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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
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Lindsey Graham
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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
November 28, 1717, in the Caribbean Sea. A French slave ship, La Concorde, gently lurches across tropical waters. Captain Pierre Doucet points his telescope at the horizon. In a few hours, he and his crew will make landfall on the island of Martinique, where they will unload their human cargo at the slave market before turning around and sailing back to France. For Pierre, that moment can't come soon enough. This seven week voyage has been fraught with disaster. Many of his crew died from scurvy, and Pierre knows that graver threats lie ahead. They have just sailed into a part of the ocean populated by a lawless breed of buccaneering rogues, fearsome criminals and pirates. But all has been quiet so far, until a shout goes up from the crow's nest above. Pierre leans on the deck railing, scouring the horizon. He sees two small sloops closing in on his ship. As they get closer, Pierre makes out the black skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger Flagg. The color drains from the captain's face and he starts barking orders. Soon the two pirate ships pull up alongside La Concorde, their cannons muzzles bristling from gunports along the helm. Pierre shouts at his men to prepare their own cannon, but before they can mount a defense, a volley of cannonballs crashes into the port side of his ship. Pierre's crew scatters, trying to save themselves from the cannon blast and the FL splinters of wood, and soon the pirate ships are close enough that ropes skitter across the deck of La Concorde, and dozens of pirates clamber across her gunwales, their cutlasses drawn. Pierre looks across the water to the nearest pirate ship. Standing on deck is a tall man in a tricorn hat wearing a dark, greasy black beard. Woven into braids at the end of each is a colored ribbon. Even from this distance, the pirate captain's eyes glimmer with a deranged zeal. Pierre knows he's beaten, so instead of continuing to fight, he throws down his pistol and surrenders his ship. The 18th century will come to be known as the Golden Age of Pirates, an era when seafaring robbers terrorize sailors from the Caribbean to the eastern seaboard of the United States, plundering and pillaging at will. The most notorious pirate of them all is an Englishman named Edward Teacher, better known as Blackbeard. After raiding Le Concorde and plundering her stocks, Blackbeard will take control of the French ship and rename it Queen Anne's Revenge. Aboard this vessel, he will become the most fearsome pirate to roam the seas until he is killed in a shootout with Royal Navy sailors during a daring raid on November 22, 1718.
Lindsey Graham
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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
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Lindsey Graham
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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is History Daily. History is made every day on this podcast every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is November 22, 1718, Blackbeard's final battle. It's May 1718, about 100 miles off the coast of South Carolina. Six months before Blackbeard is killed, Captain Edward Teach, or Blackbeard as he's better known, struts across the foredeck of his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. The notorious pirate captain removes a small gold compass from his pocket and watches the needle spin and quiver. A flash of yellow teeth appear in the midst of his matted beard as the captain smiles and swaggers back to the ship's wheel. As the Queen Anne's Revenge adjusts her course for the northwest horizon, so too do the three smaller sloops in Blackbeard's fleet The four vessels together cut across the dark waves, their bows cutting swiftly through dense sea fog. Most pirate captains don't command a flotilla of four ships. But Blackbeard is not an ordinary pirate. At the age of 38, he has become the most feared maritime criminal the world has ever known. For the past two years, Blackbeard and his crew have roamed the Caribbean Sea, plundering any merchant vessel unfortunate enough to stray into their path. Still, despite his fearsome reputation, Blackbeard is no savage. He avoids violence where possible, preferring to rely on reputation alone to instill fear into his victims. This reputation is one that Blackbeard has carefully cultivated. And it explains his striking appearance. Blackbeard is tall and broad shouldered. His face is covered by a mane of black hair in which two bloodshot eyes gleam like lanterns. He wears a sling adorned with several holstered pistols. And he hangs lighted gunpowder fuses from his beard when going into battle. The spectacle of this wild eyed pirate captain surrounded by smoke and sparking embers is enough to convince any sailor that Blackbeard is not of this world, but an apparition straight from hell. And with a crew of more than 300 men and a bounty of riches beyond any buccaneer's imaginings, Blackbeard is at the height of his powers. Tonight, as he leads his fleet through the choppy waters of the Western Atlantic, the notorious pirate is preparing to carry out his most brazen act of criminality to date. He and his men are heading for the colonial port town of Charleston, South Carolina. Once there, they intend to position their ships around the mouth of the harbor, ransacking any vessel that attempts to pass through their blockade. But it's not gold or or rum that Blackbeard wants to steal. It's medicine. The pirates and Blackbeard's crew have thus far managed to evade the clutches of the colonial authorities. But they fell victim to a different sort of threat. Disease. After overindulging in the taverns and brothels of Nassau in the Bahamas, many of Blackbeard's pirates have come down with syphilis. If they don't successfully secure a chest of medicine, the disease could wipe out as many as half of Blackbeard's crew. So on May 22, the Queen Anne's Revenge and three smaller sloops enter the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Dropping anchor a few hundred feet from land, Blackbeard strolls to the starboard side of the ship and points his telescope toward the port. He can make out gaggles of concerned citizens gesticulating at the pirate ships encircling the harbor. A wolfish smile spreads across Blackbeard's tanned, leathery face. He knows this is the most audacious stunt he's ever attempted. Over the course of the next five days, Blackbeard's men ransack every merchant ship that attempts to pass through the mouth of the harbor. But none of the ships they plunder contain the medicine that Blackbeard's crew sorely needs. So he decides to try a different approach. One of the vessels stopped is a passenger ship bound for England. On board are several prominent Charleston citizens, including a gentleman named Samuel Wragge, a member of the provincial council of South Carolina. Blackbeard kidnaps Samuel and imprisons him below deck, threatening to kill the Englishman if the pirates demands aren't met. His request is. Blackbeard wants the colonial government of South Carolina to provide them with medical supplies. And if those supplies are not delivered soon, Samuel will be decapitated immediately. A messenger is dispatched to present the pirate's demands to the governor. Faced with little other choice, the governor acquiesces, and a few days later, the medical supplies are sent to Blackbeard's ships. Upon receipt of the medicine, it becomes clear that Blackbeard is true to his word. He releases his hostage and then soon sails out of Charleston, having successfully pulled off what is perhaps the most daring act of piracy ever committed, Blockading an entire port. But the most audacious crime of Blackbeard's career will also prove to be one of his last. Soon the British government will crack down on piracy, sending Royal Navy warships to wipe out any seafaring robbers they find. Only this time, Blackbeard will not resist the authorities or fight back. Instead, the grizzled pirate captain will vow to give up his career plundering on the high seas and commit to an honest life on land.
Lindsey Graham
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Robert Maynard
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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
It's September 1718 in Williamsburg, Virginia, five months after Blackbeard's blockade of Charleston Harbor, Alexander Spotswood trudges through the grounds of the Governor's palace. Sweltering in his heavy robes, the corkscrew curls of his powdered wig tumble down the back of the governor's neck, making him feel itchy and irritable. Spotswood doesn't think he'll ever get used to these Virginia summers the unrelenting humidity, the stink of the swamps, and the incessant buzz of biting insects. It's been eight years since he arrived in the colony, and he misses the temperate English weather more and more each day. Spotswood came to the Americas to further his political career, following a brief and undistinguished stint in the British military. As governor, his goal is to turn Virginia into Britain's most successful overseas possession, but so far that challenge has proved much more difficult than expected. Political opposition in London has stymied Spotswood's attempts to regulate the tobacco trade, and bands of hostile Indians have been raiding the British settlements in the west of the colony. But these concerns pale in comparison to the biggest thorn in Spotswood side. Pirates. Among this accursed breed of seafaring criminals, one man stands out as the single greatest cause of Spotswood's sleepless nights. Blackbeard. A few months ago, following his blockade of Charleston harbor, Blackbeard decided to give up his life as a pirate. He surrendered himself to the governor of North Carolina and requested the king's pardon, an act of clemency offered by the British monarch to any former rogues of the sea. All the buccaneers have to do to receive the king's forgiveness is to renounce their criminal past and commit to a life of honest hard work. When Spotswood heard that Blackbeard had been pardoned, he cursed Governor Charles Eden of North Carolina for believing the marauding mariner could ever change its stripes. And as time went on, Spotswood was proven right. Blackbeard returned to his buccaneering ways. Reports recently surfaced of Blackbeard and his crew launching raids on the North Carolina coast. So a few days ago, Spotswood ordered the arrest of one of Blackbeard's former shipmates, known to be living in Virginia. Upon interrogation, this man revealed that Blackbeard's ship is currently moored near Ocracoke island, just off the North Carolina coast. But even though Spotswood now knows where Blackbeard is, the governor is hesitant to take action. North Carolina is outside of Spotswood's jurisdiction. By sending troops to capture the pirate, he would be violating North Carolina's sovereignty and breaching a central tenet of colonial politics. Trying to find a solution, Spotswood storms into the drawing room of the governor's palace, where a map of the North American coastline is spread out across a desk. He stares at Ocracoke island, his blood boiling at the thought of Blackbeard and his crew freely terrorizing more British ships. It's then that the governor realizes that whatever the repercussions might be in violating the sovereignty of another colony, they would be a fair trade for the prize at stake. The capture and execution of the most villainous pirate ever to blight the waves. Spottswood can't trust the colonial government of North Carolina to do anything about Blackbeard. So if something is to be done, Spotswood will have to take matters into his own hands. One month later, on November 21, 1718, British Lieutenant Robert Maynard stands aboard his ship as it follows the twisting waterways of Pamlico Sound. The boyish looking 34 year old squints into the distance, following the meandering coastal channel to the sea. The stiff lapels of his tailcoat flutter in the cool breeze, and his heart pounds in anticipation. They are closing in on Ocracoke island, just off the coast of North Carolina, the spot where the notorious pirate Blackbeard is rumored to be moored. Robert and his crew set sail from Williamsburg four days ago. Their mission from Governor Spotswood was find Blackbeard and bring him back to Virginia, dead or alive. For this task, Robert would have liked a heavily armored warship. But such a large vessel couldn't navigate the shallow waters of Pamlico Sound. So instead, Robert was provided two small Royal Navy sloops, the HMS Ranger and HMS Jane, carrying a combined crew of 60 men. The ships are too lightweight to hold cannons, leaving the crew equipped with only muskets and swords. Still, Robert is feeling optimistic. He is confident that his disciplined crew will outmaneuver the loutish band of buccaneers they seek. And soon Robert's lookout spies the masts of two ships moored in a bay off Ocracoke Island. With evening closing in, Robert orders his sloops to drop anchor. Through his telescope, Robert can make out the pirates carousing on deck, swigging from rum bottles and waving their cutlasses with drunken abandon. Robert smiles. He and his men will wait until morning and then at first light, greet the hungover pirates with a surprise attack.
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Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
22, 1718, near Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. As Lt. Robert Maynard emerges from below deck of the HMS Jane. He is greeted with clear skies and light winds. Seagulls circle above as the 34 year old naval officer views Blackbeard's vessels through a telescope. There's no sign of movement aboard the ships. The pirates are clearly still asleep, feeling the effects of a heavy night's drinking. So Robert and his two navy vessels silently make their way toward an unsuspecting enemy. But suddenly there's a deep grinding sound and a wrenching jolt sends Robert stumbling forward. His ship has hit a sandbar. Robert orders his men to begin hauling objects overboard, frantically trying to lighten their load. Eventually both sloops are able to move clear of the shallow water. But it's too late. The delay and commotion has alerted the pirates to the British ship's presence. Robert straightens his bicorn hat and looks out over the water. They're now within earshot of the pirates vessels and Blackbeard himself is standing on deck, his appearance somehow even more vivid and terrible than Robert could have imagined. Summoning his courage, Robert calls out to Blackbeard and requests permission to come aboard. But the pirate captain knows it's a trap. He sneers. Damn you and your sniveling puppies. We shall neither give nor take any quarter. With that, the pirates unleash a volley of gunfire, badly wounding several of Robert's men. Robert orders his crew to return fire and soon the air is filled with whistling musket balls and the screams of the wounded. But the pirates have superior firepower. Robert's small arms cannot compete with Blackbeard's cannons. Robert realizes that the only way to defeat the pirates is to outsmart them. So while Blackbeard orders his cannons to open fire again, Robert orders his men on both sloops to retreat below deck and wait till he gives the order to emerge and attack. When the cannon smoke clears, Blackbeard notices the decks of the Royal Navy sloops are clear. Assuming the battle is won, Blackbeard sails across the water. And with a victorious cry, Blackbeard leads his men onboard the Jane while another group of pirates boards the second sloop. But in that moment, Robert and his men rush out from below deck and engage the pirates in furious close combat. The clash of cutlasses and the crack of gunpowder echo across the water. When the fighting stops, Blackbeard lies dead on deck. Robert approaches the infamous pirate's lifeless corpse. Blackbeard's malevolent eyes are still open. Robert sheathes his sword, satisfied to report back to Governor Spotswood that their mission has been accomplished. And soon, Robert and his remaining crew will sail back to Williamsburg with the pirate's severed head impaled on the bowsprit of his ship. Shortly after Blackbeard's death, the golden age of piracy will come to an end. The British colonial authorities will clamp down on the buccaneering rogues, and the time of the pirates will soon be over. But with his death, Blackbeard's infamous legend is born. His name will echo through the centuries as the most dastardly and ferocious pirate ever to roam the high seas. A larger than life character who was mythologized after Edward Teach, a pirate captain known as Blackbeard, was killed on November 22, 1718. Next on History Daily, November 25, 1863.
Lindsey Graham
Union Army General Ulysses S. Grant routs.
Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
Confederate forces at the battle of Missionary Ridge. From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham. Audio editing by Emily Burke. Sound design by Misha Stanton. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by Joe Viner. Executive producers are Stephen Walters for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
History Daily: Blackbeard’s Final Battle
Release Date: November 22, 2024
Host: Lindsey Graham
In the episode titled "Blackbeard’s Final Battle," host Lindsey Graham delves into the dramatic and tumultuous end of one of history's most infamous pirates, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. This episode meticulously reconstructs the events leading up to Blackbeard's demise, exploring his rise to notoriety, his strategic endeavors, and the ultimate confrontation that ended his reign on the high seas.
The episode opens by setting the stage in November 1717, detailing the perilous conditions aboard the French slave ship La Concorde. Under the command of Captain Pierre Doucet, the crew faces the imminent threat of pirates in the Caribbean Sea. This period, known as the Golden Age of Pirates, serves as the backdrop for Blackbeard's emergence as a formidable maritime force.
Blackbeard's transformation begins when he seizes La Concorde, renaming it Queen Anne's Revenge. With this vessel, Blackbeard assembles a fleet of four ships, distinguishing himself from typical pirate captains who rarely command more than one ship. At [04:26], the narration describes Blackbeard as:
"Blackbeard is tall and broad shouldered. His face is covered by a mane of black hair in which two bloodshot eyes gleam like lanterns. He wears a sling adorned with several holstered pistols. And he hangs lighted gunpowder fuses from his beard when going into battle."
This vivid portrayal emphasizes Blackbeard's intimidating presence and strategic prowess, which he meticulously cultivated to instill fear without unnecessary violence.
In May 1718, Blackbeard orchestrates one of his most audacious acts: the blockade of Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Facing a dire situation where disease, specifically syphilis, threatens his crew, Blackbeard demands medical supplies from the colonial government. When the initial raids fail to secure the necessary medicine, he resorts to kidnapping Samuel Wragge, a prominent Charleston citizen, to leverage his demands.
At [04:26], the narrative highlights the strategic brilliance of Blackbeard:
"Blackbeard's most audacious act of piracy ever committed, blocking an entire port."
This maneuver not only secures the medical supplies but also cements Blackbeard's reputation as a cunning and resourceful pirate leader.
The episode transitions to September 1718, focusing on Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia, whose tenure is plagued by piracy, particularly Blackbeard's relentless raids. Despite Blackbeard's brief surrender and request for a pardon, Spotswood remains skeptical of the pirate's intentions. Frustrated by Blackbeard's return to piracy, Spotswood takes it upon himself to eradicate the threat.
At [09:57], the host narrates:
"Governor Spotswood realizes that whatever the repercussions might be in violating the sovereignty of another colony, they would be a fair trade for the prize at stake—the capture and execution of the most villainous pirate ever to blight the waves."
This determination sets the stage for the decisive confrontation between Spotswood's forces and Blackbeard.
On November 21, 1718, British Lieutenant Robert Maynard is dispatched from Williamsburg with a mission to eliminate Blackbeard. Armed with two Royal Navy sloops, the HMS Ranger and HMS Jane, Maynard leads a force of 60 men into the treacherous waters of Pamlico Sound near Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.
As detailed at [12:07], Maynard and his crew navigate the narrow waterways with a combination of hope and apprehension:
"Robert smiles. He and his men will wait until morning and then at first light, greet the hungover pirates with a surprise attack."
However, fate intervenes when their ship strikes a sandbar, alerting Blackbeard to their presence prematurely. The ensuing battle is fierce:
"With a victorious cry, Blackbeard leads his men onboard the Jane while another group of pirates boards the second sloop."
In a swift and strategic maneuver, Maynard and his men counterattack from below deck, engaging the pirates in close combat. The clash results in Blackbeard's death, marking the end of his piratical career.
At [18:40], the narrator concludes:
"With his death, Blackbeard's infamous legend is born. His name will echo through the centuries as the most dastardly and ferocious pirate ever to roam the high seas."
"Blackbeard’s Final Battle" offers a comprehensive and gripping recount of the life and legacy of Edward Teach. By weaving together strategic insights, vivid character portrayals, and chronological storytelling, Lindsey Graham provides listeners with an in-depth understanding of how Blackbeard's reign of terror was ultimately curtailed. This episode not only celebrates the cunning and audacity of one of history's greatest pirates but also underscores the relentless efforts of those who sought to restore order on the high seas.
Blackbeard’s Fearsome Presence ([04:26]):
"Blackbeard is not an ordinary pirate... an apparition straight from hell."
Governor Spotswood’s Resolve ([09:57]):
"They would be a fair trade for the prize at stake—the capture and execution of the most villainous pirate ever to blight the waves."
Robert Maynard’s Strategy ([12:07]):
"They will wait until morning and then at first light, greet the hungover pirates with a surprise attack."
Produced by:
Hosted, edited, and executive produced by Lindsey Graham.
Audio editing by Emily Burke.
Sound design by Misha Stanton.
Music by Lindsey Graham.
Written and researched by Joe Viner.
Executive Producers: Stephen Walters (Airship) and Pascal Hughes (Noiser).
This episode of History Daily is a must-listen for history enthusiasts eager to explore the dramatic tales that have shaped our world. Whether you're commuting, at work, or simply seeking a captivating story from the past, "Blackbeard’s Final Battle" delivers an engaging and informative narrative that brings history to life.