he had some Catholic priests with him. He announced that the ship was filled with single French women who had come to be brides for the buccaneers. The priests had come along to perform the marriages.

  The buccaneers were very surprised and very eager to see the women. The men formed a half-circle on the beach. Using a small boat, the women were brought to shore in groups. Everyone remained quiet until the last group came ashore. The men came forward to meet the women. When each man found a willing bride, they were married on the spot by one of the priests.

  With his “special tricks,” d’Ogeron managed to increase the number of planters from 400 on his arrival at Tortuga to over 1,500 planters by 1669. He also encouraged the privateers to keep using Tortuga as a base, as he had no soldiers or navy of his own. He arranged to get letters of marque (official permits to plunder the enemy) for the sailors. The presence of the privateers gave them protection from the Spanish.

  D’Ogeron did everything he could to increase trade. He managed to get many of the roaming cattle hunters to settle down and become farmers. Under the governor’s guidance, tobacco, cacao, and sugarcane production had almost tripled. The privateers continued to have many successful raids against the Spanish and sometimes the English (with a certain percentage going to the French treasury, of course).

  Bertrand d’Ogeron died in January 1676. They buried him in Paris. He is still regarded as a hero who civilized the buccaneers and laid the groundwork for the future country of Haiti.

  Rogues’ Haven

  The island of Jamaica was a valuable prize in the quest to see who controlled the New World and all its riches. The Spanish government did not recognize the value of Jamaica until it was too late. The English, on the other hand, quickly realized the value of this island. With its central location, it could be the key to the Caribbean.

  Jamaica, discovered by Columbus in 1492, did not easily attract Spanish colonists. Its land was beautiful and rich, but not rich with the treasure the Spanish craved. The Spanish were always on the search for gold and silver. Jamaica had neither.

  Bands of buccaneers (mostly English, French, and Dutch outcasts and escaped indentured servants) began to roam the Caribbean, hiding out in the many bays and coves of the islands. Jamaica became a favorite hideout.

  Even though Spain claimed all of the islands in the Caribbean, they never bothered to colonize most of them. Recognizing the advantages of having a foothold in the New World, other European powers started setting up colonies on a number of these islands.

  However, until 1655, the Spanish had never lost any of their colonized land. The first territory taken from Spain was Jamaica. Taking Jamaica was not the original plan of the English. It came about as the result of bad leadership and the whims of fortune.

  After the English Civil Wars in the 1640s and early 1650s, Oliver Cromwell (the new ruler of England) had many soldiers and warships on hand with nothing for them to do. To put these idle men and ships to use, he decided to start a campaign against one of the Spanish American colonies. He named this plan his “Western Design.” It called for the British seizing Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, and part of the Spanish Main.

  The fleet left England in December 1654. Admiral William Penn (father of the founder of Pennsylvania) was the naval commander, and General Robert Venables was in charge of the army. Recruiting for the expedition didn’t go well. The troops were mostly vagrants and prisoners. There were not as many volunteers as they had hoped. To make matters worse, after the expedition arrived in the Caribbean, tropical diseases reduced its numbers even more.

  Even though Penn and Venables didn’t have enough men, they had to do something to further Cromwell’s Western Design. They chose Santo Domingo, the capital of Hispaniola, as their first target for attack.

  It was a comedy of errors. They lost the advantage of surprise through delay. The untrained and undisciplined soldiers lacked weapons. Food and water supplies were low. To top it off, Venables and Penn argued over everything. The attack was a disaster.

  They needed a new plan desperately. They could not return to England empty-handed or Cromwell could have their heads (literally)! They looked around for an easy target and decided on Jamaica, even though it wasn’t on Cromwell’s list. They knew Jamaica had no fort and few defenses. In May 1655, the British fleet entered Jamaica’s deepwater harbor without a fight.

  Though Jamaica was not part of his original plan, Cromwell recognized Jamaica’s strategic value. He decided the island had to be held at all costs. Cromwell sent reinforcements. He even sent out a new governor because Penn and Venables had both given up and deserted.

  Docks for English
ships were built at the end of a long sandy peninsula that enclosed part of the harbor. A small town called Cagway grew up around the port. Fort Cromwell was built on the seaward side at the water’s edge. Any ship entering the harbor had to pass within range of the fort’s cannons. (There are no cliffs as shown in Pirates of the Caribbean, when Elizabeth Swann falls from the walls of the fort.)

  The English worried that the Spanish would try to take Jamaica back. Believing a strong offense is the best defense, the English fleet attacked several Spanish colonies and captured many Spanish ships. By their attacks, the English kept the Silver Fleet of treasure galleons from sailing for several months. England’s treasury swelled while Spanish revenues grew thinner.

  Cromwell offered free land to anyone who would move to Jamaica. Word of Cromwell’s offer spread, and settlers flocked to the new colony.

  Charles II became king of England in 1660. To celebrate, the town of Cagway was renamed Port Royal. The fort got a new name too. It was renamed Fort Charles in honor of the new king.

  As Port Royal grew, it became a thriving commercial center. Like most frontier boomtowns, Port Royal became known for its wicked and wild ways. This rowdy atmosphere attracted adventurers, various cutthroats, and especially the buccaneers.

  Like Tortuga, Port Royal was a place that welcomed pirates—and their plunder. It was easy to bargain with carousing, drinking buccaneers, who were not skillful businessmen. Merchants flocked to Port Royal to take advantage of such “bargains.” Silver and gold circulated freely. The merchants bought up the Spanish plunder (golden church ornaments, gold- and silver-embroidered cloths, rich silks, velvets, laces, and jewelry). The merchants shipped their “bargains” to England. On their return trips to Jamaica, they brought back English products.

  Port Royal soon became known as a real party town. Taverns and grogshops were everywhere. More and more people were attracted by Port Royal’s wild reputation and opportunities.

  The English in Jamaica were constantly worried about attacks from the Spanish. In 1662, all but one of the warships were sent back to England due to economic cutbacks. Most of the army was dismissed. The citizens of Port Royal became afraid for their safety, so they worked out a plan. They invited the buccaneers of Tortuga (the French pirate stronghold) to come to Port Royal. The English offered the buccaneers letters of marque so they could attack the Spanish legally as privateers. The presence of the buccaneer ships would help give Jamaica the protection it so badly needed. It was a good arrangement for the buccaneers, too. Their ships could be repaired at the docks in Port Royal. They had a ready place to trade their stolen Spanish plunder. And there were plenty of places to enjoy themselves and spend all their loot.

  The Tortugan buccaneers willingly took up Jamaica’s offer. Many buccaneers (especially the English ones) readily moved to Port Royal and turned privateer.

  Orders came from King Charles II to establish trade with the Spanish colonies, “even if by force.” The Jamaican governor sent trade requests to the nearest Spanish colonies. As expected, the Spanish governors refused the requests. So the English chose their first target for “forced trade.” It was Santiago de Cuba. Eleven privateer vessels (former pirate ships) and the one remaining navy warship, the HMS Centurion, went for a “visit.” Their “trading mission” was very successful. They returned to Jamaica with half a million pounds of silver coins and other plunder.

  The next year, the eleven privateer vessels and one warship visited Campeche in New Spain to “trade.” They were successful but didn’t find as much silver. They did, however, capture sixteen ships and several cannons.

  The Jamaican privateers kept up the “trading missions” to the Spanish colonies. There was scarcely anyone on the island of Jamaica who did not benefit from these raids.

  Anytime a ship was spotted returning to Port Royal, a celebration began. The fort’s cannon fired a salute, and the townspeople came running. The king’s officials were the first ones aboard to collect the king’s tenth of the booty. Rum flowed freely, and the rest of the plunder was auctioned off.

  Pirates and privateers flocked to the taverns when they came back from a successful voyage. Many spent their entire share of the booty in a single night.

  Duels and drunken fights often made life in Port Royal more dangerous than life at sea. When the buccaneers were in port, they ruled the town. Few people were foolish enough to try to control the carousing buccaneers. Most of the townspeople were willing to put up with disturbance of the peace in trade for the riches that were pouring in and for the protection the pirates gave from Spanish attack.

  This situation did not last for long...

  Captain Morgan Was More Than Just a Picture on a Rum Bottle

  The most famous of all the Jamaican buccaneers was Henry Morgan. But don’t go calling him a pirate. He always tried to play by the English rule of law. He never set out on an expedition unless he had a letter of marque giving him permission for what he did. Still, the Spanish certainly considered him a pirate.

  Henry probably came to Jamaica as a young man with his uncle, Edward Morgan. They both came when the English first captured Jamaica. Henry was probably there on many of those attacks on Spanish colonies, all the time getting more experience and rising in rank.

  In 1664, Governor Thomas Modyford of Jamaica got wind of a Dutch plan to attack the island. The governor decided to strike first. A fleet of ten ships and five hundred buccaneers led by Edward Morgan attacked the Dutch colonies on the islands of Curaçao, Saba, and Saint Eustatius. The attack failed and Edward was killed.

  The Jamaican governor sent a second fleet against the Dutch two years later. This time Edward Mansveldt led the Port Royal privateers. Henry Morgan was one of his lieutenants. When Mansveldt was captured and killed by the Spanish, Henry Morgan was elected as “admiral” by the privateers.

  Sir Henry Morgan

  As the leader of the Jamaican privateers, Morgan led many raids against the Spanish. By 1670, the Spanish were becoming bolder, and Spanish attacks on the English were increasing. Morgan was given the title of “Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of all the ships of war belonging to this harbor.” Admiral Morgan’s next feat was his most famous of all: the sack of Panama. Following this successful venture, Morgan returned to Port Royal a hero.

  There was a problem, though. A peace treaty had been signed with Spain before the attack on Panama, but word didn’t reach Jamaica until after Morgan had sailed. Spain threatened a new war with England if Morgan were not punished. He was arrested and sent to England as a prisoner in shackles. However, Morgan’s deeds had so impressed those in high places, including the king, that instead of being imprisoned, he was knighted and sent back to Jamaica in 1674 as lieutenant governor.

  After the buccaneer victory in Panama, the Spanish forces in the New World were so weakened that Jamaica no longer needed protection from the buccaneers. King Charles II wanted peace with Spain and demanded a stop to all of the attacks. He decreed anyone attacking Spanish towns or ships would be considered a pirate, and pirates were no longer welcomed in Jamaica.

  As lieutenant governor, Morgan worked hard to carry out the king’s orders. He persuaded many of his former comrades to give up piracy. Some former buccaneers settled permanently on Jamaica as planters or craftsmen. Others joined crews of fishing or trading vessels, catching turtles or trading illegally with the Spanish colonists. Morgan hunted down those who kept up their pirating ways. They were sent to prison or were hung at Gallows Point near Port Royal.

  Even though pirates were not openly welcomed in Port Royal, Jamaica remained a home for every kind of rogue. Pirates still turned up, but they came by the backdoor instead of the front.

  After eight years as lieutenant governor, Morgan retired in 1682. He was a very wealthy man. But he spent much of his remaining years in the taverns with friends, talking about earlier days and their exciting deeds. He was often so drunk at the end of the night that his friends had to help take him home to his wife. He died
in 1688 due to poor health from overdrinking.

  Many of Morgan’s former companions came to pay him their final respects. The governor at the time had spread word he would not arrest any pirates who came for the funeral. As Morgan’s coffin was pulled through town on a cannon carriage, the warships in the harbor fired a twenty-two-gun salute in his honor (governors usually only got twenty-one-gun salutes). Morgan was considered quite a hero.

  Pirates in the Movies: Sir Henry Morgan Returns to Jamaica

  The 1942 movie The Black Swan has one of the best portrayals of Sir Henry Morgan (played by Laird Cregar). In the story, he has freshly returned from England, knighted and appointed governor of Jamaica (yes, he was actually only lieutenant governor, but this is the movies). He convinces most of his former privateers and buccaneers to settle down to lawful occupations, with a few major exceptions. Some of the worst “pirates” he deals with are actually the upper-class citizens of Jamaica.

  Do You Have that Sinking Feeling?

  Four years after Sir Henry Morgan’s death, disaster struck Port Royal. In 1692, a comet was sighted by Edmund Halley, and it was named for him. You may have heard of Halley’s Comet. People thought the comet meant bad things would happen. Later that year, just before noon on June 7, a powerful earthquake struck Jamaica, followed by a powerful tsunami. Port Royal had been built on sand, and two-thirds of it sank into Kingston Harbor. Two of the forts ended up underwater. Only Fort Charles remained on dry land (and can still be seen today). More than two thousand people died in Port Royal. Another thousand were dead on the remainder of the island. Many ships were sunk or wrecked in the harbor. The HMS Swan was washed out of the harbor by a big wave and thrown on top of a building. For days and weeks afterward, dead bodies floated in the harbor, making a horrible stink. More people died over the next few weeks because of injuries from the earthquake or from starvation and disease. The remaining survivors moved to the other side of the harbor and founded a new town called Kingston (now the capital of Jamaica).