The Boarding of the Lion was an important engagement during the Pirate-Maroon War, where against all odds, Governor Woodes Rogers was able to prevail against the legendary Captain Edward Teach.
History[]
Background[]
After the Invasion of Nassau was repelled by the British, Edward Teach returned to Nassau after defeating the forces sent to pursue him. He blockaded the harbor, and sent a sloop adorned with the corpses of executed Redcoats drifting ashore. He threatened to remain there and execute more prisoners unless Eleanor Guthrie, now married to Governor Woodes Rogers, was delivered to him so he could avenge the death of Charles Vane.
Rogers decided to sail away from Nassau in his brigantine, the Lion, with the hopes of luring Teach away so that Eleanor could sail to her grandparents in Philadelphia and convince them to aid Rogers.
The Battle[]
After a lengthy chase, the Lion misses one of her tacks, allowing the Revenge to catch up. The pirates begin by launching barrages of cannon fire at the Lion, before sending the vanguard, led by Edward Teach and Anne Bonny, to board in longboats. Jack Rackham remains aboard the Revenge in command.
The vanguard boards only to find the deck littered with the dead and dying. As the pirates fan out, Teach stabs several bodies to ensure they’re dead, and one of them smiles at him, confusing him. At that moment, Rogers leads his men from the cabin, while more spring out from belowdecks. The pirates try to fight back, but are steadily overwhelmed. Teach and Anne fight off multiple soldiers, while Rogers cuts his way through the pirates. Anne pinned to the deck by a Redcoat, who she is able to kill with a pistol. Meanwhile, Teach and Rogers finally come face to face with each other. The two are closely matched in their duel, with Teach having the advantage in size and strength while Rogers is faster and more agile. As Teach begins to get the upper hand by hammering at Rogers with his broadsword, he is surrounded by Redcoats, one of whom is able to knock his sword out of his hands. Teach unsheathes one of his daggers and stabs the nearest Redcoat, but is then surrounded by soldiers armed with muskets. Back aboard the Revenge, Jack can only watch in horror as the pirates are captured, and surrenders to save their lives.
Rogers and his men then take over the Revenge, shackling all of the pirates. Rogers then keelhauls Teach, as revenge for his threatening Eleanor. Teach survives his first round, and Rogers has his men keelhaul him again. Rogers then orders that Rackham be keelhauled, but Teach reveals himself to be alive, coughing and trying to rise. After the third round, Teach remains alive, and again tries to rise, much to the amazement of his crew. Out of patience, Rogers takes Lieutenant Kendrick’s pistol and shoots Teach in the head. Kendrick then cuts off Teach’s head, while the pirates are imprisoned aboard the Lion, which is towed behind the Revenge as they sail to Nassau.
Aftermath[]
In Rogers’ absence, Nassau falls to the pirates, who kill Captain Berringer and push Eleanor and their remaining allies into Fort Nassau. This also causes a series of slave revolts across New Providence Island. Out of desperation, Eleanor makes a deal to surrender the fort and leave the island in exchange for the cache of gems, pushing Rogers to secure Spanish aid in driving the pirates out of Nassau.
After learning of Nassau’s fall, Lieutenant Kendrick is put in command of the Lion with a skeleton crew and ordered to sail to Port Royal so the pirates can be tried and hanged. However, Rackham and Bonny are able to successfully lead an uprising and retake the ship.
Trivia[]
- In real life, Blackbeard was confronted by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy at Ocracoke Island. Much of the battle played out similarly to how the show presented, with Teach's boarding party surprised by men hidden belowdecks. However, Teach was killed in real life after being shot five times and cut twenty. His head was removed as a trophy in real life.
- Teach's keelhauling in the show actually took inspiration from a myth about Blackbeard's last battle, which was that after his decapitated body was thrown overboard, it swam around the ship three times, which are represented in the three times Teach was keelhauled.
- Tactically, it is remarkably unclear why Teach chose to try and board the brigantine in longboats rather than just sinking it with the man o' war's overwhelming firepower.