Blackbeard’s Crew is the pirate crew of the infamous Captain Edward Teach, often known by his moniker “Blackbeard.”
History[]
Background[]
Edward Teach had been the most feared pirate captain on New Providence Island. In 1706, Governor Robert Thompson demanded more bribe money from Teach. Teach rallied his men and they ordered Thompson depart the island at once. When he refused, a dozen armed men broke into the Governor’s Mansion and dragged Mrs. Thompson and Robert Thompson’s son into the street, where Teach’s second, Israel Hands, cut their throats[1].
After Teach took on Charles Vane as a protege and began grooming him as his heir apparent. This led to intense jealousy on the part of Hands which in turn resulted in a falling out between the two. Hands was humiliatingly beat before all the crews on the beach and shot in the face with a pistol, which barely missed his eye. Hands was then exiled to the Wrecks.
Teach became one of the founders of the Pirate Republic, along with Henry Jennings, Sam Bellamy and Benjamin Hornigold, with whom he jointly commanded a fleet. Richard Guthrie had long been the chief fence of the pirates of Nassau. He semi-retired after his wife was killed in the Rosario Raid, and left the running of the Nassau operation to his slave, Mr. Scott. As she got older, his daughter Eleanor desired to take over the management of the fence herself. However, she knew that an island of hardened killers would never listen to a 17 year old girl. To that end, she fixed her eye on the most powerful and feared of the pirate captains, Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, and decided to throw him off the island in order to gain the respect of the other pirates.
Eleanor first approached Benjamin Hornigold, who sailed at the head of a fleet with Teach. She promised him the position of Steward of the Fort, granting him control of Fort Nassau and making him one of the most powerful people on the island. Eleanor then turned Charles Vane, Teach's protege with whom she had a sexual relationship. By isolating him from all of his allies, and turning them against him, Teach had no choice but to depart Nassau. After this, he retired and began living under a variety of assumed names[2].
Season Three[]
After hearing that Richard Guthrie was dead and Eleanor imprisoned by the British, Teach decided to resume his pirate career. He commandeered a merchant ship, which he sailed to Bath. He was followed by the three brothers of his most recent wife, who demanded that he return to their sister or face their wrath. However, he killed the three brothers and sailed to Nassau[3].
In Nassau, Teach reunited with Vane, and they then meet with Rackham. Teach is dismissive of Rackham and the prosperous Nassau (due to the Urca gold Jack brought), which he believes is now complacent. He is approached by Ellers and another pirate who ask to join his crew. Teach says that in his day, if two men wanted to join the same crew they would fight each other over it, and dismisses the two. As Teach leaves his conversation with Vane and Jack, Ellers returns, victorious, and Teach takes him onto this crew[2].
Teach attends the meeting of the assembled pirate captains held by Jack, to discuss a plan to defend Nassau from the incoming British governor. Teach informs them that Flint is dead, but offers to lead the Pirate Fleet in his stead. Privately, he tells Vane that his condition for doing so is that Vane leaves Nassau with him when the battle is done.
After the preparations are made, Governor Woodes Rogers and his fleet of eight ships arrive. The pirates assemble their forces; Teach commands the fleet from his ship, Captain Throckmorton and Jacob Garrett lead the militia on the beach, while Jack and Vane command the garrison in the fort. When Rogers and his men see the assembled pirates, they send Captain Hornigold under a flag of truce to read Rogers’ address. Hornigold promises full pardons for every pirate that surrenders, and a £10,000 bounty for the head of Charles Vane. The pirates on the beach surrender en masse[4].
Teach and the fleet hold out, as do the men in the fort. However, they vote to surrender and to put Vane out. Teach rescues Vane from bounty seekers and takes him aboard his ship. That night, Vane sails a fireship at the British line, forcing it to disperse, while the fleet is able to make their escape[5].
En route to Ocracoke Island, the fleet encounters a Spanish Merchant Ship. Teach and Vane lead their men in boarding the ship, whose crew refuses to surrender. A fierce fight ensues, but the outnumbered Spanish crew is killed to a man. Afterwards, Teach, Reuben and Ellers sweep the lower decks. They find a locked cabin door, which Reuben breaks down with a battering ram. Inside, they find a Spanish Intelligence Officer burning documents, who promptly kills himself. Vane joins the trio in searching through the documents. While shifting through the remains of the reports, Ellers finds a page mentioning Vane and Nassau. They also find notes on the situation in Nassau, as well as a dossier on the new governor. Teach dismisses it, saying they are done with Nassau, and leaves with Reuben and Ellers while Vane remains behind for a moment[6].
The fleet goes to Ocracoke Island, Teach's favorite haunt. There, the crews indulge in various vices such as prostitutes, drinking and wrestling. However, Flint soon arrives and challenges Teach over authority over the fleet. Teach refuses to join Flint, and challenges him to a duel, first with pistols, then swords. Flint nearly kills Teach with his pistol shot, but the shot only grazes his head. Teach quickly gains the upper hand when they fight with swords, but Vane intervenes before Teach can strike the finishing blow. Teach then orders the two to leave his island[7].
After Charles Vane is executed, Ellers brings the news to Captain Teach, telling him that he thought Teach should hear first so as to decide their course of action[8].
Teach, now commanding from the Revenge, sails the Pirate Fleet to the Maroon Island flying British colors and with his crew wearing British uniforms. There, he is met by Jack Rackham commanding the Walrus. Rackham informs him of the battle that is happening on the island between Flint and the Maroons against the forces of Governor Woodes Rogers. Teach and Rackham lead their fleet towards the British, flying false colors. Upon Rackham's suggestion, they raise the Black in order to convince Commodore Peter Chamberlain that they are incompetent. As the fleets exchange fire, Anne Bonny leads their vanguard aboard the Orion, where they slaughter the crew and turn her stern chasers on Chamberlain's ship, the HMS Milford. As the Revenge bears down on his ship, Chamberlain orders the fleet to scramble. After the battle is won, Teach and Rackham join the pirate-Maroon alliance, with the goal being to free the New World of colonial rule using an alliance of pirates and freed slaves[9].
Season Four[]
Teach and Rackham command the Revenge during the Invasion of Nassau. As they get into position to fire on Fort Nassau, Rackham gives a speech to the crew reminding them that they are fighting to reclaim what was taken from them and to avenge the death of Charles Vane. Shortly thereafter, the Walrus, Defiant and the Eagle are grounded on scuttled ships in the bay. They are then subject to cannon fire from the fort and Rogers' fleet. The Revenge exchanges fire with the fort, but is hit several times and the rigging takes damage. Eventually, Teach decides to flee in order to lure Rogers' ships away from the grounded ships in the hopes that the survivors can retreat to the fallback position on the eastern shore. Three sloops pursue them, and with no way to maneuver a broadside on them, Teach elects to allow themselves to be boarded. A fierce fight ensues, but ultimately the British are defeated[10].
Teach has them return to Nassau, blockading the harbor. He has his men execute a number of captured Redcoats, and sends a captured sloop drifting into the harbor festooned with their corpses. He threatens to remain at the harbor mouth and to execute the remaining 61 British soldiers and sailors unless Eleanor Guthrie, now married to Governor Woodes Rogers, is delivered to him. Knowing that his order won't be heeded, he orders that Anne Bonny covertly lead a team of men into town at night to abduct Eleanor. However, she refuses, not wanting to take part in the endless cycle of revenge. At that moment, the Lion is spotted sailing out of the harbor flying Rogers' banner. Rackham approaches Teach in his cabin and after the two reminisce about Vane, Teach agrees to pursue Rogers[11].
After a lengthy chase, the Revenge catches up to the Lion. After hammering the brigantine with their cannons, Teach and Anne lead the vanguard aboard in longboats. Aboard, they find only the dead and dying. They are then ambushed by Rogers and his men hidden in the cabin and belowdecks. The pirates are slowly overwhelmed, and Reuben is killed. Eventually, everyone in the vanguard is killed or cornered, and Rackham surrenders to save their lives. However, Rogers is furious that they threatened Eleanor's life, and has Teach keelhauled, with the intent of continuing on to Rackham after Teach is dead. However, Teach refuses to die and after three turns under the ship, Rogers petulantly shoots him in the head, his moment ruined. The remaining pirates are imprisoned aboard the Lion, which is towed behind the Revenge as Rogers sails back to Nassau[12].
En route to Nassau, Rogers learns from a fleeing Mr. Rawls that Nassau has fallen to the pirates. Rogers orders an objecting Lieutenant Kendrick to take a small crew aboard the Lion and to sail to Port Royal, where they will deliver the imprisoned pirates to Governor Addison for trial and execution. Instead, Kendrick forces Rackham to choose prisoners to fight Mr. Milton, a hulking soldier. Eventually, Anne volunteers, and is able to throw the pirates the keys to their shackles. The pirates rise up and kill the small crew of Redcoats, and start heading to Nassau. The remaining members of the crew form the new crew under the command of Jack Rackham[13].
Members[]
- Captain Edward Teach (deceased)
- Captain Charles Vane (deceased)
- Captain Jack Rackham
- Anne Bonny
- Israel Hands (banished)
- Reuben (deceased)
- Ellers
- Carver (deceased)
- James
- Breathless Scout
- Referee Pirate
- Revenge Doctor