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The boldest and most notorious pirate infesting the waters of England’s North American and Caribbean colonies in the early 1700’s was Blackbeard. Occurring during "the Golden Age of Piracy," his activities and those of his contemporaries are an integral part of America’s colonial history.
The pirate’s infamous deeds spread his name on both sides of the Atlantic; Blackbeard’s name may yet be found in history books, and in the archives and public records in Great Britain, France, Spain, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
His original name possibly was Edward Thatch or Teach, and Blackbeard likely was born around 1680 and died 1718 in a fierce fight off Ocracoke Island. He was believed to be native to Bristol, England. The pirate’s name also appears in other variations of Thatch, including Tache or Tatch.
Indications are that Blackbeard was born into an intelligent, well-to-do family. He could read and write and corresponded with merchants. He seemed equally at ease with ruffians and governors.
Blackbeard is thought to have served in the Queen Anne’s War between England and Spain, which lasted from 1702-1713. He is believed to have been a privateer, sailing out of Kingston, Jamaica to prey on French ships for Britain.
After the war, Blackbeard signed on with the pirate crew of Captain Benjamin Hornigold, sailing out of New Providence in the Bahamas. He proved a fierce and able pirate, and captured the French slave ship, Concorde in 1717 off St. Vincent Island in the Caribbean. Blackbeard became captain of the ship and renamed her the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
The Concorde had already been outfitted with 14 guns, but Blackbeard increased the total firepower to 40 guns, likely adding small cannons, called rail guns (likely 2 1/2’ to 4’ long), that could be mounted on the ship’s rail and operated by one man.
Blackbeard’s reputation began with his first attack as captain. This battle was with the large merchant ship, the Great Allen, off St. Vincent. After a lengthy battle Blackbeard took the ship, plundered the cargo, then burned and sank it.
Blackbeard crafted his appearance to enhance his reputation. He was tall, had a powerful physique and a bushy black beard from which he took his name. Before battle he would plait the beard into little pigtails, tie them with colored ribbons and twist some braids behind his ears. Immediately before battle he would light several long, slow-burning hemp cords and tuck them under his hat, allowing wisps of smoke to curl up around his face.
He wore pistols, daggers and a cutlass in a belt about his waist. Across his chest he wore a sling that held three brace of pistols, all six primed, cocked and ready to fire.
Blackbeard victimized ships from the Caribbean to New England. Legend has it that he used several hideouts in North Carolina and that Ocracoke Inlet was a favorite. An anchorage inside Ocracoke Inlet is still known as "Teach’s Hole."
In May, 1718, perhaps Blackbeard’s most outrageous attack was made upon the city of Charleston, S.C., which was the busiest and most important port in the southern colonies. Blackbeard’s flotilla settled outside the entrance to the harbor and took several merchant ships, capturing gold and other valuables. His most significant demand was for supplies to refill his medicine chest, and he received supplies valued between 200 and 300 pounds.
Many believed that Blackbeard had a cozy relationship with North Carolina’s colonial Gov. Charles Eden, and that Eden and some of his associates shared in some of Blackbeard’s booty, possibly looking the other way on his infractions.
Virginia’s Gov. Alexander Spotswood was alarmed that Blackbeard would continue his pirating even though he had been pardoned by Gov. Eden in June, 1718. Pirates continued to attack along the Atlantic Coast and some of the larcenies were thought to be Blackbeard’s work. Since it seemed clear Eden was not going to interfere with Blackbeard’s operations, Spotswood convinced the local British naval force, the Virginia Assembly and some of Eden’s opponents to aid him in capturing Blackbeard, and offered 100 pounds sterling as reward to whoever captured or killed Blackbeard.
On Friday, Nov. 22, 1718, Blackbeard met his death in a battle off Ocracoke Island. Gov. Spotswood leased two sloops, with British commanders and crew; each had a pilot from North Carolina. Caught by surprise, short handed, and tricked into doing battle on the attacking vessel, Blackbeard came to a bloody end.
On the blood soaked deck of the small sloop sent to attack the pirate, Lt. Robert Maynard confronted Blackbeard. It seemed a classic face-off of good and evil that demanded death as the only resolution. Reportedly, each pulled pistols and fired upon meeting; Blackbeard missed his mark; Maynard’s shot plowed through Blackbeard’s great body. They continued to fight with swords; as Blackbeard moved in for a finishing blow with his cutlass, another seaman approached and slashed his throat. The legend says Blackbeard fought on, in spite of bullet wounds and gashed neck, as other British seamen joined in for the kill. Even while being stabbed, he yet cocked a pistol to continue the fight as he fell dead. His head was then cut off and hung from the bowsprit of Maynard’s ship.
(Note to editor: This information was collected from "Blackbeard the Pirate", 1974, by Robert E. Lee and "The Pirates of North Carolina", 1960, by Hugh F. Rankin. Additional information from Richard Lawrence, unit head, underwater archaeology unit, N.C. Division of Archives and History; Phil Masters of Intersal, Inc., and David Moore, registrar, N.C. Maritime Museum.)
You can't miss Jockey's Ridge if you get near Nag's Head unless it's pitch dark. It begins just inland from the beach on the east side, and tumbles into the sound on the west side. The highway (NC 12) goes around it by necessity, and barely has room to do that.
What a strange sight this is, an ancient mountain of sand in a place where everything around it exists just a foot or two above mean sea level. This tremendous dune, or actually a series of dunes, seems to defy explanation or reason. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Caught between the ocean and the sound, there seems to be nowhere for it to go, and nowhere it could have come from. Why is it here?
North is at the top in this aerial composite of Jockey's Ridge assembled from NOAA photos taken right after Hurricane Isabel.
Jockey's Ridge is certainly not the only large dune on the Outer Banks. There are others, mostly between Nag's Head and Carova, with Kill Devil Hills being another well known site for large dunes or "hills" as they were called in the early days. Old maps and charts list places like Whales Head Hill, Poyner's Hill, Paul Samiel's Hill, Wreck Hill and many more. But these places were not really hills, just a fanciful use of the term "hill" applied to larger-than-average sand dunes. Still, on the flat, often treeless and desolate landscape that characterized much of the Outer Banks just a hundred years ago, these "hills" were distinctive landmarks where nothing else could serve as such.
Jockey's Ridge was most likely the largest of these "hills", even two and three hundred years ago, and is today the largest sand dune on the east coast. In fact, it is large enough to be visible from space, and astronauts have taken photos of it, as in the example at right from NASA. But it is in a constant state of flux, changing shape and size with every breeze, and with every storm. Yet, in a chaotic way, it remains essentially the same, and has done so for at least several hundred years. Universities, and scientists, and scholars have studied it, and student theses have been written about it. Core samples have been taken to determine how long it has been here, and to find out what might be under it. And if you could interpret all their mumbo-jumbo techno-jargon, you would find out that essentially what they know is this - it's been here a long time and it's made of sand. The rest is a lot of unanswered questions and speculation.
The wonderful thing about Jockey's Ridge is that we don't have to worry about all that. Leave the why's and wherefore's to the scholars All we need do is marvel at it, and enjoy the view.
This place is especially for children and lovers. The kids are wild about this gigantic sandbox. They can run and play, and really have a ball, and maybe wear themselves out (so they'll sleep in the car, or take a nap when you get back to your vacation lodging). Bring a large piece of an old cardboard box and they can use it for a sled. Or they can play super hero, jumping down the sides in the steeper places. They won't actually go very far, but it will feel that way to them. They'll never forget the experience. But it's the view and the sunsets that attract the lovers, and the young at heart too. The park is open until at least sunset, and it's a great way to end a day of sightseeing.
Left: This old tree from 1973 was gone in 2003. The tiny specks atop the dune in the background are people.
In this wide angle view at right, looking south from Jockey's Ridge, the upper left of the photo shows the ocean and the upper right shows the sound. In the original full-sized image the bridge between Roanoke Island and Nag's Head is visible, as is Roanoke Island. But the necessity of reducing the size of the wide angle image above to make it practical for the web looses those fainter details, even though it is still quite a large image.
Just as Roanoke Island is visible from the dune, Jockey's Ridge is equally visible, if not more so, from the island, particularly if you view it from the Fort Raleigh site. The photo at left was taken in 2004 on an overcast hazy day, and the dune was still easily seen from the "Lost Colony" amphitheater. Comparing this photo with one at right taken from the same area thirty one years earlier in 1973 shows how the dune is presently flattened out on top. In 1973 there was more of a peak on the north end (left side of the photo).
The Park Service has nature trails through the trees and thickets around the dunes for the nature enthusiasts and bird watchers. Hang gliding is a big draw here as well, with a concession next to the park office where lessons are offered right there on the dunes. A kite could entertain a kid for hours on these great sand dunes, given the constant wind here. It's no wonder this has been a popular place to visit long before any bridge connected the barrier islands to Roanoke Island or the mainland. You simply have to come and see it for yourself.