300th Anniversary of the Demise of Blackbeard
Thanksgiving Day just happened to mark the 300th anniversary of one of the most historical “battles” to have ever occurred in North Carolina. While certainly not of the same magnitude of Guilford Courthouse or Bentonville, the ultimate demise of Blackbeard the Pirate came to pass in Ocracoke Inlet on November 22nd of 1718.
Given the perpetual interest regarding pirates in general (and Blackbeard in particular), the Richmond Observer offers a series of articles chronicling the life and times of arguably the most recognized (if not indeed the most nefarious) pirate of all time. This is the eleventh segment.
Blackbeard Part XI: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
Many of Blackbeard’s men had been enjoying “wine, women, and song” in Bath at the time of their leader’s demise in the inlet.
They were rounded up by Captain Brand and transported back to Williamsburg, Virginia, to be jailed pending trial for their roles in the piracy operations.
Many of these men were black, an issue that led Governor Spotswood to consider “the Circumstances of these Negroes to exempt them from undergoing the same Tryal as other pirates.”
In Williamsburg’s Capitol building on 12 March 1719, 14 of the 16 accused were adjudged to be guilty of piracy in the waters of the Province of Virginia as defined by admiralty law.
One of the two exonerated men, Samuel Odell, was able to prove that he had innocently fought only in self-defense, having been mistaken for a pirate after being a guest on Blackbeard’s ship.
The other freed man, Israel Hands, was not present at the fight itself, had been shot in the knee by Blackbeard himself (during a drinking session in which Teach contended that ‘it was necessary to shoot a few of them on occasion less they forget who he was’), was still covered by the king’s pardon, and had reportedly “turned state’s evidence” during interrogation.
The remaining 14 pirates were hanged and then left to rot along Williamsburg’s Capitol Landing Road, thereby rendering the local reference as “Gallows Road” to the highway.
This obviously ended the run of the pirates of Blackbeard.
