Edward Teach - aka Blackbeard (born approx. 1680 - death November 22, 1718) - an English pirate who hunted in the waters of North America and the West Indies in 1713-1718. He was one of the most controversial figures in the history of sea robbery. He became the hero of American folklore, many novels and films. The legends about the treasures he buried to this day excite the imagination of seekers of pirate treasures.
What is known about Edward Teach
Presumably born in Bristol into a family of respectable merchants. Some historians say that Teach was an orphan, others an illegitimate one. Teach's childhood was bleak and ended in 1692, when Edward, who was barely 12 years old, joined the navy as a cabin boy.
Many outstanding sailors from different countries began their service at the age of 10-12 years. Continuing to serve in the navy, as a young man he took part in the war for the so-called "Spanish inheritance", on privateer ships operating in the West Indies. When it ended, Teach moved to New Providence Island and made privateering his main profession.
In the Bahamas, he took command of the ship and turned around in full force of his gifts. And nature generously rewarded him. Teach was smart enough, courageous and decisive and, as life showed, turned out to be an excellent navigator. The only thing that pushed people away from him was his unbridled character. He often flew into a rage and in this state literally did not remember himself, committing acts that did not fit into any human norms. The other pirates also did not have a humble disposition, but they never dreamed of what Teach did.
Teach's second distinctive feature was his exorbitant craving for alcohol. He simply could not be in a sober state, and therefore in his cabin there was always a truly inexhaustible supply of gin and rum. Drunkenness on the ship was not encouraged by pirates, this was stated in the agreements that they signed before going to sea, but Teach was simply unbridled. Possessing tremendous physical strength, he without further ado dealt with those who accused him of drunkenness, and when he became a captain, he turned into a real despot, with whom not everyone dared to sail. However, they dared, because Teach, having a good command of marine science, was lucky, which attracted the most desperate thugs to him.
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Piracy
Teach made his first independent robberies off the coast of North America. For a short time, 7 different ships were taken on board, carrying a variety of goods: flour and wine, leather and palm oil. All this was sold to dealers either in the Bahamas or in the Antilles, followed by a week or two of wild life, and then a new campaign.
One of the voyages simply enriched Edward Teach. He hijacked a ship with slaves, for which the planters of Jamaica, Barbados and other West Indian colonies paid a big sum to the pirates. So tidy that many of Teach's associates decided to end piracy and, taking advantage of the just-announced amnesty, settled on the shore.
Teach was not happy with the prospect. His element was the sea, ships, battles, wine and women, and he, having recruited a new team, set off for new robberies. It was then that Allan the Great was captured. Having overloaded the spoils from him to his ship, Teach ordered the "Englishman" to be set on fire and, admiring the fireworks, headed for Venezuela.
Several ships were also robbed there, and some of them, seeing a bearded man with a saber on the bow of the pirate sloop, surrendered without a fight - such was Teach's ominous glory. And he supported this glory and tried to inspire the team and the coastal authorities that he was not just a man, but the embodiment of the devil. Hence the truly masquerade look that Teach invented and tried in every possible way to support.
Pirate "Blackbeard"
The main element of his "image" was a beard. It grew from Teach's eyes to his waist. Burning black, never knowing a comb or scissors, she was the subject of special pride for the pirate. She was very well complemented by hair - the same as a beard, black and exuberant. Teach received the nickname Chenybeard.
He braided his hair in pigtails, which he tucked behind his ears. Add to the description all the time red from rum eyes, and you get his portrait. His costume consisted of a bright red jacket, the same pantaloons and a black hat, as well as a specially made leather sling on which hung - no less - six pistols! And when Teach, in all this vestment, with bloodshot eyes and a disheveled beard, rushed at the head of his people to board, few could resist him.
Companions
In the Gulf of Honduras, Blackbeard met a man who became one of his closest associates.
This man's name was Bonnet Stud, he came from a respectable English family and from his youth he served in the army. Received the rank of major and, after retiring, married. For a while, the young people lived in England, but then, for unknown reasons, they left for the West Indies. On the island of Barbados, Bonnet acquired a sugar plantation and took up farming.
Bonnet went to the Gulf of Honduras at the insistence of the crew, because the bay was the place where pirates from all over the Caribbean met from time to time in order to repair their ships in specially designated places, stock up on food and fresh water, and most importantly - to have plenty of fun, to hang out for women and play cards.
It was in one of these hot spots that Bonnet met Blackbeard. A friendship suddenly struck up between them, which turned into cooperation. It is not known what considerations were guided by Edward Teach, but Bonnet was pushed into his arms by the desire to learn nautical science. Having never sailed before, Bonnet, having become a captain, very often found himself in situations from which he got out only thanks to Fortune. And then there was a man who was, by all accounts, the best sailor in the whole West Indies.
Blockade of Charlestown
We will not describe all the adventures of our companions, we will focus on only one thing - the blockade of Charleston. The city at that time was the main port of the English colony of South Carolina and had a convenient harbor, where many merchant ships gathered. Bonnet and Blackbeard took their positions not far from the entrance to the harbor. Basically, they blockaded Charleston, intercepting all ships entering and leaving its harbor. There were no British warships nearby, and the pirates were able to turn around with might and main. Within one week, 10 different ships were captured, on one of which Bonnet and Blackbeard took a large load of cotton, several thousand gold and silver dollars and about 10 wealthy citizens of Charleston, for which they could get a good ransom.
Life in Charleston was completely paralyzed, but fortunately for its residents, diseases began among the pirates. At the same time, this kind, which in a decent society is customary to speak in a whisper. Apparently, the parking lot in Nassau, where Blackbeard and Bonnet entered before heading to Charleston, and where the sailors spent whole days in brothels and visiting houses, had an effect. And now venereal diseases have disabled half of the crews.
The pirates, of course, had no medicine, and Blackbeard had no choice but to send the governor of South Carolina an order to deliver the necessary medicines to the ships. In case of disobedience, the pirate threatened not only to kill the hostages, but also to cut off the ears of the governor himself.
Of course, Blackbeard's demand was fulfilled, and the pirates lifted the blockade. Both ships - Teach himself and Bonnet - were bursting with booty, which was to be divided. And then Edward Teach showed all the vileness of his nature - he not only robbed Bonnet, but also threw his companion and his people to their fate, sending them by deceit into shallow water, where the ship ran aground. Some of the pirates died in this case, the rest managed to escape with great difficulty.
So there was a gap, and Bonnet began to swim alone, hoping that sooner or later he would meet with Blackbeard and get even for everything.
However, Bonnet and his team were arrested. Three days after the arrest, on November 8, 1718, 22 people from Bonnet's team were hanged in a suburb of Charleston. And on November 10 the same fate awaited Bonnet himself.
And what about Blackbeard?
Having hidden in a safe place the booty captured during the blockade of Charleston, he went to the shores of North Carolina, with the governor of which he had long-standing contacts. Because by this time a whole train of various sins was dragging behind Blackbeard, the British Admiralty became closely interested in it. With his robbery, Teach inflicted considerable damage on him, and this forced the sea lords to come to grips with the pirate who was insolent to the limit. And when the Admiralty took on someone, it brought the matter to the end, and those guilty of sins, as a rule, were sent to the gallows.
Engraving: Edward Teach in the background of his ship
Edward Teach knew this well, and as soon as it became clear that they were interested in London, he realized that it was necessary to take the most decisive measures to save him. He had money, and with a substantial bribe and with the assistance of the governor of North Carolina, he achieved complete forgiveness. And he immediately procured a letter of marque from the local authorities, pledging to pay them a certain share of his future income.
Summer 1718 - Blackbeard spent cruising off the coast of North Carolina and around Bermuda. But before that, the pirate got married - for the 14th time. The wedding took place in the capital of the colony, Buttown, in the presence of the governor himself, and the priest betrothed the "young" in the church, despite Teach's dozen of ex-wives being in perfect health.
Blackbeard robbed all ships in a row. Thus, three English ships and two French ships were captured from Bermuda. The latter came with a cargo of cocoa and sugar, which was confiscated and sent as a gift to the governor of North Carolina.
While Teach rampaged at sea, he got away with it, but for some time now the pirate began to visit coastal cities more and more often to relax and have fun. And it became a real disaster for the inhabitants of these cities, because their life with the arrival of the pirates turned into a real hell. Pirate orgies, which lasted for days, were accompanied by drunken shooting and pogroms; it was impossible to walk the streets without being insulted or even attacked. Fathers and mothers of families were in awe of their daughters, whom pirates raped at every opportunity.
Pirate hunt
Finally, representatives of various classes turned to the authorities for help, but they received generous handouts from Edward Teach and did not respond to complaints in any way. Desperate to achieve justice in their native land, the residents of North Carolina secretly turned to the governors of neighboring colonies - South Carolina and Virginia for assistance.
It is not known what bribes were received by the governors of these regions, but they agreed to help the neighbors. They decided to liquidate Blackbeard, for which the Governor of Virginia allocated two ships - "Pearl" and "Lima". But their commanders refused to take part in such a dangerous, in their opinion, enterprise, and then other ships were sent on the expedition, the sloops "Henry" and "Ranger", whose crews consisted mainly of volunteers of the navy. All of them, in case of a successful completion of the operation, were promised monetary rewards. The head of the expedition was the senior mate of the Pearl, Lieutenant Robert Maynard, a brave man and an excellent sailor. The expedition itself was being prepared in the strictest confidence - only a few people knew about it.
Yet Teach learned of the preparations. He received this information from the office of the Governor of North Carolina and from the Governor of Bermuda, with whom he also maintained contacts.
The captain himself was at this time in a small bay located 15 miles from Cape Hatteras. The approaches to it were extremely difficult in terms of navigation, and therefore the pirate felt completely safe.
1718 November - "Henry" and "Ranger" went out to search for pirates. At the same time, spies were sent in all directions, who a few days later discovered Teach's hideout. Maynard directed his ships towards the passage into the bay, but it turned out that in many places he was blocked by shallow and rocky reefs. It was necessary to determine the fairway, and Maynard's men set about measuring the depths.
The pirate watched the enemy's actions with a frank grin. He did not believe that Maynard would be able to find the fairway, and, showing complete carelessness, went about his favorite business - drinking.
In the meantime, Maynard finished measuring the depths and charted the fairway. Following the boat containing the surveyors, the Henry and Ranger moved cautiously to the spot where Blackbeard's ships were. There was little water in the passage - the changeable current either caught up, then drove it away, and the ships literally scratched the bottom with their keels. Maynard ordered to throw overboard all the excess cargo: even a supply of fresh water, and the sloops were eventually able to approach Blackbeard's ships within a cannon shot.
But Blackbeard, who had already realized that a fight could not be avoided, kept a sharp eye on the advance of the "Henry" and "Ranger", and as soon as they were at the required distance, the pirates fired an onboard volley. It turned out to be extremely successful - 20 people were killed and wounded on the Ranger, including the ship's commander.
Maynard's situation immediately became complicated, but then nature itself came to the rescue - the current, having changed direction, drove Blackbeard's ship to the shore, threatening to throw it aground. Teach was too experienced a sailor to get lost in such a situation. He, like Maynard before that, freed himself from the ballast and safely passed the shallow place.
Blackbeard and Maynard
Meanwhile, the Ranger caught up with Blackbeard's brigantine and crashed into her stern. But the sailors of the "Ranger" failed to take the pirate on board: warning the fight, the pirate ordered the British to throw several barrels filled with gunpowder and nails onto the deck. Burning fuses were inserted into the barrels: they blew up the gunpowder, and the explosion blew the filling in all directions - the nails. No worse than buckshot, they put out of action everyone who was at the time of the explosion on top of the ship.
Along with this, the pirates fired from the cannons, and Maynard, fearing great losses, ordered the crew to lie down on the deck. He himself hastened to the aid of the sailor at the helm, who, in the whirlpools of the current, could barely cope with controlling the ship. Together they leveled the Henry and steered it towards the pirate ship.
But he vigilantly watched all the maneuvers of his opponents, and as soon as "Henry" was near, Edward Teach set up a smoke screen - set fire to barrels filled with sulfur. The wind carried the smoke to Maynard's ship. People began to choke and cough, the threat of disruption of the boarding loomed, but Maynard, mustering all his strength, did not stop approaching the enemy.
And then a gust of wind scattered the smoke, and Maynard saw his opponent. Blackbeard, as always, stood at the bow of the ship, holding a saber in one hand and a mug of rum in the other. No sooner had Maynard's men got off the deck than Blackbeard flung his mug away and jumped aboard the Henry. He was followed by about 15 pirates. A fierce battle broke out on the deck of the British.
Blackbeard and Maynard found themselves face to face. Both grabbed their pistols and fired at each other. The pirate missed, Maynard's bullet touched Teach, but he, without reacting to the wound, swung his saber. Defending himself, Maynard put his under the blow, but it broke, while the Englishman had one finger severed on his right hand.
Without allowing Maynard to recover, Blackbeard raised his saber again, and the commander of the "Henry" would certainly have been killed, but one of the sailors rescued him. Dodging, he stabbed the pirate in the neck with a saber. This made the pirate hesitate, which was used by Maynard, who immediately picked up someone's sword from the deck. The fight continued.
Death of Blackbeard
Not noticing the wound, Blackbeard took a pistol from its holster and aimed it at Maynard, but then the pirate's strength left. The pistol fell from his hand, he bent down to pick up the weapon, but collapsed dead on the deck. Seeing the death of their captain, the rest of the pirates surrendered at the mercy of the victors.
The pirates lost 14 people in this battle, Maynard - 10 killed and 24 wounded.
After putting himself and his men in order, Maynard ordered a search of the pirate ship, as well as its dock on the shore. In Blackbeard's cabin, documents were found that irrefutably proved Edward Teach's connection with the governors of North Carolina and Bermuda, as well as with some of the trading offices of New York. All this was subsequently attached to the court case of those pirates from Blackbeard's crew who were captured. Among them was, for example, one Negro, who during the battle was hiding in the powder magazine of the pirate brigantine. The Negro had an order from Blackbeard to blow up the ship if the pirates were defeated. But he didn't have the heart to do it.
And Blackbeard was treated abominably. Already dead, they cut off his head and put it on the Henry's bowsprit. With this trophy, the ship arrived in the capital of North Carolina, making a great impression on the residents of the city. But this did not end there. Teach's head was impaled and displayed in other cities to intimidate those who were still in the pirate ranks and those who intended to replenish them.
The captured pirates were tried by the Admiralty court. The number of these people is unknown, but it is documented that only two of them were lucky enough to escape punishment. The rest were hanged "for piracy, because they did not experience fear of God and the respect due to His Majesty."
I. Muromov