The Battle of the Maroon Island was a pivotal moment in the Pirate-Maroon War following Woodes Rogers' takeover of Nassau. Rogers committed all of his forces to recapturing the cache of Urca de Lima gems, while Flint and the Maroon Queen
History[]
Background []
Flint lured Benjamin Hornigold to the Maroon Island after the pirates rescue Jack Rackham and abscond with the cache. Hornigold retreats after seeing the small Maroon army assembled on the beaches, returning to Nassau . Flint expects Rogers to commit his full fighting force to this fight, and prepares by building fortifications on the beaches. Eleanor Guthrie, attempting to bolster the Governor’s forces’ odds, has Hornigold and a large militia sail in consort with the Navy, hoping that Flint would not expect such a large force. Acting in Rogers’ stead, for he had fallen ill and was confined to his sickbed, also executed Charles Vane. The pirates have only one ship against 7, and a far smaller fighting force.
The night before the battle, Jack Rackham is appointed commander of the Walrus over De Groot, knowing that Vane, who had been executed, was supposed to command the ship. Flint and Silver also bury the cache deep in the forest, and discuss strategy as well as power and Flint’s history. The majority of the pirates and Maroons assemble on the beach to engage the governor’s forces. A small garrison remains in the city led by Silver and Kofi, while Madi and the Queen stay in a cave with the rest of the women and children.
Flint had roughly 80 pirates from his crew at his disposal, along with approximately a few hundred Maroons. Flint led the main force at the beach, while Jack Rackham commanded the Walrus with De Groot as his second. Anne Bonny was put in command of the vanguard.
John Silver and Kofi command a small force of pirates and Maroons left behind at the camp. On the beach, a set of wooden and earthwork fortifications were built to provide the pirates and Maroons cover.
Commodore Chamberlain leads seven ships to the Maroon Island, leading from the HMS Milford. They carry the majority of the 700 British Regulars that Rogers brought with him. Major Rollins and Captain Benjamin Hornigold lead the Redcoats once they land on the beach. Furthermore, Hornigold leads the New Providence Island Militia in consort with the Redcoats, while Mr. Smalls joins him leading a special company of men with expertise in hunting down escaped slaves drawn from the staff of the Underhill Estate.
The Battle []
The Battle on the Beaches[]
Flint and his small army endure devastating cannon fire from the British ships while the Redcoats make their way to shore in longboats, huddling behind their fortifications.
After their landing, the cannon fire stops, allowing the pirates to unleash volleys of musketfire upon the soldiers who are still getting in formation. Flint, noticing the redcoats are unloading mortars, orders his men to concentrate their fire upon the mortars. However, the Redcoats advance, returning fire. To impede their advance, Flint orders the first of two cannons buried in the sand to fire. Using a rope to light the fuse, the first cannon fires directly into rows of Redcoats, killing or injuring scores. He then orders the second cannon fired, however the fuse is not igniting. A desperate pirate runs from beyond the barricade to try and fix the trap but he is quickly shot to death. Meanwhile, the mortars have been prepared and rain hellfire down upon the pirates and Maroons.
Dooley urges Flint to retreat, and after assessing the field, he calls for a retreat back to the Maroon Camp and for smoke bombs to be thrown to cover their escape. Hornigold , wary of a trap, counsels Major Rollins to hold their position. Rollins finds it unbelievable that Flint would sacrifice over fifty of his men to lure the British into a trap, but ultimately acquiesces to Hornigold.
At Sea[]
Rackham and Bonny are on the Walrus, which is hidden behind a promontory. They are disturbed by the cannon fire and the odds they face but Rackham believes the plan will work. A lookout sites a fleet of six ships approaching behind them, flying British colors. De Groot wants to prepare a launch to warn Captain Flint so his forces can retreat but Rackham tells him that the plan does not account for his retreat. After a moment pondering, he asks the lookout to describe the flotilla. It is compromised of three tall ships, two sloops and one man o war. Rackham orders the Walrus to head for that fleet. Rackham’s suspicions are correct, the fleet is the pirates, commanded by none other than Blackbeard, who is furious over the death of Charles Vane. Rackham briefs him on the situation, and Teach agrees to fight with them.
Betrayal[]
Dobbs, the pirate who was punished for beating a young Maroon, is ordered to sneak on to the beach to kill Hornigold. However, angry over his punishment, instead surrenders to the British. He explains that he feels betrayed that his crew, who were supposed to be his brothers, sided with those “savages” over him, so he wants to see them pay for it, offering to lead the British forces to the camp. Hornigold, knowing pirates does not wholly trust Dobbs, and orders him to shoot a pirate prisoner to prove his loyalty, which he does without hesitation. Dobbs then leads Hornigold and his men into the forest.
Inside the Maroon Camp[]
Madi returns a lost child to the concealed cave where the rest of the women and children are hiding. Madi explains that she feels like she needs to lead the men outside in defending their home. While the Queen does not want to, she allows Madi to join Silver and the other defenders on the ramparts. Madi and Silver then discuss how Madi’s fighting in the battle cements her position as leader and her mother will likely step down. Kofi sights the approaching Redcoats and alerts the garrison.
At Sea[]
Teach’s fleet sails towards the British Navy with Anne and Jack standing at his side. Their fleet is spotted, however they still fly British colors. Teach orders someone to get his log, as he has the proper codes to respond. Rackham advises him not to, but to raise the Black instead. Jack says that Chamberlain already thinks that they are inferior and incompetent, by raising the black, they are only confirming his suspicions.
Chamberlain is shocked when he sees the pirate colors and is smug in his confidence that his firepower can beat the pirate’s. While the fleets exchange broadsides, Anne and the vanguard climb out of gunports on the other side of the ship and begin swimming towards the British fleet. They then surprise and overwhelm the crew on Hornigold’s ship, the Orion. Anne then orders the pirates to target the stern chasers at Chamberlain’s flagship. Their shots strike true to devastating effect, killing or injuring the gun crews. When Chamberlain sees that Teach is sailing right towards his ship with the intent to board, he orders the anchor cables be cut so they can escape.
In the Jungle[]
Two of Hornigold’s scouts lie concealed in the brush by the riverbank, however one of them is shot and the other pulls him back. The Redcoats then begin firing mortars into the town, killing or injuring some of the garrison and destroying many of the wooden structures. Hornigold informs Major Rollins that within an hour they’ll have established a beachhead and subdued the camp.
As he rides amongst his men, he notices Dobbs smirking at him, he’s tricked Hornigold. Before he can react, dozens of pirates and maroons leap out of the brush and begin overwhelming his forces. Dobbs grabs a sword and makes his way towards Hornigold, however Hornigold notices and shoots him in the chest with a pistol and then continues cutting men down from atop his horse.
While the Redcoats are being slaughtered, Hornigold spies Flint across the battlefield and begins riding towards him. Flint notices him too as a Redcoat attacks him. Flint grabs the Redcoat’s musket and bludgeons him with it. He then reloads and in the nick of time, shoots Hornigold in the chest and then stands proudly over Hornigold’s dead body.
Eventually, the Redcoats begin to retreat with the pirates and maroons hot on their heels. As Dooley aims a musket at a straggler, Flint stops him from shooting and shouts at the fleeing soldiers “you tell your governor, you tell him I’m coming!” After the battle, Flint gazes victoriously at Silver and Madi, who are on the opposite bank.
Aftermath[]
Hundreds of Redcoats were killed during the battle, dealing Rogers' force a severe blow. Furthermore, he failed to retrieve the cache of gems, making the threat of Spanish invasion all the more possible.
Shortly after the Battle, the War of the Quadruple Alliance broke out, with the British Empire and her allies declaring war on the Spanish Empire. As a result, Commodore Chamberlain was ordered to return to England with Rogers' military escort. En route, Captain Berringer of the British Army led a mutiny of several hundred soldiers, who were determined to stay behind in Nassau and avenge their defeat, swearing a loyalty oath to Rogers.
Meanwhile, Billy Bones organized a full fledged resistance movement against Rogers' regime, which soon gained control of large swathes of New Providence. proclaiming "Long John Silver" as their Pirate King. The pirates and Maroons at the Maroon Island began preparing to invade Nassau, relying on intelligence sent by Billy to determine the right moment to strike.
The aftermath of the battle represented the nadir of Rogers' reign thus far. His military force was severely depleted, with little to no chance of a call for aid being answered due to the war. His hold on Nassau was tenuous at best, and his efforts at keeping himself afloat stretched him thin financially.