Old Ironsides
Picture Source: US Navy

We have all heard the names Blackbeard, Morgan and Captain Kidd. In their day these names struck fear in the hearts of even the most brave of men. There were plenty of other pirates that were feared by most but they were not as famous. Most pirates plied their bloody trade in a specific region, they were sort of specialists you might say. Some stuck to the Caribbean while others might have raided vessels on the African coast, or east coast of America or another geographical area. Someone could be considered a pirate by one or more countries yet he could possess a Privateer's license by another country. This license allowed him to plunder enemy ships with the blessing of the country that gave him the license

Captain Kidd seems to have began his career operating a Privateer for the English. He was given a ship named the Adventure Galley that had 34 guns and was considered very powerful in the later part of the 17th century. As unusual as this sounds, he though of New York Harbor as his home port. No one really seems to know with 100% certainty when William James Kidd was born, but most think that in was in 1645. Kidd was the son of a minister. He wanted to accept a command in the Royal Navy but was assigned to captain a Privateer for the English instead. Kidd was a well to do New Yorker and wasn't sure if he wanted to operate a Privateer but he accepted in the end. I guess you could consider this one of the colossal mistakes by a country. He was sent out to get rid of pirates and capture French ships. Kidd had many partners, too many partners, including the king who got a percentage. Kidd's crew wanted to attack all merchant ships and almost mutinied until Kidd shot the leader but decided to attack all merchant ships to appease the crew and allow him to carry out the rest of his orders. When he heard that he was being accused of piracy he went back to New York to try and convince the Governor of New York, his former backer, of his innocence. The Governor didn't believe him and sent him off to England for a kangaroo court trial where he was not allowed to produce any evidence on his behalf. He was hanged soon after.

Edward Teach was one of the most feared pirates of all time. He was better know as Blackbeard the pirate. It is believed that he was born somewhere in England. This is one pirate that had full control over his crew who were scared to death of him. It seems he was very large and carried many weapons on his person. He would take his huge black beard and weave hemp or slow burning fusesinto it, this point is not clear, before a battle and then set the hemp on fire to scare his enemies. Blackbeard's ship was very famous also, its name was 'The Queen Anne's Revenge'. A pirate captain, Captain Benjamin Hornigold , who retired, gave it to him. Blackbeard managed to convert the ship to a 40 gun terror. In 1996 the ship was discovered in the waters of Beaufort Inlet at Beaufort, North Carolina. Even though Blackbeard was one of the most feared pirates of all time, his career was short. His career lasted a mere twenty seven months. Blackbeard began by raiding ship in the Caribbean but decided to move on the the inlets in North Carolina and Virginia. He once blockaded Charleston harbor for a week. He even had the governor of North Carolina as a partner for awhile, but the governor of Virginia put a price on his head. He was killed by Captain Robert Maynard in 1718 in North Carolina. His head was cut off and hung from the bow of the ship.

Sir Henry Morgan was born sometime around 1635, no one is sure of the exact date. He was born into a family that had a strong military background. He was with a military force that captured Jamaica in 1655. Around 1662 Morgan received a license to Privateer. He eventually became the Colonel of the Port Royal Militia. He was appointed Admiral and commander of Jamaican forces in 1667. For many years, off and on, Morgan let raids against Spanish cities and possessions. Unfortunately, England was not always at war with Spain during this period. The raids usually comprised ships from Jamaica and Tortuga, which was French. Morgan fell in and out of favor many times and was heavily involved in the politics of Jamaica. He died a natural death on July 25, 1688.

Jean Laffite's place of birth is unknown. Laffite was an infamous river pirate that commanded a fleet of as many as ten ships at a time. He was also a businessman and spoke four languages, English, French, Spanish and Italian. Laffite had organized the occupants of Barataria, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, into privateers and smugglers. He built many buildings on the island including gambling dens, brothels, a cafe, warehouses and houses. Soon his men numbered over one thousand. If his men attacked an American ship the penalty was death. His ship had letters of marque from Cartagena in Columbia, These letters gave him a Privateer's license against Spanish ships. When the British attacked New Orleans, Laffite gave Andrew Jackson flints and powder along with over 1000 men to fight. Because of Laffite, the battle was won. Lafette was pardoned by President Madison. He left Barataria and settled on Galveston Island but had to leave there when the US Navy threatened to bombard the island. From this point on, no one really knows what happened to him.

Samuel Bellamy was also known as 'Black Bellamy' and the 'Prince of Pirates'. His birthday is uncertain but he pirated with Captain Benjamin Hornigold and if that name seems familiar, check Blackbeard above and you will note, so did he. He went after many ships in the Caribbean until he captured the Whydah Galley. He then did a strange thing. He gave the crew of the Whydah his old ship and let them sail off. He kept the Whydah because it was full of riches. The Whydah is sometimes spelled Whido and Whidah. Bellamy's career was cut short by nature when a storm hit his ship and sunk it near Cape Cod. It is said there were some survivors who made it ashore but most were hanged upon reaching land.

Benjamin Hornigold was interesting because he was involved with so many famous pirates and seems to have taught some of them their trade. What is even more interesting is the fact that he 'went straight'. He was given the 'King's Pardon' by Woodes Rogers, Governor of the Bahamas in 1718 and became a Privateer Captain and never pirated again. As a matter of fact he was commissioned to hunt down some pirates, which he did. His ship sunk on a mission to Mexico and he was presumed dead.

Pirating was a dangerous business. If a man of war came across your path you were in danger of being killed or captured and then hanged. Most of the famous pirates seem to have had short careers. There are certainly many more pirates than the ones I have listed here. These represent a few of the more famous ones.