The Gathering Storm
Newly promoted to captain, Edward Teach stood at the helm of the sloop, the Wasp. His leader had promoted him, Captain Hornigold, a seasoned pirate captain who, on this day in 1717, sailors knew him as a fierce fighter and a brilliant tactician. Together, the two men were developing a reputation for plundering many vessels.
Hornigold personally commanded the Ranger, a sloop larger than the Wasp. The Ranger carried 120 men and 12 cannons. The Wasp, faster than the Ranger, carried 30 men and 8 cannons.
The two captains respected each other and felt that their differing styles complemented their abilities as pirates. Hornigold was calculating, in contrast to Teach’s brash, swashbuckling methods.
The Caribbean sun was hot and shimmering across the waves as Teach approached Hornigold, who had just come aboard the Wasp to meet. A strong wind was blowing through Tech’s long, black, unkempt beard. This beard would inspire his future name, Blackbeard. Already, the many attacks he had been in had caused there to be many sailors talking in taverns about the pirate captain with the wild black beard.
Hornigold saw promise and risk in Teach’s ferocious style. The older captain was studying a weathered map with Teach under the shade of the quarterdeck. Teach asked in a voice as rough as the weather’s wood of the deck, “Do you think La Concorde is worth taking?”
Hornigold looked up, eyes narrowed, a smile beginning to form on his face, “It’s not only the cargo, my friend, but it’s also a chance to build our reputation and respect that may convince more captains to surrender to us rather than face us in battle.”
Hornigold stretched his back and sighed, “Captain Teach, this capture will require finesse and planning.”
Teach grinned, “Finesse never filled a chest with gold, Captain.”
Hornigold chuckled as he folded the map, “Nor did wild abandon. We make a good pair, Teach. You keep the men sharp and ready to fight, and I keep us all alive.”
Word had reached the pirates of La Concorde that the pirates were close. This was a large French slave ship, loaded with humans, gold, spices, and ivory, sailing from the coast of Guinea. The profit from the cargo, the cost of the ship itself, and the increased respect of merchant captains were all valued by the two pirate captains. Hornigold had often studied the maps and discussed the information they had on the slaver with Teach. Often, they debated the best approaches and potential attacks on the French vessel. Teach liked bold makeovers and surprise, while Hornigold counseled caution and strategy.
The next days were spent in preparation. Hornigold’s men checked and rechecked cannons and gunpowder. The crew of the Wasp focused on sharpening cutlasses and practiced boarding maneuvers.
One evening, with a lantern lighting the chart table, Teach leaned over and pointed to a spot where La Concorde should have been. “If we strike quickly, they’ll never see us coming.”
Hornigold shook his head, “But if they do see us, we risk losing it all. We need to wait for a moonless night!”
Teach muttered, “You’re always looking for cover.”
Hornigold laughed, “A good captain knows when to hide and when to roar.”
Another frequent disagreement between the two was the fate of the slaves that La Concorde carried. Teach thought that slavery was wrong, and he believed it was one of the many things that pirates hated about the current society, where the wealthy lived well at the expense of the freedom of the workers who created that wealth. Blackbeard wanted to recruit the Africans who were willing to join them and release the others at a friendly free port.
The lust for treasure and glory united them. Their ships sailed forward in tandem, searching for the French ship. The crews knew a fight was coming. They told tales of treasure and glory in the evening after hard days of work.
At dusk on the night before the attack, the officers met with the captains. Hornigold first outlined the plan: approach under cover of darkness, disable the ship’s sails with cannon fire, then board and defeat the merchant crew. Teach followed, riling the men up like a coach before a game, telling them to be ruthless and terrify the merchant sailors into surrender.
After the meeting, Teach asked, “You trust me to lead the attack?”
Hornigold looked into his eyes, and after a pause said, I trust you to lead a terrifying, ferocious attack, my partner, but I need you alive, so be careful.” Teach noosed, and both men felt respect for each other.
The ship quietly closed in, sails trimmed and all lanterns extinguished. The sea was calm, even eerily quiet. Teach felt excited and more alive than ever. Hornigold watched him and saw both the chaos and the charisma he brought. Teach had placed lit fuses in his beard, making him look almost demonic. After this battle, merchant sailors and those of the Royal Navy would call him Captain Blackbeard.
The two captains shared a partisanship that the fires of piracy had forged. This prize would change the course of their lives. The attack was imminent. The world would soon know and fear the names Blackbeard and Hornigold.
The Ranger and the Wasp were close to La Concorde when a sailor on the slave ship spotted the ships and shouted, “Two ships off the seaward side. We are under attack!
Dossett was alarmed by the sight of the pirate ships but tried to maintain control in his commands, “Man the cannons. Prepare for battle! We must defend our ship and defeat this scoundrel!”
The crew quickly took their battle positions. They loaded the cannons. Weapons were distributed. The tension grew as the pirates’ sloops caught up with the La Concorde. Every man knew of the legends of Captain Hornigold and his new pupil, Captain Edward Teach. The ruthless and ferocious reputation of this band of criminals was spreading.
The cannons roared! The battle began and was intense. Both sides dealt out and received damage from the cannons. The rugged crew of La Concorde fought bravely, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. The pirate crew boarded the ship with gleaming swords and wild abandon.
Dossett dueled with Teach, determined not to lose his ship, crew, and precious human cargo. Teach’s eyes seemed on fire as the pirate captain demonstrated his swordsmanship. The swords clashed over and over. Teach masterfully disarmed Dossett brutally. Dossett’s sword clattered to the deck. The proud captain had no choice but to surrender to the pirates.
Teach’s beard was adorned with the burning flares he braided into it to strike fear in his opponents. He surveyed his plunder and laughed heartily, “The mighty La Concorde and its cargo are mine! She will become my flagship! Prepare to set sail!”
The pirates commanded the vessel, and the fate of the captured slaves and the French crew was uncertain.
By now, the sun was setting. A golden hue bathed the deck of the slave ship. A quiet had descended where a battle had been blazing before. The pirates gathered both the captured crew and the enslaved people, who were brought up from the hold below deck, where they had been chained tightly together. The enslaved people huddled together, wondering what new chapter in their lives had begun.
A burly man with a scar on his cheek said, “Captain,” his voice boomed, “The slaves are ready to meet you.”
Teach strode onto the deck. His magnetic presence silenced everyone, with all eyes upon him. The flares were still lit in his beard. It also bore blue ribbons. His eyes seemed to pierce through those he looked at. He sported a long, dark coat with gold buttons. His head was topped with a tricorn hat. His belt held pistols and cutlasses. He was prepared for anything.
The scarred pirate, Scarface Jim, gestured towards the Africans, “These are the poor souls that were captured by the French scum, Captain. What do you command be done with them?”
The teacher’s eyes looked at the men and women, and suddenly smiled, “You are now free again, my friends. I apologize for the atrocities you must have endured. You have a choice now,” his voice rang out with the power of his authority, “You who wish to join my magnificent crew as pirates, step forward. Otherwise, those who wish to are free, and we will take you to a safe harbor where there will be plenty of work and welcome for all.”
Several of the formerly enslaved people, including Josiah, were fascinated by this intense, commanding leader, intrigued by the prospect of following him, and stepped forward. The others thanked the captain and celebrated their good fortune.
The ships made for New Providence, a pirate-controlled port that welcomed people of all kinds and treated everyone who followed its code with kindness and respect. After his arrival, Teach fulfilled his promise and released the Africans, some of whom knew and others who would learn that he could have made substantial profits by selling them in the Americas. Teach detested slavery and believed everyone should be free to choose their own paths in life.
That evening, after the people who wanted to seek a new life in New Providence had departed, the pirates’ crew and their recruits gathered around a fire on the beach. They began celebrating their victories with plenty of rum and good food. A fiddle was played, and Josiah was sitting with his back against a large rock. A smile was on his face as he pondered the events that had led him to this place.
“I can’t believe we have been rescued and recruited by Teach! “Josiah said, shaking his head, “The tales don’t adequately describe the man. He is more terrifying, more commanding, and flamboyant in person than any story described him.”
Samuel, another formerly enslaved person, agreed, “When I heard and saw the pirates, I knew we were finished. It is truly a miracle. Who would think a pirate would give us back our freedom? His presence alone is terrifying to his enemies. His beard was ablaze and smoking as if he were a demon. I will always remember Blackbeard saving us!”
Another man, Thomas, spoke seriously, “It wasn’t an easy choice. Joining this crew means a life of danger, pillage, freedom, and wealth. I chose Teach, yet I wonder what life would be like in New Providence.”
Josiah stared out across the ocean. He sighed, “I chose Teach, too. He is fascinating, and he offers a life I never imagined. His crew seems so fearless, and they are wonderful warriors. They are so free.”
Samuel laughed, “Fearless, yes. Free? We will see. We will be living by Teach’s rules. He isn’t a man to cross. He seems to care about his crew. He seems to care about us. His crew seems to follow him as if he were a God. Aw, and the lure of treasure.”
Thomas’ eyes were sparkling in the firelight. “We will start a new life. What tomorrow brings, we shall see. I wonder if we will ever return to the land of our birth.”
The fire crackled. The night grew darker. The men continued to share their hopes and dreams. Teach had changed the course of their lives. Their choices would guide their destinies.
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Blackbeard
Even as the newly renamed ship Queen Anne’s Revenge sailed to New Providence to drop off the free men and women from Africa, word of the capture of the French slave ship spread rapidly throughout the eastern Caribbean. Every captain and crew sailing there knew that a sail spotted in the distance could mean either a ship filled with a cargo of sugar, silver, or slaves, or, sometimes, an attack from a vicious pirate crew. On November 28, 1717, this ship had become the property of Edward Teach, already becoming known for his wild appearance and reckless but brilliant attacks.
La Concorde had presented a challenge for the captains Hornigold and Teach. Hornigold had calculated that many of the slavers’ crew had caught scurvy and dysentery, weakening the ranks. The rumors spreading through credited Teach, now known far and wide as Blackbeard, with the shrewd strategy. The pirates had overcome the target without destroying it.
Blackbeard kept the ship. He knew that the large ship would give him significant advantages. He had her refitted, added cannons, and recruited more willing recruits to staff her. Sighting La Concorde with her three masts, heavily armored sides, and gun ports armed was enough persuasion for many merchant captains to surrender without a fight, the most optimal outcome for a pirate ship.
The taverns described Blackbeard’s thick black beard, often adorned with ribbons, and before battles, smoldering slow-match or fuses set in the hair to wreath his face in smoke. This was theater, and Blackbeard excelled at it. He had created people who would convince his targets that surrender was better than facing his wrath. Blackbeard’s crews rarely executed their enemies and were usually kind to their captives, sometimes dropping them off at nearby ports and often allowing them to sail away after relieving them of their treasure.
With Queen Anne’s Revenge as flagship, Teach’s piracy became a campaign rather than a spree–multiple vessels moving together, scouting, cutting out prizes, and broadcasting a brand. In the months that followed, he ranged through the Caribbean and up toward the North American coast.
After the seizure of La Concorde and her rebirth as Queen Anne’s Revenge, the nickname Blackbeard became the identity that mattered–on wanted posters, in port taverns, and in the calculations of every captain who saw that heavy-rigged ship sailing in toward him.
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