The Battle at Skeleton Island was the final engagement of the Pirate-Maroon War. It culminated in the pirates' victory over Governor Woodes Rogers, but did not spark a wider pirate/Maroon rebellion in the West Indies.
History[]
Background[]
After the Spanish sacked Nassau, Flint and John Silver led their allies back to the Maroon Island, which they discovered was filled with pirates and Maroons from around the New World, who had rallied to join the fight against the British Empire after learning of the Fall of Nassau. However, their planning for first strikes was interrupted by Woodes Rogers sending word that he was holding Madi captive (she had been believed killed in the Sack), and was demanding that the cache of gems from the Urca de Lima in exchange for her release. Silver immediately agreed, but Flint and the Maroon Queen advised against it, saying it would only divide their fragile alliance. Flint and Silver sailed back to Nassau with the Walrus to free her, but Silver secretly brought the cache along.
After their rescue plan was foiled, Silver had the cache brought up, and Rogers led the pirates to Skeleton Island. There, Flint and Dooley absconded with the cache, prompting Silver to send men after him. The ensuing skirmish ended in a stalemate between Flint and Silver after they discovered the Walrus burning. They watched as Rogers' men picked off the struggling swimmers from longboats, and tried to help their men off the beach. Rogers ordered his men to retreat after the Lion sailing up the inlet. Unbeknownst to either side, Jack Rackham had made a deal with Marion Guthrie to depose Rogers, but only if he kills Flint. However, upon coming across the scene, he orders his crew to take on survivors.
The Battle[]
Sailing into a Trap[]
After the Walrus survivors were all aboard the Lion, Rackham, Flint and Silver decided to present a united front to their men and confront Rogers to defeat him once and for all and to free Madi, who remained his captive. Believing that Rogers had headed to open water for greater room to fight the battle, the Lion headed upriver. Flint ordered that they not use their cannons, as firing them at the Eurydice would put Madi's life at risk.
As they cleared the river mouth, the Eurydice sailed straight at them. Flint realized that Rogers intended to ram them and took control of the helm, ordering the men to brace for impact. Meanwhile, Molin, the first mate of the Eurydice, tried to tell Rogers that there were easier ways to board the Lion, but Rogers would have none of it. He told Molin that his goal was not merely to board and defeat the pirates, but to break them psychologically.
Despite his best efforts, Flint was unable to prevent the Eurydice from ramming them, which caused the Lion's foremast to collapse against the Eurydice's foremast yardarm. As the British closed in on the pirates, they fired the swivel guns at the bow of their ship at the Lion, killing and injuring a number of pirates. The pirates then take cover as Redcoats line the Eurydice's rails and begin firing their muskets at the pirates. Rogers then orders Billy to join the snipers in the foremast.
Fighting Back[]
Flint, realizing that they have no way of winning if they just stay put, formulates a plan. He orders Rackham to get ready to lead the men over the stern and board Rogers' ship at the helm, prompting Rackham to order Ellers to load a nearby swivel gun. Flint then tells Silver to get ready to get on board the Eurydice and then belowdecks as soon as possible in order to free Madi. Flint then leads two men in climbing the tangled rope ladders that lead to the Eurydice's foremast.
Billy, seeing Flint climbing the ladders, tries twice to shoot him but misses. Flint then cuts the rope that is pinning the Lion's masts down with a boarding axe, freeing them and allowing the wind to push the pirate vessel alongside Rogers'. The two pirates then assault the Redcoat snipers in the foremast, but are unable to defeat Billy. As the two ships drift alongside each other, Ellers fires his swivel gun to devastating effect at the Redcoats, and the pirates are able to board. Flint then attacks Billy in the crow's nest. After a lengthy duel in the rigging, Flint is able to kick Billy overboard, and he falls into the water.
On the main deck, a brutal melee ensues between the pirates and soldiers. Silver cuts his way through the Redcoats and is able to make it belowdecks, where he finds the Cowardly Cook hiding. Silver threatens him at swordpoint and orders him to take Silver to Madi, whom he finds alive and well.
Back up above, Jack kills several soldiers as he makes his way towards Rogers. As the two duel, Rogers begins to outmatch Jack but Flint arrives, and the two pirate captains are able to disarm and capture Rogers. At this point, the pirates have successfully captured Rogers' remaining men, who promptly surrender.
Aftermath[]
With Rogers and his forces captured, Featherstone brings Madi back to the Maroon Island. Meanwhile, Jack remains with the Lion at the island while Flint and Silver go ashore to dig up the cache. However, Silver reveals that he has no intention of continuing the war, and instead apprehends Flint and brings him to Savannah, where he is reunited with Thomas Hamilton.
Silver then returns to the Maroon Camp, where he and Rackham present Rogers' treaty to the pirates and Maroons, who agree to surrender and accept the pardon, much to Madi's anger. Marion Guthrie then purchases Woodes Rogers' debt, forcing him to default, and he is then imprisoned. Featherstone is then installed as governor of a prosperous Nassau, with Max as the real power behind the throne. Piracy largely vanishes from the Bahamas, although a select few such as Jack are allowed to tacitly continue the practice in order to drive up prices for the merchants in Nassau.