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Major
Stede Bonnet was one of the more unique pirates commonly known
as the "gentleman pirate." His background was not
that of a typical pirate and he was not that entirely successful
as one either but he became well known for his actions, in
particular when he traveled with the notorious Blackbeard.
Contrary to modern popular belief, Bonnet was also known as
one of the very few pirates who had prisoners "walk the
plank."
Bonnet
was a retired Major in the King's Guards who lived with his
wife on his large estate in Barbados. He was a proper well-educated
man who was well respected by those who knew him. Then sometime
in 1717, Bonnet became a pirate even though he knew nothing
of seamanship. He earned the nickname of the "gentleman
pirate" because of his cultured background which he continued
to portray while he was a
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pirate
- he was well groomed, wore fancy clothing and a periwig.
It has been suggested that Bonnet snapped one day as a result
of his wife's constant nagging. At that point he decided he
had enough so he bought a sloop and outfitted it with ten
guns using his own money (an unheard of practice for a pirate!)
He rounded up a crew of 70 for his newly christened sloop
Revenge and set sail for his new pirate life.
Sailing
of the coasts of Virginia and the Carolinas, Bonnet somehow
managed to plunder several ships even though he lacked maritime
experience. The crew quickly realized this lack of skill in
Bonnet and they began to get restless. About this time, Bonnet
sighted another pirate ship off the Carolina coast which turned
out to be none other than Blackbeard. The two captains agreed
to work as partners, but Blackbeard quickly realized also
that Bonnet was not much of a seaman. Teach "convinced"
Bonnet that it would be better if sent one of his own lieutenants
to take over command of Revenge while Bonnet went aboard Blackbeard's
ship as a "guest." During this this time, it was
stated that Bonnet was observed on Blackbeard's ship walking
around in his morning gown and tending to his personal library
of books he had onboard.
While
in Blackbeard's company he participated in the siege of Charleston,
South Carolina, and after Blackbeard informed him that he
was going to take a pardon and suggested Bonnet do so as well.
Bonnet heartily agreed since he too knew he was not quite
cut out for the pirate life. Along with some of his crew,
Bonnet left immediately for Bath, North Carolina to receive
their pardons. While there they learnt that France and England
had declared war on Spain so Bonnet decided he would became
a legal privateer against Spain. They returned to Revenge
(which Blackbeard promised to return to Bonnet) but found
that Blackbeard had scammed them of all the plunder when all
that was left was the empty sloop for Bonnet. Bonnet was of
course outraged and set sail to find Blackbeard but never
was able to find him. (The Charleston siege and Blackbeard's
loot treachery are explained in more detail in Blackbeard's
story.)
Despite
his pardon and privateering plan, Bonnet soon returned to
piracy. He operated once again around Virginia and apparently
was more successful now after his tour with Blackbeard because
he was able to plunder several ships in the following months.
Unknown to him, pirates were once again causing trouble near
Charleston, in particular Captain Charles Vane. Outraged by
the recent string of pirate attacks outside Charleston, the
Governor and Council of South Carolina planned to rid the
menacing pirates. Colonel William Rhett led two sloops for
the pirate hunt; the 8 gun, 70 men Henry with Captain Masters,
and the 8 gun, 60 men Sea Nymph with Captain Hall. In late
September 1718, the two privateer sloops discovered three
pirate ships anchored in the Cape Fear River. A battle soon
ensued and both the pirates and their hunters kept running
aground on the shallow shoals. After about 5 long hours, the
battle ended suddenly when the pirate rose the white flag
to surrender. Rhett was surprised to find that the pirate
captain was Major Stede Bonnet on his new ship Royal James
and his two consort vessels. Bonnet and his captured crew
were returned to Charleston where he was well known for his
participation in the siege of their harbor.
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