Battle of Ocracoke

Battle of Ocracoke
Part of Piracy in the Caribbean and Golden Age of Piracy
Blackbeard Boarding Maynard's Ships by George Edmund Varian (1904)
Date November 21–22, 1718 [1] Location Off Ocracoke Island, Atlantic Ocean Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	Pirates
Commanders and leaders
Robert Maynard Mr. Hyde  † [2]	Blackbeard   † [3]
Units involved
Royal Navy	Blackbeard's crew
Strength
2 sloops	1 sloop
Casualties and losses
20 killed [3] [2] 1 sloop damaged [3]	10 killed [2] 1 sloop captured [4]

The Battle at Ocracoke Inlet, also referred to as Blackbeard's Last Stand ^[5] or Battle of Ocracoke ^[6] was the final confrontation of the infamous pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) on November 22, 1718. ^{[6] [7]} It took place off the coast of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, where Blackbeard and his crew were ambushed by British naval forces led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy. ^[8]

Background

Blackbeard had been terrorizing the American colonies and had recently been granted a pardon by North Carolina's governor, Charles Eden. However, Virginia's governor, Alexander Spotswood, sent a naval force under Robert Maynard to hunt him down as he saw him as a future threat to Virginia's shipping and trade. ^[3] He may had also sought to boost his own political career and reputation, despite acting outside his jurisdiction and potentially violating pardons granted to pirates. ^[9]

Battle

Blackbeard's severed head hangs from Maynard's bowsprit, as pictured in Charles Elles's The Pirates Own Book (1837)

Although Maynard commanded his own warships, they were deemed incapable of traversing Caribbean waters that Spotswood provided two sloops: Jane and Ranger, with the former becoming Maynard's flagship. ^[3] He and his crew travelled to Ocracoke Island, where intelligence reports believed Blackbeard had currently taken refuge. The inlet where Blackbeard was located had multiple sandbars and shoals that made traversing it difficult. This and the incoming darkness forced Maynard to delay the attack until morning. During that time, however, Blackbeard and his men were aboard their sloop the Adventure, and were confident of their safety that they revelled in the consumption of alcohol throughout the night. ^[3]

In the morning, Maynard went forth with his attack, but still found difficulty in the inlet's channels. Both sloops were spotted by Blackbeard, who ordered the Adventure to fire a salvo. As Maynard attacked, he may have ran both his ships aground. ^[3] As Blackbeard hoisted his flag, Maynard hoisted the Union Jack in response. Blackbeard was reported to have waved his sword and yelled at the Royal Navy men, "Damn you for Villains, who are you? And, from whence came you?". Maynard, on the other hand, replied, "You may see by our Colours we are no Pyrates". ^[3] Both parties then engaged in cannon and small arms fire.

Blackbeard's cannons scored direct hits at the two ships, killing twenty of Maynard's men, ^[3] including the Ranger's pilot, a certain Mr. Hyde. ^[2] The Ranger, nearly put out of action, attempted to drive away, leaving Maynard alone. Being outgunned, Maynard ordered his men to retreat back inside the ship. This may have been deliberate to make his ship appear nearly defeated. ^[2] When Blackbeard boarded the Jane with several of his crew, the British sailors surged up from below and the battle turned into a fierce close-quarters fight. Blackbeard himself fought at the center of the action, repeatedly engaging Maynard and his men. ^[2]

Blackbeard was shot five times and wounded twenty times by blade throughout the battle, including a fatal wound on the neck. ^{[10] [11] [3]} Maynard managed to shoot Blackbeard, but was himself disarmed during a personal sword battle with the pirate. ^[3] One of Maynard's men, who was a Scottish highlander, beheaded Blackbeard with a broadsword. His body was thrown into the sea, while his head was hoisted on the Maynard's bowspirit. ^[3] Ten of Blackbeard's men were killed, while the rest surrendered. ^[2] A local legend said that Blackbeard's body continued to swam around Jane three times as it departed. ^[12]

In popular culture

The Battle of Ocracoke were depicted in various portrayals in film, shows, and video games. The battle was presented in the 2006 television special Blackbeard: Terror at Sea ^{[13] [14]} , the 2013 video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ^{[15] [16]} , as well as the 2021 Netflix limited series The Lost Pirate Kingdom . ^[17]

A spot in Ocracoke Island where Blackbeard and Maynard were believed to have fought became known as Teach's Hole. ^[18] There has also been reenactments of the battle near the area, the most famous of which is the Blackbeard Pirate Jamboree. ^[19] In 2017, officials of the jamboree held a memorial service for the participants of the battle at the Ocracoke Community Center. ^[20]

References

1. John, Alexander (2000). Ribbon of Sand. UNC Press Books. p. 73. ISBN   978-0-8078-4874-6.
2. Lee, Robert E. (2002). Blackbeard the Pirate. La Vergne: Blair. p. 117-123. ISBN   978-0-89587-032-2.
3. Feder, Joshua B. (1992). Pirates. Bdd Promotional Book Company. pp. 43–49. ISBN   978-0-7924-5690-2.
4. Michael C., Hardy (2022). A History Lover's Guide to North Carolina. History Press. ISBN   978-1-4396-7521-2.
5. Cordingly, David (1995). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Random House. ISBN   978-0-67942-560-1.
6. Cabell, Craig; Thomas, Graham A.; Richards, Allan (2013-01-19). Blackbeard: The Hunt for the World's Most Notorious Pirate. Casemate Publishers. ISBN   978-1-78346-914-7. p. 185
7. Temple, Bob (2016). The Golden Age of Pirates. Capstone. p. 107. ISBN   978-1-5157-4296-8.
8. Capace, Nancy (1999-01-01). Encyclopedia of North Carolina. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-403-09732-6.
9. "Historian: Blackbeard's death as result of unlawful act". The Associated Press .
10. Rosen, Fred (2005). The Historical Atlas of American Crime. Infobase Publishing. p. 19. ISBN   978-1-4381-2985-3.
11. Moore, David D. (April 2018). "Captain Edward Thatch: A Brief Analysis of the Primary Source Documents Concerning the Notorious Blackbeard". The North Carolina Historical Review. XCV (2): 147–187.
12. Travers, Tim (2012-05-30). Pirates: A History. The History Press. p. 169. ISBN   978-0-7524-8827-1.
13. "BBC takes to the high seas with Blackbeard". the Guardian. 22 August 2005.
14. Gates, Anita (11 March 2006). "Plowing the Seas With That Iconic Bearded Pirate". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
15. Carter, Justin (19 October 2015). "Here's the Entire Assassin's Creed Story So Far". TwinFinite. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
16. Kulcsár, Lili (January 2018). "Introduction". Linguistic Representation of Ethnicities in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (PDF). University of Jyväskylä. p. 7. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
17. Wheeler, Greg. The Lost Pirate Kingdom – Netflix Season 1 Review. TheReviewGeek 15 April 2021.
18. Springer's Point
19. Blackbeard's Pirate Jamboree
20. "Memorial service for Blackbeard's and Lt. Maynard's crews relocated to Ocracoke Community Center". Ocracoke Observer. October 28, 2017.