Edward Teach — Archive

Edward Teach, more often known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard, was one of the most infamous men of the 18th century, not only for his plundering and pillaging but also for his crazy facial hair! Blackbeard’s nickname comes from his often unruly beard which he sometimes tied lit fuses to under his hat in order to illuminate his fearsome appearance and intimidate his enemies. Teach started his career as a privateer in the Caribbean for England during Queen Ann's War in the early 18th century. Privateers, or ships authorized by a government to attack foreign vessels during war, were often used as a way to mobilize armed ships and sailors without having to commission them into regular service during wartime. It is often hard to distinguish the difference between privateering and pirating as they are essentially the same practice-the only difference being the "legality" or having a government sponsorship for your pillaging!

In 1718 Blackbeard went to his favorite hideaway near Ocracoke Island, NC. He allegedly wanted to party it up with his other pirate homies (themed bash anyone?) complete with all night dancing, drinking and bonfires. News of this pirate kegger reached Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia, and hater of all fun pirate parties. Spotswood sent two sloops, small swift ships, to trap Blackbeard and his pirate buddies between sandbars so they could not escape. When the Navy arrived, Blackbeard knew he was trapped. As soon as the tide rose in the morning, he foresaw the sloops would glide over the then submerged sandbars and attack.

The pirates continued to party through the night while stockpiling ammunition, soaking blankets in water to put out fires, and spreading sand on the decks to soak up the blood that would be spilled. Blackbeard’s comrades asked him if he had told his wife the location of his buried treasure, thinking they would all perish in the fight. Blackbeard is thought to have responded that nobody but he “...and the devil knew where it was, and the longest liver shall take it.”

When the morning came Blackbeard, instead of trying to outrun the navy sloops, waited for the attack. When the enemy drew close, Blackbeard ordered his crew to set sail and to steer directly for the beach, guiding his ship through a hidden narrow channel, while the sloops crashed into the sandbar. Blackbeard’s crew blasted the stranded sloops with their cannon, but in the fire fight became stranded themselves on a sandbar. The Navy ships threw their stores of food and water overboard in order to lighten their load and dislodge themselves from the sandbar, and then ran below deck to await the next attack.

Blackbeard’s crew hurled explosives onto the navy sloop, and when they believed the crew to be dead, boarded the ship. The pirates were completely stunned to find the navy crew alive and well, and ready to fight. Blackbeard and the sloops’ captain came face to face and fired at one another, Blackbeard missing his mark but then able to draw his sword to deliver the finishing blow. At the last second a navy seamen came up behind Blackbeard and cut his throat.

As a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard’s head was cut off and displayed (‪#‎nedstark‬) from the bow of the navy sloop. His alleged treasure has been searched for far and wide, but no trace has ever been discovered.