Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Thatch, Tash or, possibly, Drummond, was a notorious early eighteenth century English pirate. His flag had pictures of the devil or a horned skeleton holding a spear, hourglass and a bleeding heart on it. He was a tall fierce-looking man. During skirmishes, he burned fuses of burning hemp attached to his hat, hair and beard so his head was enveloped by a cloud of black smoke. He wore pistols, a cutlass and daggers in a belt around his waist anda sling that held pistols Some people said he looked the Devil himself; many surrendered once they saw him.
Blackbeard – The Nature of the Beast
The pirate and his crew terrorized and plundered ships in the Caribbean and along Virginia’s and the Carolinas’ coasts. They captured many ships, demanding money and valuables from those aboard. Blackbeard’s interest the wealth from his purloined bounty.
Sometimes, bloodshed was a necessary evil. He was courteous to those who surrendered and pitiless to those who didn’t. Blackbeard occasionally killed one of his crewmen, lest they forget who he was. In contrast, he was a lover. He had fourteen wives and made each woman feel that she was his first and only love -- until he met the next one.
Blackbeard’s Escapades
In 1717, Blackbeard obtained a British ship, the Concorde, outfitted her with forty cannons and renamed her Queen Anne’s Revenge. By 1718, Blackbeard commanded four pirate ships. One of his escapades was blockading Charleston’s harbor in 1717, when his men urgently needed medicine. Blackbeard held several people hostage until it was delivered.
He ambushed ships during dusk and dawn when his vessel was difficult to see. First, the crew determined the ship's nationality. Then, they raised that country's flag so they appeared to be friendly compatriots. When they were close to their unsuspecting targets, Blackbeard's flag was raised. Merchant crews often surrendered immediately when they saw his flag.
If a crew didn't surrender, Blackbeard’s pirates attacked. Their first target was the sailor at the ship's wheel so they could capture the drifting pilotless ship with grappling hooks, pull it closer and go aboard. The pirates held the crew and passengers hostage while they plundered it, searching for gold, silver, jewelry and coins.
Blackbeard’s Final Days
Blackbeard retired, married his last wife and lived peacefully near Ocracoke Inlet, until he partied with Charles Vane’s pirate crew that included “Calico” Jack Rackham, remembered for his colorful clothing, having Anne Bonney and Mary Read as crew members and designing the Jolly Roger, although his had a skull with two crossed swords, not bones, beneath it. Blackbeard returned to piracy.
Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood sent Lieutenant Robert Maynard, captain of the Royal Navy’s ship Jane, with a naval party under his command to capture Blackbeard on November 22, 1718 in a cove off of Ocracoke Inlet. Blackbeard endured five gunshots and multiple stab wounds before dying. His body was tossed overboard after he was decapitated and his head, hung from a mast. Later, the head was taken to Virginia where it was displayed on a pole at the Hampton and James Rivers’ confluence, dubbed Blackbeard's Point.
Blackbeard’s Curse
According to legend, tradition held that when treasure was buried, a man was interred in its chest to guard it. A Spaniard and a small black dog were buried along with the bounty in a pit under a black walnut tree near Burlington, New Jersey.
Some treasure hunters claim that, when they began to dig for the loot, they saw the spectral man, with glaring eyes, and the dog who guarded the treasure. Another legend is that one of Blackbeard's treasure chests lies on the ocean floor off of Maryland’s coast, protected by a curse that prevents people from salvaging it.
Blackbeard’s Ghost
Legend has it that the pirate’s headless corpse swam around the ship three times before sinking while his head shrieked. Witnesses claim to have seen Blackbeard’s headless body, glowing with phosphorescent light, floating on waves and swimming in circles. Fishermen reported seeing his headless body, holding a lantern, rise from the waters, come ashore to search for his head. Blackbeard’s ghost leaves no footprints. It’s said that his ghost haunts North Carolina’s beaches and the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays wetlands. Legends in Delaware’s Blackbird region, where Blackbeard visited, allege that there are chests filled with gold and treasure buried there.
Some people say Blackbeard won’t rest until his treasure is found. Others aver that his ghost guards his booty and appears when treasure hunters are too close to it, ensuring that the loot will remain forever hidden. The reason why he is a haunter is a moot point.
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Source:
Ghosts in the Valley, Adi-Kent Jeffrey, (New Hope Art Shop, 1971).
Jill Stefko - I'd rather deal with the paranormal than human abnormal - having dealt extensively with both.
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