Blackbeard

THE NOTORIOUS PIRATE BLACKBEARD, aka Edward Teach  (c. 1680 – 22 November 1718), was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies during the early 1700s.  Originally a study under Pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold, Blackbeard quickly rose to command his own vessel.  When Hornigold retired in 1717, Blackbeard captured a French merchant vessel and renamed her the Queen Anne’s Revenge.  Blackbeard’s fierce reputation, along with his ship’s newly installed 40 guns, struck fear into the hearts of his victims and resulted in him rarely having to actually use force.  Blackbeard was a shrewd and calculating leader and was reported to have tied lit fuses to under his hat and on to his beard to create a hellish image that frightened his enemies.  The legend, and success, of Blackbeard and his many adventures has captured the imagination of old and young alike for hundreds of years.  In her classic work from 1835 “Blackbeard: A Page from the colonial history of Philadelphia”, Mathilda Douglas captures in two volumes the spirit of Blackbeard’s legend as understood in the early1800’s, more than 100 years after the real Blackbeard’s death.  Although, a fictionalized version of Blackbeard’s adventures, she vividly captures the romanticized spirit of the life and times of the famous pirate as it was understood during her time.  An educational as well as a thrilling tale, Ms. Douglas’ work is now available to be shhared with an entirely new generation.