As fans of the History Guy well know, all good stories involve pirates. And as far as pirates go,
you can hardly find one better known than Blackbeard, the legendary pirate who a British
contemporary writer said, “Frightened America more than any comet that has appeared there,
in a long time.” But as Smithsonian magazine notes, “The fearsome buccaneer
never scared Hollywood producers.” And yet, the Blackbeard of the movies, and shoot,
even of his own time, was more legend than known fact, and the truth behind the beard
might surprise you. The real Blackbeard the Pirate deserves to be remembered.
“Pirates,” former law professor Robert Lee wrote in his 1974 book, Blackbeard the Pirate,
a Reappraisal of his Life and Times, “Rarely wrote about themselves, and their families.”
He notes that such men hope to acquire a vast fortune and return to their home without having
tarnished their family name. Thus pirates quite often use fictitious surnames. There's reason
to suspect that Edward Teach, the name by which Blackbeard called himself and that in the period
was spelled several different ways may not have been his name at all, we might in fact, never know
his birth name. The same can be said of his place of birth. While his presumed age at the time of
his death suggests that he was born around 1680, exactly where that occurred is a point of dispute.
It has long been presumed that he was born in Bristol and that is the assumption made by Lee,
but that assumption is based more on Bristol's importance as an international seaport than any
clear record of his birth. Others have speculated that he was born in America in North Carolina or
Philadelphia, but a 2018 edition of Smithsonian Magazine notes the research of maritime historian
Baylus Brooks, who identified records of Captain Edward Teach in Jamaica, presumed
to have been Blackbeard's father. Following those records Brook concludes that Teach's oldest son,
also named Edward, passed up the inheritance that he would have received upon his father's death
as the eldest son to his stepmother and half siblings and instead joined the Royal Navy.
These newly rediscovered records might be the first documentation
of the life of Blackbeard prior to becoming a pirate. But there's
really no way to know if this, Edward Teach of Jamaica, and Blackbeard were the same man.
Brook's account might explain a documented fact about Blackbeard
however. While often presented as a bloodthirsty scoundrel, Blackbeard was,
Lee notes, “An educated man, for there's no doubt that he could read and write.”
“Furthermore,” Lee writes, “He seemed that he's not only in the company of villainous ruffians,
but also with governors. As if he were accustomed to moving in high circles.” Brook's description
of the son of a sea captain of high status might explain the education that seems at odds with his
ferocious reputation. And service in the Royal Navy also explains his knowledge of seafaring
and navigation, although that is by no means the only possible explanation for his skills.
And then, what next?
Again the record is thin. For all the attention on Blackbeard he notes that he appears in hundreds
of history books; the entire record of Blackbeard the Pirate covers a period of less than two years
starting in 1716. Captain Charles Johnson in his 1724 work, A General History of the Robberies and
Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates, wrote that “Teach sailed sometime out of Jamaica in
privateers in the late French War, where he often distinguished himself for his uncommon boldness
and personal courage.” However Johnson makes no explanation for how he came to that conclusion.
A letter written to the governor of New Jersey by a merchant named John Logan in 1717 says that “The
men captured by the pirates operating in Delaware Bay had a great deal of free discourse with the
pirates during their captivity.” The letter offers a brief insight into Blackbeard's past. “Their
commander is one Teach, who was here a mate from Jamaica about two years ago.” This implies that
Teach was an honest mariner from Jamaica sailing from the Port of Philadelphia as late as 1715.
That is, as with much of the rest of Blackbeard's life, we simply have no record.
Ideas that he served time in the Royal Navy or as a privateer are simply unproven.
If however, Johnson is correct, the late war he references was the 1702-1713 Queen Anne's War,
the American theater of the war of Spanish succession. During the more than decade-long
conflict hundreds of privateers from France, the British Isles and New England operated from Canada
to the Caribbean capturing enemy ships in the war. Fighting as a privateer would provide a good
experience for a potential pirate. A 1957 edition of American Heritage notes, “In Queen Anne's War
which involved most of Europe, both English and Colonial ships worked the Spanish Main.
Their shipmasters became familiar with the hundreds of island hideouts, the inlets, the
coves and the rivers that gave shelter for escape and surprise attack. “Privateering in fact is
rather similar to piracy,” as American Heritage continues, “The privateer was entirely on his own.
He was only authorized to capture enemy ships, but neutral sometimes fell into his hands, and
it was easy to explain that the neutral ships were carrying contraband of war. It would not have been
a surprise if such men turned to piracy after the war.” as American Heritage notes, “The life was
so good indeed that when the war was over, the men who had enjoyed it, became restless.” The point in
fact is made in the title of the American Heritage article, War Makes Thieves, Peace Hangs Them.
Lee notes that following the war, the former privateers formed the loose pirate confederacy
called the Brotherhood of the Coast and took control of New Providence island in the Bahamas
where, historian Michael Craton wrote in the 1986 History of the Bahamas,
“All semblance of organized government broke down, and the pirates were in undisputed control.”
They called their outpost, The Republic of Pirates, although there was no record of
course ,the pirates obviously not very much for record keeping. Lee speculates that Teach would
have located his base there, and that is where he would have met Benjamin Hornigold leading
to the first confirmed record of Blackbeard the Pirate. Multiple reports in 1716 mention Hornigold
operating from New Providence. A merchant by the name of Henry Timberlake reported that two pirate
sloops attacked his vessel, and their captain's names were Benjamin Hornigold and Edward Teach.
What is not known is if Edward was working on the command of Hornigold or if they were
working independently and simply aiding one another, they were seen splitting the food they
plundered between the two crews. It is rumored that he had worked under Hornigold for around
two years before he was given his own crew to command. On July 5th 1717, Captain Matthew Munth,
a pirate hunter sent to investigate New Providence by the deputy governor of South Carolina
sent a report that listed both Hornigold with a sloop with 10 guns and about 80 men,
and Teach with a sloop of six guns and about 70 men.
But Teach and Hornigold parted ways shortly thereafter, some argue because Hornigold
refused to attack British ships. Hornigold gave up piracy and in 1718 accepted the King's pardon,
but Teach set himself on that path that would, as Time magazine argued in 2018,
“Make him arguably the best known pirate from the Golden Age of Piracy.”
His acts of piracy are well documented. For example a letter dated October 1717 written by
Philadelphia merchant John Dickinson and held in a collection of merchants correspondents in the
historical society of Philadelphia, and quoted in the 2010 edition of the Pennsylvania Journal
of History and Biography writes “Thou mentions the pirating trade with you from the beginning
of this month and until within the week. One Captain Teach alias Blackbeard is in a sloop
which they called the Revengers. Revenge, about 130 men, 12 or 14 guns having lain off
our Capes and taken six or seven vessels inward and outward bound.” An article in the newspaper,
The Boston Newsletter the same year records Teach in his sloop capturing the ship of a
merchant named Cod. In a speech to the Provincial Council in 1718, William Keith the Governor of
Pennsylvania called Teach, “A noted pirate who has done the greatest mischief of any to this place.”
And while there is a relatively robust record of Blackbeard the Pirate after 1716,
still much of what we think we know about Blackbird is likely a myth.
For example, Blackbeard's famous pirate flag.
Blackbeard's notorious flag was of a skeleton wearing a crown, symbolic of the King of the Dead,
also known as Satan. The skeleton was seen holding a goblet toasting the devil himself
and stabbing a heart with an arrow. This was thought to represent how Blackbeard's true love
was piracy. We can make assertions about Blackbeard's true love, but was that really
his flag? The Ocracoke North Carolina Observer reported in 2021, “Absolutely no record from
Blackbeard's time described his flag as having a two-horn skeleton holding an hourglass and a spear
or dart pointed at a bleeding heart.” Historian E.T Fox argues in his book, Jolly Rogers The True
History of Pirate Flags, that the image of this flag being tied to any pirate didn't appear until
1912 when it appeared in the journal Mariner's Mirror. According to the journal, a pirate named
John Quelch flew the terrifying flag that was not claimed to belong to Blackbeard until
the late 20th century. In fact Teach was more likely to have flown a simple black flag with a
white skull. Rather than representing Blackbeard's true love, it represented
a signal that any captain of the era would recognize, that he was being attacked by a pirate.
Another part of the Blackbeard legend was his womanizing. Captain Johnson's General History
of Pirates asserts that in his two years of piracy, Blackbeard was married up to 14
times by his first mate aboard his ship. Another ongoing rumor is that each time he made port he
would find a new wife, and then have her killed before he left again. Some say that this way he
was not having premarital relations, others say it was the pirate in him not wanting to share.
This might represent simple cavorting with prostitutes rather than actual marriages,
but as with much reported in Johnson's book there are no records to support the claim.
There is record however of one marriage. Following Blackbeard's two years of piracy he purported to
repent and to seek to lead a normal life, secured a pardon from North Carolina governor Charles Eden
in June of 1718 under the stipulation that he not only renounce piracy, but also be married
and settle down. Mary Ormond was the daughter of William Ormond who owned a plantation in Bath,
North Carolina and the wedding was attended by the royal secretary for North Carolina.
Despite the legends of 14 wives, she was the only woman with a record of having become the wife
of the notorious pirate. But Blackbeard returned to piracy and there's no documentation of what
happened to Mary following their marriage. There is a legend that after returning to piracy he
gave Mary to his crew as a present, but again, there's no documented account of this happening.
Teach left Bath and never returned, in fact was killed shortly thereafter.
And what happened to Mary is a historical mystery.
Perhaps the most enduring part of the Blackbeard legend was his brutality, a cold-blooded killer.
But again is the reputation reality. There are contemporary newspaper accounts of his brutality,
the Boston Newsletter wrote in November 1717 that Teach and his crew very barbarously used
Mr Richardson, merchant of the Sea Nymph. But Trent University Professor Arne Bialuschewski
noted in the April 2010 edition of the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,
that reports of brutal treatment of prisoners are notably missing from first-hand accounts of Teach.
Professor Bialuschewsk writes, “It is interesting to note that the brutal treatment of victims is
only mentioned, in similar words, in the newspaper accounts of Blackbeard. In fact
the image of Blackbeard as a fearsome and ruthless villain was created by the news media of the day.”
That his nature was perhaps less brutal than it has been described
shows in perhaps his most famous pirate endeavor.
In May of 1718, he held the Port of Charleston, then pronounced Charles Town, South Carolina,
hostage. Four ships including the infamous Queen Anne's Revenge holding a crew of around 400 men
were commanded by Blackbeard to blockade the port. Any ships trying to enter or leave were
captured and a ransom was demanded. But while the ships captured were certainly looted for
their valuables, the ransom demanded was something less than barbaric. Blackbeard demanded medicine,
apparently for crew members infected with syphilis. When a prominent citizen named Samuel
Wigg was taken prisoner the ransom in medicines was quickly paid by Royal Governor Robert Johnson,
and the prisoners were all freed. In fact there are no first-hand accounts of
Blackbeard killing another person until the event that resulted in his death,
and even there, legend might surpass reality. Owing to his notorious reputation,
a british naval expedition led by British naval Lieutenant Robert Maynard was funded by Virginia
Governor Alexander Spotswood to hunt down the fearsome pirate and put an end to his exploits.
The Boston News Letter published an account that included an exchange wherein, “Maynard answered
that it was Blackbeard he wanted, and that he would have him dead or alive, or else it would
cost him his life.” whereupon Teach called for a glass of wine and swore “Damnation to himself,
if he either took, or gave quarter.” After firing his cannon Blackbeard and his crew boarded
Maynard’s sloop The Jane where they were defeated in hand to hand combat and Blackbeard killed.
As with much of the Blackbeard legend the battle has been highly dramatized. The News Letter wrote,
“Maynard and Teach themselves two begun the fight with their swords. Maynard made
a thrust to the point of his sword against Teach's cartridge box and bent 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.
One of Maynard's men, being a Scottish highlander, engaged Teach with his broadsword which 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.” And with that he gave him a second stroke, which cut off his head,
laying it flat on his shoulder. It is quite a dramatic telling given that Maynard's own account,
the only first-hand account of the battle known, says merely of Blackbeard's death,
“He fell with five shot in him, and 20 dismal cuts in several parts of his body.”
Rather than a dramatic beheading by a Scottish crewman, Maynard wrote,
“I have cut Blackbeard's head off which I put on my bowsprit in order to carry it
to Virginia.” Blackbeard's life of piracy was over, but his legend had just begun.
So why is it that the legend of Blackbeard is so much larger than the actual documentation.
Well there might be several reasons. Newspapers might have had reason to exaggerate the legend in
order to sell more papers, or perhaps to try to convince the British government to become
involved in fighting pirates. But there's even motive for Blackbeard himself who went months
at a time without bathing or combing his hair in order to appear more fearsome and repulsive
to embrace a legend that would have meant that his potential victims were more likely to surrender
rather than face his legendary wrath. But a lot of it has to do with Captain Johnson.
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates has been so influential
that British naval historian David Cordingly wrote in the preface to a 2010 publication of the then
286 year old work, “It has been said, and there seems no reason to question this,
that Captain Johnson created the modern conception of pirates.” And the British Royal Armories notes,
“That most of what we know about Blackbeard and his fellow pirates comes from this one source.”
But while it is largely agreed that the modern conception of pirates came from Captain Johnson,
the accuracy of that conception is demonstrated by the fact that there is no record of any actual
Captain Johnson, which is almost certainly a pseudonym. Professor Bialuschewsk puts it
simply, “This book is not a reliable source. The chapter on Blackbeard is
particularly riddled with exaggerations, misunderstandings and factual errors.”
And so, aside from a few sparse newspaper accounts about him taking ships off the American coast, the
record of his wedding and Maynard's description of his death, almost everything we know about
Blackbeard the pirate comes from a disreputable source that was subject to exaggeration. And maybe
that's really the secret, maybe all good stories involve pirates, because they really are just
stories. And as maritime historian Donald Shomette told National Public Radio in 2018, “The outlaw,
the bad guy, is almost always the most interesting character in the story.” Mark Twain perhaps summed
up our fascination with pirates best in his 1883 work, Life on the Mississippi, “Every now
and again we had a hope that if we lived, and were good. God would permit us to be pirates.”
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