balck beard
Uploaded by lalafreak4u on Nov 04, 2005
Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, "more than any other, can be called North Carolina's own pirate, although he was not a native of the colony... As is the case with all pirates, his origin is obscure. His name originally, it seems was Edward Drummond, and he began his career as an honest seaman, sailing out of his home port of Bristol, England. He is seldom known by that name, for after he became a pirate he began calling himself Edward Teach, sometimes spelled in the records as Thatch, Tache, or even Tatch. Yet it was as Blackbeard that he was, and still is , known, and it was under this name that the people of his generation knew him, 'a swaggering, merciless brute.'" -- Hugh F. Rankin.
Blackbeard went by the name Edward Teach. Most historians agree that he was born about the year 1680 in Bristol, England. He was able to read and write which suggests his family had moneyAs with most pirates, little is known of his early life.
Sometime in the early eighteenth century, Teach left Bristol for Jamaica to sail on the ships of privateers. When England revoked the privateer’s license, Teach joined forces with Captain Benjamin Hornigold. Hornigold took Teach under his wing and taught him everything he knew about taking ships. This alliance lasted for a little over two years. It was during this time that Teach first came to Carolina.
By March of 1718, Blackbeard had decided to leave the Caribbean and sail up the east coast of America. On his way he encountered several ships who joined forces with him. By the time they reached Charleston in late May, Blackbeard had nearly seven hundred men under his command.
Blackbeard and his fleet blockaded Charleston harbor for nearly a week and stopped all ships coming and going. Blackbeards’ only demand from the Governor was for a chest of medicine. Several prominent citizens had been taken hostage but were released when the demands were met. Blackbeard’s fleet left Charleston without firing a single shot.
Shortly after the blockade of Charleston, Blackbeard sunk his flagship “Queen Anne’s Revenge” in Beaufort Inlet. The booty he had stolen in Charleston was put on a small sloop which he named the Adventure.
By mid-June Blackbeard and his crew were in Bath, North Carolina and had accepted the Kings pardon for piracy. During the next few weeks Blackbeard bought a house in Bath and...