Blackbeard: "The Strongest Pirate of the Seven Seas"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Born Edward Drummond in England in 1680, the pirate known as "Blackbeard" learned his trade as an English privateer during the War of Spanish Succession. When that war ended in 1714 he drifted into outright piracy, operating up and down the North American East Coast, attacking English shipping and anything else that came within his grasp. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blackbeard operated under the pseudonym of "Edward Teach." His nickname came from the beard that he let grow to cover almost his entire face. In combat, he stuck burning slowmatch (a slow-burning fuse used to fire cannon) under his hat; with his face wreathed in smoke and flame, he was said to resemble a fiend from hell. Legends about Blackbeard's ferocity abound. Once, while he and his navigator were peacefully drinking in Blackbeard's cabin, the pirate pulled out a pistol and shot the man in the knee without warning. When asked why he had crippled the navigator, Teach replied that if he did not now and again kill one of them, his crew would forget who he was. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blackbeard met his end in the fall of 1718 in the narrow channels of Ocracoke Inlet, where he had stopped to refit his vessel. There he and nineteen men were discovered by a superior English force of two sloops carrying 60 men. Blackbeard and his men fought fiercely despite the odds. His first broadside blasted one sloop right out of the battle, and his second almost cleared the deck of the remaining sloop. Blackbeard then rammed the second sloop and led his men to the attack, where he found himself facing Lieutenant Robert Maynard, the commander of the vessel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maynard and Blackbeard both had pistols, which they fired at nearly point-blank range. Blackbeard's shot missed the Lieutenant, while Maynard's hit Blackbeard in the body. But Blackbeard didn't fall. Instead he took a swing at Maynard with his cutlass, shattering the astonished Englishman's sword with one mighty blow. But before Blackbeard could finish the helpless Maynard, another British sailor attacked him from the side, slashing his throat so badly that blood gushed everywhere. Still Blackbeard fought on, but soon he was surrounded by English sailors, and they hacked and cut at him until he finally toppled over, dead. Seeing their leader fall, the remaining pirates also surrendered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The short battle had been remarkably bloody and savage. Of the nineteen pirates, ten were dead and the surviving nine were all wounded. Of Maynard's crew of 35, ten were killed and 24 wounded. Maynard examined Blackbeard's body and found that he had taken five bullet wounds and twenty cutlass blows before finally succumbing to death. He was without any doubt the greatest pirate of the seven seas !!