Robert Maynard

Then, with his friends and all the booty, he sailed off, leaving the rest marooned on a small sandy island.

teach next sail to north carolina and with the greatest coolness surrendered with twenty of his men to the governor charles eden and received the royal pardon the ex-pirate spent the next few weeks in cultivating an intimate friendship with the governor who no doubt shared teach's booty with him a romantic episode took place at this time at bath town the pirate fell in love not by any means for the first time with a young lady of sixteen years of age to show his delight at this charming union the governor himself married the happy pair this being the captain's fourteenth wife though certain bath-town gossips were heard to say that there were no fewer than twelve mrs teach still alive at different ports up and down the west india islands in june seventeen eighteen the bridegroom felt that the call of duty must be obeyed so kissing good-bye to the new mrs teach he sailed away to the bermuda meeting on his way half a dozen ships which he plundered and then hurried back to share the spoils with the governor of north carolina and his secretary mr knight for several months blackbeard remained in the river exacting a toll from all the shipping often going ashore to make merry at the expense of the planters at length things became so unbearable that the citizens and planters sent a request to the governor of the neighboring colony of virginia for help to rid them of the presence of teach the governor spotswood an energetic man at once made plans for taking the pirate and commissioned a gallant young naval officer, Lieutenant Robert Maynard of H.M.S. Pearl, to go in a sloop, the Ranger, in search of him.

On November 17, 1718, the lieutenant sailed for Kecoughtan in the James River, and on the 21st arrived at the mouth of Ocracock Inlet, where he discovered the pirate he was in search of.

Blackbeard would have been caught unprepared, had not his friend, Mr.

Secretary Knight, hearing what was on foot, sent a letter warning him to be on his guard, and also any of Teach's crew whom he could find in the taverns of Bathtown.

Maynard lost no time in attacking the pirate's ship, which had run aground.

The fight was furious, Teach boarding the sloop, and a terrific hand-to-hand struggle taking place.

The lieutenant and Teach fighting with swords and pistols.

He could not send soldiers into another governor's territory, but he could send ships into open water.

He dispatched two small sloops, the Jane and the Ranger, under the command of a Royal Navy Lieutenant named Robert Maynard.

Maynard was not a famous man before this assignment.

He would become one.

Captain Shalloner Ogle, who killed Bartholomew Roberts and was knighted for it.

The only naval officer ever knighted specifically for actions against pirates is almost entirely unknown outside specialist histories.

Robert Maynard, who killed Blackbeard and hung his head from a bowsprit, left almost no trace in the popular imagination.

The pirates, meanwhile, are everywhere.

Captain Edward Teach, or Thatch, alias Drummond, alias Blackbeard, arch pirate.

A Bristol man who settled in Jamaica, sailing in privateers, but not in the capacity of an officer.

In 1716, Teach took to piracy, being put in command of a sloop by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold.

In 1717, Hornigold and Teach sailed together from Providence towards the American coast, taking a bill up from Havana and several other prizes.

A few days later, Teach was attacked by HMS Scarborough of 30 guns, but after a sharp engagement lasting some hours, the pirate was able to drive off the king's ship.

The next ship he met was the sloop of that amateur pirate and landsman, Major Steed Bonnet.

Teach and Bonnet became friends and sailed together for a few days, when Teach, finding that Bonnet was quite ignorant of maritime matters, ordered the major in the most high-handed way to come aboard his ship, while he put another officer in command of Bonnet's vessel.

Teach now took ship after ship, one of which, with the curious name of Protestant Caesar, the pirates burnt out of spite, not because of her name, but because she belonged to Boston, where there had lately been a hanging of pirates.

Did he ever do any of those things? Nobody knows for sure.

On November 22nd, 1718, Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy led an armed expedition sent by Virginia's Governor Alexander Spotswood to corner teach at Ocracoke Inlet.

Maynard's men ambushed the pirates, resulting in a violent hand-to-hand boarding action on the deck of Maynard's sloop.

Teach was supposedly killed during the fighting, sustaining dozens of gunshot and sword wounds.

Now that is the reported history.

Okay.

And it was driven by a blockade of Charleston, a royal pardon, and a final naval trap led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

So we do know that he did have this conflict and Maynard did brag about hanging his head from his bowsprit, all of those things.

The governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, had had enough.

He hired a Royal Navy officer named Lieutenant Robert Maynard to hunt Blackbeard down.

A pirate hunter.

How many giant warships did he take?

Then, with his friends and all the booty, he sailed off, leaving the rest marooned on a small sandy island.

teach next sail to north carolina and with the greatest coolness surrendered with twenty of his men to the governor charles eden and received the royal pardon the ex-pirate spent the next few weeks in cultivating an intimate friendship with the governor who no doubt shared teach's booty with him a romantic episode took place at this time at bath town the pirate fell in love not by any means for the first time with a young lady of sixteen years of age to show his delight at this charming union the governor himself married the happy pair this being the captain's fourteenth wife though certain bath-town gossips were heard to say that there were no fewer than twelve mrs teach still alive at different ports up and down the west india islands in june seventeen eighteen the bridegroom felt that the call of duty must be obeyed so kissing good-bye to the new mrs teach he sailed away to the bermuda meeting on his way half a dozen ships which he plundered and then hurried back to share the spoils with the governor of north carolina and his secretary mr knight for several months blackbeard remained in the river exacting a toll from all the shipping often going ashore to make merry at the expense of the planters at length things became so unbearable that the citizens and planters sent a request to the governor of the neighboring colony of virginia for help to rid them of the presence of teach the governor spotswood an energetic man at once made plans for taking the pirate and commissioned a gallant young naval officer lieutenant robert maynard of h m s pearl to go in a sloop the ranger in search of him on november seventeenth seventeen eighteen the lieutenant sailed for kicketan in the james river and on the twenty first arrived at the mouth of ocracock inlet where he discovered the pirate he was in search of blackbeard would have been caught unprepared had not his friend mr secretary knight hearing what was on foot sent a letter warning him to be on his guard and also any of teach's crew whom he could find in the taverns of bath town maynard lost no time in attacking the pirate's ship which had run aground the fight was furious teach boarding the sloop and a terrific hand-to-hand struggle taking place the lieutenant and teach fighting with swords and pistols teach was wounded in twenty-five places before he fell dead while the lieutenant escaped with nothing worse than a cut over the fingers Maynard now returned in triumph in his sloop to Bathtown, with the head of Blackbeard hung up to the bull-spit end, and received a tremendous ovation from the inhabitants.

During his meteoric career as a pirate, the name of Blackbeard was one that created terror up and down the coast of America, from Newfoundland to Trinidad.

This was not only due to the number of ships Teach took, but in no small measure to his alarming appearance.