1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from housetop 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. And 3 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson. And today we're gonna talk about 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: something that's come up on the podcast before, which is piracy. 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: But we're going to talk about a pirate that doesn't 6 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: always get a lot of play in history and retellings. Uh. 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: It's Steve Bonnet, who was often referred to as the 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: gentleman pirate. Right, this is a pirate that that I 9 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: have heard about because I grew up in North Carolina, 10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: and if you grow up in North Carolina, often you 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: hear a lot about pirates. Yeah, and he his career, 12 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: you know, intersected with North Carolina many times, and so 13 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: he has often heard about there and in some of 14 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: the nautical museums there. But it's like the further inland 15 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: you get from North Carolina, the less unless you hear 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: about him. Uh. He had a very short career in piracy, 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,279 Speaker 1: and it was really out of character for him. He 18 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: was a retired military man even though he was quite young, 19 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: and then he sort of seemingly suddenly left his family 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: to pursue this life of piracy. And historians have theorized 21 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: about what caused this. Some say it could have actually 22 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,759 Speaker 1: been a midlife crisis of some sort. Uh. It could 23 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: have been the result of financial issues. It could have 24 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: been brought about by a mental break. Uh. And what's 25 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: really interesting is it his story is actually tied to 26 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: black Beard, but Bonnet is often left out of the 27 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: accounts of it, of black beards happenings, or he's just 28 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: sort of mentioned in passing. But he is really fascinating 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: because he had this educated demeanor and he was very stylish, 30 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: and it earned him this nickname the Gentleman Pirate. Bonnett 31 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: was born in sixteen eighty in Barbados. His great grandfather 32 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: was one of Barbados's first English settlers, and he was 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: actually orphaned as a child. Even though he was born 34 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: to a good family, he was not without uh, you know, difficulty. 35 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: But he inherited a four hundred acre estate that was 36 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: managed for him by a guardian until he reached adulthood. 37 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 1: He married Mary Alamby, who was also from a wealthy 38 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: plantation family, in seventeen o nine, so that was when 39 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: he was about twenty one, and he retired from military 40 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: life to run a sugar plantation in Barbados, and he 41 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: spent a little less than a decade after leaving the 42 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: military kind of making a go at family life and 43 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: you know, running the plantation. But that was all he 44 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: could handle, apparently. In a General History of the Pirates 45 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: from their first rise and settlement of the Island of 46 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: Providence to the present time, which was written by Captain 47 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: Charles Johnson and sometimes attributed to Daniel Dafoe, and first 48 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: published in sevent it is written of Bonnet he had 49 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: the least temptation of any man to follow such a 50 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,800 Speaker 1: course of life. From the condition of his circumstances. It 51 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: was very surprising to everyone to hear of the major's 52 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: enterprise in the island where he lived, and he and 53 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: as he was generally esteemed and honored before he broke 54 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 1: out into open acts of piracy, for he was afterwards 55 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: rather pettied than condemned. So at the time, during the 56 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: seventeen teens, it really was not unheard of for people 57 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: to turn to piracy in desperation or in a bid 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: to fight the establishment and the growing gap between the 59 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: rich and the poor. But Bonnet was an educated man 60 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: from a good family, so it initially does seem kind 61 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: of incongruous to think of him in those terms, but 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: there are some clues about why he actually may have 63 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: changed the course of his life. Some historians have suggested 64 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: that he was probably a supporter of James Stewart as 65 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: King of England and felt a sense of rebellion against 66 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: the German born George the First, so Jacobite politics may 67 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: have played a part in that decision in his decision 68 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: to become of pirates. And it's also worth noting that 69 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: Bonnet borrowed about seventeen hundred pounds, which is the equivalent 70 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: of roughly four hundred thousand dollars today, around seventeen seventeen, 71 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: so it's possible that he was having financial troubles or 72 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: that the plantation wasn't going well, although it's also possible 73 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: he wanted the money to start his pirate enterprise. Nobody's 74 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: going to loan your money to start a pirate business. 75 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: He didn't tell people that's what he was doing. On 76 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: a more sad note, his firstborn son died as a baby, 77 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: which some believed to have catalyzed a mental break. He 78 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: was also said to have experienced some quote discomforts he 79 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: found in a married state, so in other words, some 80 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: historians theorized that he was nagged so much that he 81 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: ran away to be a pirate, So his start in 82 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: the world of piracy is really unusual. He actually had 83 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: his ship, which he called Revenge, built and outfitted with 84 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: cannons at a local Barbados shipyard, and he started that 85 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: around seventeen sixteen. Uh Collin Woodard, who is the author 86 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: of the books The Republic of Pirates, posits that Bonnet 87 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: likely told people the ship was intended for a legitimate 88 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: privateering plan. And I know to some people privateering and 89 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: piracy have sort of become a little bit interchangeable, but 90 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: there is a nuance of difference there, So just in 91 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: case you do not know, the distinction is that privateers 92 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: are acting on behalf of a governing nation, while pirates 93 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: don't really answer to anybody, but their methods are virtually 94 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: identical in many cases, which has kind of fueled the 95 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: confusion of the interchangeability of those words. In any case, 96 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: instead of contracting with the government, Bonnet made a nighttime 97 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: departure on the ship Revenge in April of seventeen seventeen, 98 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: and under cover of night he had he headed toward 99 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: North America, calling himself Captain Edwards. And this is a 100 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: good time to mention that Bonnett had no knowledge about seafaring. 101 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,479 Speaker 1: He was really sort of a land lover, uh, and 102 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: so it's unusual and bizarre. It just kind of feeds 103 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: that whole UH image of him as one of those like, 104 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: why did you do this? You're making a really rash decision, 105 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: even though he clearly had planned ahead to some degree. Well, 106 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: and it's also unusual and that most pirates would start 107 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: their career as in piracy by commandering another vessel, they 108 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 1: would steal somebody else's ship, but he went and built one, 109 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: financed and paid for everything himself or maybe with this 110 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: loan from before. Yeah, And he first headed for the 111 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: Virginia coast, and he actually successfully took several ships, But 112 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: it's probably the seventy men on his crew that really 113 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: should get the credit for that initial success, because some 114 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: of them were pretty experienced pirates, and it's unlikely that 115 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 1: he really uh had much in the way of leadership 116 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: skills since he didn't know seafaring and had never been 117 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: pirating before. The Revenge then headed to New York and 118 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: took a sloop that had been headed for the West Indies, 119 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: and they landed a group of men at Gardner's Island, 120 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: which you may remember from our Getty Garlic episode where 121 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: they actually bought provisions instead of stealing them. Yeah, so, 122 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: and again kind of fuels that image of him as 123 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: something of a gentleman that he's like, no, let's go 124 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: buy things instead of, uh, just plundering for what we need. 125 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: But beginning in August of that same year, so we're 126 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: still in seventeen seventeen, Captain Edwards and the Revengeance crew 127 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: attacked a number of vessels near the Charleston Harbor. But 128 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: after their exploits, they are culminated in setting fire to 129 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: a sloop in a North Carolina inlet, which he apparently 130 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: did become a fan of setting fire to ships after 131 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: he had taken them, bought it and his crew kind 132 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: of couldn't decide what they wanted to do for their 133 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: next course of action, and they eventually made their way 134 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: south to Honduras, which is where Blackbeard enters the Tail. 135 00:07:55,760 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: Because Bonnet wasn't really experienced in maritime affairs, he usually 136 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: yield to others, so when he fell into company with 137 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: Edward Teach, also known as black Beard, while he was 138 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: in Honduras, the experienced and hardened teach easily became the 139 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 1: alpha male in their relationship. Yeah, Bonnet's crew joined Blackbeards, 140 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: and Bonnet kind of became a superfluous figure rather rapidly. 141 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: Bonnet had been recovering from injuries at the time after 142 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: a bad encounter with a Spanish worship and he also 143 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: lost some of his crew, and he apparently agreed to 144 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,839 Speaker 1: this situation thinking it was a temporary setup, like, oh, 145 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: you'll just handle things while I'm not feeling well. Right, 146 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: black Beard had something else in mine. He saw Bonnet's 147 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: weakness and decided to seize command of the Revenge. Bonnet 148 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: spent his time on black beard ship without anything to 149 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: do while Blackbeard's first mate ran the Revenge, and while 150 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: the relationships seemed to be friendly enough, Bonnet realized he 151 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: was basically a captive and he became, you know, kind 152 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: of depressed, melancholy. He openly told the crew that he 153 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: was unhappy and that he had tired of the pirate 154 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: life and that he would really like to start a 155 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: new life in Spain or Portugal because he would be 156 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: quote ashamed to see the face of any Englishman again. 157 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: I just I have to interject here that if I 158 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: were being held prisoner on black beard ship, I don't 159 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: know that I would go around saying that I was 160 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: tired of the pirate life openly to people. Yeah, but 161 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: accounts kind of painted as though he was sort of 162 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: endeared to the men and this didn't make them think 163 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: any less of him, like they almost sort of loved 164 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: him more for it in the various tellings of it. 165 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: So whether that's true or not, I don't know, but 166 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 1: I thought it was interesting. Uh. And while these two 167 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,079 Speaker 1: were sailing quote together, but I mean they were technically 168 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: in the same place, but not really partners. Uh. This 169 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: is when black Beard actually took the frigate La Concorde 170 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: and then re christened it to be Queen Anne's Revenge, 171 00:09:54,840 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: which is his famous flagship. On June tenth, team the 172 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: Queen Ann's Revenge ran aground at Topsail Inlet, which is 173 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:07,079 Speaker 1: now known as Beaufort Inlet. And there's actually some debate 174 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: over whether this was accidental or if Teach was trying 175 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: to break up the four men under him. Uh. He 176 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: kind of recognized that the winds were changing for pirates 177 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: and that maybe running in a big pack was not smart. 178 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: But again this is a matter of some historical debate. Uh, 179 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:29,599 Speaker 1: Teacher is an accomplished sailor, so it would be a 180 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: little unusual for him to be caught off guard and 181 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: run aground. But at the same time, anything possible, So 182 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: I just feel like we should have that aside. So 183 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 1: while the Queen's Revenge is run aground, Bonnet went to Bath, 184 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 1: North Carolina. He wanted to take a pardon that had 185 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 1: been offered by the King. The King's proclamation had come 186 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: out on September fifth, seventeen seventeen, and stated that pirates 187 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: surrendering two authorities quote, should have his most gracious pardon. 188 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: But when Bonnett returned to the ships, he found that 189 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: Teach had stripped the revenge and abandoned more than two 190 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: dozen crew members on a small island. The stranded crew 191 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: members had believed they were doomed to die, so it's 192 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: likely that Bonnet's arrival was really quite welcome. So at 193 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,319 Speaker 1: this point, having accepted the pardon, bonnets slate was clean. 194 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: He invited all the abandoned men to join him, refitted 195 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: the revenge, and renamed it the Royal James. His plan 196 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: was to sail to St. Thomas and seek out a 197 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: privateering commission, but they never made it to St. Thomas. No, 198 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: the crew that he had invited to join him, we're 199 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: all on board with this privateering plan. But as they 200 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,440 Speaker 1: were preparing to set sail, a boat that had come 201 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: up against them, just meaning adjacent to them, that to 202 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,319 Speaker 1: sell apples and cider to the men, actually informed them 203 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: that black Beard and a small crew of eighteen or 204 00:11:49,679 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: twenty men were at Okra Cooke Inlets. They were having 205 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,079 Speaker 1: a big party, which is famous in its own right. 206 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,719 Speaker 1: So that's the black Beard side of the story. Uh. 207 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: But Bonnet immediately acted upon this information and went in 208 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: pursuit of Teach because he was still kind of smarting 209 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,720 Speaker 1: from the way things went down. After four days of 210 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 1: looking for Teach with no success, they instead headed not 211 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: to St. Thomas, but to Virginia. So it seems that 212 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: his resolved to go legit was not really that strong, no, 213 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: And in July of seventeen eighteen, they actually took provisions, 214 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:26,119 Speaker 1: which they were desperate for from another ship that they encountered, 215 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: but they didn't want the actively recorded as piracy, so 216 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: in return they gave quote eight or ten casks of 217 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 1: rice and an old cable in lieu thereofs so they 218 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: kind of were like, we want to make this fair, 219 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: even though we kind of rated you, but we're not pirates. 220 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: We just need stuff. Next, the major, who was now 221 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: going by the name Captain Thomas, and his crew encountered 222 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,440 Speaker 1: a sloop off of Cape Henry and looted her for liquor. 223 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: Bonnet sent eight men over to the sloop, theoretically to 224 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: take care of the ship, but maybe to make some 225 00:12:57,559 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: kind of a deal. But they joined that crew and 226 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: sailed away with them. And at this point, somewhere around 227 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:05,679 Speaker 1: this time, Bonnet just sort of threw all caution to 228 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 1: the wind and went head first back into a life 229 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: of piracy. He really abandoned that whole concept of privateering, 230 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: and the Royal James then made its way up and 231 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: down the Atlantic coast, taking him plundering vessel after vessel. 232 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: At the end of July sev eighteen, Bonnet had sailed 233 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: to the Cape Beer River, where he and his crew 234 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 1: found themselves stuck for repairs. The Royal James was terribly 235 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: leaky and it needed to be fixed to remain seaworthy, 236 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: so it's sat for nearly two months while the work 237 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,559 Speaker 1: was done, which is a long time for a vote 238 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: to just sit there, especially when it is a boat 239 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: full of criminals. Uh So, when ordered reached the Council 240 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: of South Carolina that a pirate sloop was Korean in 241 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: Cape Fear, Colonel William Rhett set out to find and 242 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:53,840 Speaker 1: capture Bonnet, and Rhett had under his command two ships, 243 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 1: the Henry and the Sea Nymph. On September eighteen, Rhet's 244 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: two sloops ran in round while headed up the Capeier River. 245 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: While they were getting back on float by It's pirates 246 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: found them and the crew manned three canoes to take 247 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: the ships. The pirates didn't know who they were attempting 248 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: to take, but realized quickly and turned around to deliver 249 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: a report to Bonnet. And Bonnet was incensed by this. 250 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: Uh that night he penned the letter to the Governor 251 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 1: of Carolina that said, if those two sloops had been 252 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: sent against him by that governor, and if Bonnet got 253 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: clear of those two sloops, he was going to burn 254 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: and destroy every single vessel coming and going out of 255 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: South Carolina. He's basically like, you better hope you win this, 256 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: because if you don't, and I find out you were 257 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: actually behind it. I'm basically going to ruin your life. 258 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: The next day, September eighteen, a battle ensued that lasted 259 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: for hours. At one point, both Retz ships and Bonnet 260 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: ship were run aground in the shallow water as they 261 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: tried to maneuver, and there was trash talking from the 262 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: pirates to the colonel's cruise. Both ships were hardly damaged. 263 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: It was really everything that you would expect to see 264 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: in a Hollywood blockbuster about pirates. But eventually rhett sloop 265 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: was the first to float, and as his command was 266 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: about to deliver the finishing blow to the pirate ship, 267 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: Bonnet sent up a flag of truce and his crew 268 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: surrendered themselves as prisoners. So all that trash talking got 269 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: real quiet, and they all surrendered. The Henry lost ten 270 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: men and had fourteen wounded, and the Sumph lost two 271 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: men and had four wounded. Two of those died from 272 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: their wounds not long after. Colonel Rhett then set sail 273 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: from Cape Fear with his captives on September and he 274 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: arrived in what was called Charlestown at the time but 275 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: as Charleston now on October three, and on October five, 276 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: the Bonnet's crew was placed in a watch house that 277 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: was guarded by the militia because there wasn't an actual 278 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: prison that could hold them. Bonnet entered the custody of 279 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: the Marshal at his house, and two other crew members 280 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: were eventually moved to the Marshall's house. Just a few 281 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 1: days later. They were determined to be important in terms 282 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,480 Speaker 1: of evidence and testimony for the trial. On October twenty four, 283 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 1: Bonnet and one of the other men, he was named Harriet, escaped. 284 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: The third man, a Boson, refused to go with them. 285 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: Rumors of incompetency and bribery in relation to the escape 286 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: immediately started to circulate. The governor offered a reward of 287 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: seven hundred pounds to the person who captured the fugitives, 288 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: and it turned out that Colonel Rhett Uh, who was 289 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: pursuing them in addition to other people after the reward, 290 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: was the one that recaptured Bonnet and Harriet was actually 291 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 1: killed during the pursuit. He was shot on October. Trials 292 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: of the crew began in Charlestown before Judge Trot. All 293 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: but four were found guilty and sentenced to death, and 294 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: on Saturday, November eighth, seventeen eighteen. The guilty men were 295 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 1: all executed at White Point, which is near Charleston. But 296 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: on November ten, Steve Bonnet's trial began. It lasted two 297 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: days and he was found guilty. He attempted to shift 298 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 1: some of the blame to Blackbeard, but that was really futile. 299 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: It was obvious that he had willingly participated in a 300 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: lot of these activities. In the Lord Chief Justices speech 301 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: pronouncing bonnets sentence, he said, while talllying the major's many 302 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: acts of piracy, not to mention the many acts of 303 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: piracy you committed before, for which if your pardon from 304 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: man was never so authentic, yet you must expect to 305 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: answer for them before God. His speech goes on for many, 306 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: many pages of the seventeen quote General History of Pirates, 307 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: which you can read online because we will link to 308 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,840 Speaker 1: it in our show notes. Uh yeah. Also in the 309 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 1: Chief justice is speech there is a lot of talk 310 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: about not only was he a pirate, but he was 311 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: also a murderer, and it was a lot of the 312 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: wrath of God is coming for you. He was so 313 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: incensed that this man had been pardoned and then went 314 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: back to this life and did a lot of horrible things. 315 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: He really was uh not short of breath when it 316 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 1: came to condemnation in that speech. And Bonnet was executed 317 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,719 Speaker 1: by hanging on December tenth of seventeen eighteen. And he 318 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: was only thirty at that point and he had spent 319 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: less than two years living the life of a pirate. 320 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: So after his what may have been a mental break, 321 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 1: he kind of burned it out. He just gunned it, 322 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: uh and then was no more. So he kind of 323 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: did the live fast, die young thing in the Sevres. 324 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: In my imagination, I feel like he was going for 325 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: han solo and wound up his two biascume K. Yeah, 326 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: but still sort of oddly beloved, which is the interesting 327 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: part of it. It kind of oddly beloved to biascume K. 328 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,680 Speaker 1: That's true. It all makes sense. So, yeah, that is 329 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,919 Speaker 1: the story of Steve Bonnets, which is a brief but 330 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: fascinating life as a pirate. Yeah, kind of from the 331 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: almost a pretender's perspective, since he kind of buys his 332 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: way into that world, right, I feel like it's the 333 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:00,199 Speaker 1: eighteenth century version of buying a shiny sports car and 334 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: then going on a cross country spree of crime. Yeah. 335 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,640 Speaker 1: And as I said at the top of the podcast, 336 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: there are historians who have likened it to his midlife crisis, 337 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: but hopefully you know, most midlife crises don't end quite 338 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,919 Speaker 1: so dramatically. But now I wanted to talk about the 339 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: history of midlife crises because that seems to me like 340 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:22,159 Speaker 1: a very modern invention too. Was stow upon a pirate? 341 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 1: I concur so we can put them on the list 342 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,120 Speaker 1: for future podcast. Yes, I believe you also have some 343 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: list I do. This email came from our listener Kelly Joe, 344 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: and it is about Happy Birthday, and she says, Hi, ladies, 345 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,160 Speaker 1: I enjoyed your Happy Birthday podcast and wanted to drop 346 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 1: a quick note with a story. I work at a university. 347 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: In my office, like many offices, has a tradition of 348 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: celebrating staff birthdays with cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday. 349 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 1: This past year, I had a graduate assistant, Kunlun, who 350 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: was from China, and on Kunlun's birthday, we of course 351 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: saying her Happy Birthday. Out of curiosity, I asked her 352 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: if there was a Happy a Day type song in China. 353 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: Much to my surprise, she broke into a song in 354 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 1: Mandarins set to the exact tune of Happy Birthday. Little 355 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: did I know that the tune a cross cultural borders 356 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,439 Speaker 1: as well. Thanks for your working the podcast. So I 357 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 1: love that story, Kelly Joe uh And that's one of 358 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 1: those things that I we even talked about how it's 359 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: been published in many languages, but for some reason, if 360 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: it's not like a Germanic or a romance language. It 361 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:27,440 Speaker 1: seems really almost startling to me when the standard Happy 362 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: Birthday tune gets used, especially since and a lot of 363 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,719 Speaker 1: other cultures that the scale for music is entirely different 364 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: from the one used for Happy Birthday. Yes, and when 365 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: I read this, it reminded me of a restaurant that 366 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: we have here in Atlanta that is a really fantastic 367 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: Viennamese restaurant, and if you've ever been there, when they've 368 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: celebrated a birthday, they do this really interesting recording that 369 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: they play through the loud speakers in the restaurant, and 370 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: it starts out like the standard Happy Birthday, but then 371 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: it rifts into some whole other song, and that's their standard. 372 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: I've been there several times when they've done it, and 373 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: it's always that and I always mean to ask them 374 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: if that's the normal way that uh, they would sing 375 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: Happy Birthday of Vietnam, or if that is a special 376 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: recording that they just think is fun. But then I 377 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 1: always forget and get distracted by my delicious dessert. So 378 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 1: so I want to find out now and if we 379 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: have any listeners that are Vietnamese or are really familiar 380 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 1: with Vietnamese culture and can answer that question, feel free. Yes, 381 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: we also have lots of people who linked us up 382 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: with awesome other alternatives to Happy Birthday on our Facebook wall. 383 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,399 Speaker 1: We reposted some of them, but not all. Yes, my 384 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: personal favorite still the Simpsons. Yes, you were the Birthday, 385 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,639 Speaker 1: You're the Birthday. You're the birthday boy or girl, although 386 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: it's sung, but I will not say no. If you 387 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: would like to write to us with happy birthday stories 388 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: or anything else, uh, you may do so at History 389 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: Podcast at Discovery dot com. You can also connect with 390 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: us on Twitter at missed in History, on Facebook at 391 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com, slash history class stuff on tumbler at 392 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: missed in History dot tumbler dot com, and you can 393 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: find us on Pinterest. If you would like to learn 394 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: more about what we talked about today, you can go 395 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 1: to our website and type in the word piracy in 396 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,680 Speaker 1: the search bar, and you will get how pirates work. 397 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 1: I wrote that, I know you're a smarty pant Uh. 398 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 1: You can learn about any number of other things as 399 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 1: well at our website, which is how stuff Works dot com. 400 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics, does 401 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot com. Netflix streams TV shows 402 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,359 Speaker 1: and movies directly to your home, saving you time, money, 403 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,760 Speaker 1: and hassle. 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