Blackbeard! AKA - Edward Teach 1680 – November 22, 1718

Sea robbers, or people who attack and rob ships at sea are called, Pirates. Nothing can conjure up the imagination more than these once greatly-feared individuals. A pirate often sailed with the rule of “no prey, no pay” and most pirates had rules that were strictly obeyed. For instance, women were not to be brought on board or bothered. Prisoners were usually set free and held for ransom. The spoils or “booty” was usually divided up and those pirates that did not abide by the rules were sometimes executed or marooned upon a deserted island.

Early Life Edward Teach was a native of Bristol, England, where he would, as a boy, sit along the harbor and watch the ships coming into port and going out to sea. Leaving home and joining a ship’s crew at a young age, Teach served in the British Navy during the War of Spanish Succession. When the war ended, Teach, along with countless other sailors, turned to piracy for a living. Why? They were fresh out of a legitimate job.

Teach’s career as a pirate began under Captain Benjamin Hornigold Teach’s career as a pirate began under Captain Benjamin Hornigold. In 1717, Hornigold retired, leaving Edward Teach to carry on his work. For the next two years, Teach, by that time known as “Blackbeard,” cultivated a fearsome and cruel reputation. In short, Blackbeard and his crew, along with his famous ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, struck terror all up and down the eastern coast. One of Blackbeard’s most famous battles was with the British warship HMS Scarborough, in which the pirates defeated it and sent it back to England. Interestingly, there are no verified accounts of Blackbeard actually killing anyone. He generally got what he wanted by his fearsome reputation. According to those that knew him, Blackbeard was like a demon, lighting his hair and beard on fire with hemp and screaming like a madman during battle.

He and his entire crew then escaped without getting caught. **Creation of an image reading.** Blackbeard’s most notorious act came in May of 1718 when he and his crew blockaded the all-important port city of Charleston, South Carolina, for nearly two weeks. He and his entire crew then escaped without getting caught.

Blackbeard was also an original “Playa,” having been married more than 14 times! When not looting and pillaging ships, Blackbeard made his home in either the town of Bath, North Carolina or on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, which was the location of his best hideout.

BLACKBEARD’S FINAL STAND! November 22, 1718 BLACKBEARD’S FINAL STAND!

Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the British Royal Navy was deployed to hunt down and destroy Blackbeard and his crew at the first opportunity. His force consisted of four small ships and approximately 70 sailors. On the evening of November 21, 1718, they found the pirates anchored in an inlet on the inner side of Ocracoke Island. Both sides waited until morning to begin the contest, where no quarter was asked or given.

The Battle!

Early the next morning, the two sides immediately locked into mortal combat. When Maynard’s ship moved into attack the Pirates, Blackbeard and his crew let loose with a terrific volley of cannon fire that dazed the British ship. Falsely believing that he had won the battle because of this devastating broadside, Blackbeard and his crew boarded Maynard’s vessel. As the pirates cautiously searched the deck of the ship, Lieutenant Maynard and his crew burst forth from their hiding place and caught the startled pirates by surprise. A bloody, savage hand-to-hand fight ensued with men being shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burned, and beaten. The deck of the ship grew slippery with the blood of the men that were killed or severely wounded.

**Read written account** Despite yelling, screaming, cutting, slashing, and killing like a machine, Blackbeard was killed and the battle came to an immediate halt when he fell. Incredibly, Blackbeard had been shot in the body five times and suffered more than twenty sword and knife wounds! When Maynard made sure that he was really dead, he cut off Edward Teach’s head and hung it on the front of his ship as a prize. Legend says that when his headless body was thrown overboard, it swam around the English ship three times before it sunk. Nobody knows what became of the head/skull of Blackbeard the Pirate.

Two other notable pirates besides Blackbeard were Sir Henry Morgan and Captain William Kidd. Sir Henry Morgan operated out of the West Indies in the Caribbean and terrorized coastlines of Cuba, Panama, and Venezuela. Captain William Kidd was another well-known pirate in his day that is rumored to have buried vast amounts of treasure at different locations. He is also one of the pirates that inspired “Treasure Island” and Peter Pan.

The Legend of Oak Island and the Money Pit. Oak Island is a 140 acre island located in Nova Scotia. It has long been associated with buried Pirate treasure and shrouded in mystery. Despite great efforts and expenses, none has been found. However, there are many things that just don’t add up and make sense. In 1795, two boys supposedly found a depression in the ground with some clues surrounding it. After several years of digging, they then supposedly found a large stone with the words, “forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.”

www.youtube.com “Oak Island” Bibliography www.wikipedia.com www.lordnelson.com www.googleimages.com www.youtube.com “Oak Island” The artwork of Keith Rocco and Ernest Pyle. George Thorogood, Bad to the Bone. Metallica, For Whom the Bell Tolls.