Bright

http://sixthscaleamericanhistory.yuku.com/topic/2227

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has acquired documents in which King Philip III of Spain expresses his concerns about England’s successful establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent European settlement in North America. One of several European powers locked in a race to colonize the New World, England made serious headway when it established its first permanent North American settlement in 1607. Located on the banks of the James River in what is now Virginia, Jamestown barely survived its first year. But to King Philip III of Spain, it still represented a threat—not only because England had gained a stronger presence in the Americas, but also because he feared the struggling town could become a harbor for pirates. The king’s anxieties about Jamestown are apparent in two letters recently donated by the novelist Patricia Cornwell to Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. In the first, dated July 29, 1608, Philip III announces that he “has been advised that the English are attempting to procure a foothold on the Island of Virginia, with the end [in mind] of sallying forth from there to commit piracy.” In the second, dated June 11, 1609, he writes, “You will do me great service in continuing [to gather] intelligence about the designs of the corsairs and any [intelligence] that shows the English having interest in continuing to populate the land called Virginia in the Indies.” Both single-page missives are addressed to Alonso Perez du Guzman, duke of Medina Sidonia, who had commanded the Spanish Armada in 1588. “Philip III of Spain was concerned the English would create a base in Virginia to attack Spanish ships in the Atlantic,” explained Doug Mayo, associate librarian of the Rockefeller Library. “He is afraid that the English are not only going to attack the Atlantic but raid as far as the Pacific and New Spain, or Mexico, as well.” In 1609 and 1611, Philip III sent convoys to spy on the settlers in Virginia. The first of these reconnaissance missions ended when an English ship sighted the Spaniards and chased them down the coast. During the second expedition, the English took the Spanish spies hostage; one of them, Don Diego de Molina, who eventually returned to Spain, smuggled a letter to the king warning that “the advantages of this place make it very suitable for a gathering-place of all pirates of Europe, where they will be well received.” Known for her popular series of crime novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell has been a strong supporter of the ongoing excavation of Jamestown for many years, said William Kelso, the project’s chief archaeologist. “She asked me where the most logical place for [the letters] to reside would be,” he said. “I recommended the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. I thought with the Foundation’s collaboration with Preservation Virginia that the letters would enhance the greater Jamestown-Colonial Williamsburg story.” Colonial Williamsburg’s acquisition of the letters resulted from a new collaboration with Preservation Virginia, which administers the Jamestown site along with the National Park Service. The two organizations teamed up in September 2010 to promote public archaeology and raise awareness of the Historic Triangle, which comprises the colonial communities of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. See them here http://www.history.com/topics/jamestown-letters

Not so much a summer garb but more me normal working, summer with out coat or cape. When its real hot lose the westkit and try to were me slops.

It's normly way to hot in SC for this but we had a nice cool day for the Christmas parade in Charleston. So I got out me velvet.

Of course one of our party activities is pin the patch on the pirate AKA pin the tail on the donkey except we use eye patches each child gets one with his name or number on it made of Black construction paper with post it advise. Of course there two possible winners as our pirate has two good eyes, these winners our the ones who get the wooden swords and the shot at breaking the piñata ;-}

Lets not foget Bogg and Salty

If you want to be a pirate Get up on your feet You can't be a pirate If you're sitting in your seat Swing your arms tough And stand kind of low And make this noise wherever you go... "Arrr! Arrr! Arrr!" A pirate, a pirate, a pirate says "Arrr!" It might seem strange Just a bit bizarre But they know you’re a pirate When they hear you say "Arrr!" "Arrr! Arrr! Arrr!" A pirate, a pirate, a pirate says "Arrr!" You wear a spare part A bandana and a scar And they know you’re a pirate, When they hear you say "Arrr!" The Jolly Roger Is the pirate flag A skull and some bones On a big black rag. We'll fly it on our ship Up above the sails And we'll search for treasure And be tough as nails! Arrr! Arrr! Arrr! A pirate, a pirate, a pirate says "Arrr!" If you think we're noisy, You're right, We are. 'Cause they know you’re a pirate When they hear you say "Arrr!"

Thank yea lass, to yea aye host a glass ;-}

Would yea consider a lager font for yea blogs as with the higher resolution screens these days and me oldseadog eyes has a tough time separating the dots from them in the background lov ;-}

If they not be all gone, I think I like one, but a photo would help me decide ;-}

The commission has been passed to Edward Bright and yea can reach him via email edwardbright at pyracy.com (803)403-5356 He is currently Quartermaster of the Charles Towne Few that is based out of Charleston SC and they meet the third Saturday of the month at Blackbeard's Cove Family Fun Park 3255 Highway 17 North Mt. Pleasent South Carolina 29466 (803) 971-1223

If yea have the time and inclination there be a few that would lov to see the fram an them Y pins of yours lov ;-} If thats to to forward to get into yea tent,one might belive yea have a swing set hidden in there some were.

Zan yea have a most interesting camp. tell us about yea tent without lines or ceter post, if yea please.

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) One of Myrtle Beach's best known shows is ending its run. Dolly Parton said Wednesday in a news release she is ending the 18-year run of her Dixie Stampede dinner theater at the end of the year. Parton says she will br...(tharr be more)ing a new attraction to her theater in 2011 called Pirates' Voyage. The show will include a buccaneer battle with a pirate theme and a five course meal. Dixie Stampede was a dinner show with a cowboy theme that included 32 horses, trick riding and a stampede of Longhorn steer. Parton says Dixie Stampede will end with a run of Christmas show sin December. The new pirate shows will start in June.

The History and Traditions of Skull Art Within the Military of the USA, our warriors have incorporated SKULL ART into a brand of brash, self - assured art work that is typical of the American spirit of the Frontier and High seas adventure which dates back to American colonial times. Soldiers and Marines, Submariners and Sailors, Aviators and Pilots have created and continue to create and paint insignias often without official authorization, but part of a unit's esprit - de - corps. Nowhere is skull art more prevalent than in the U.S. Special operations community and skull arts originals and lasting legacy to it, which this document will chiefly address. It is representative of the Esprit de Corps... Skull's brandished via patch or paper send a message right away, "death to our enemies and we fear not death," all in one tidy little package without any verbalization. It was understood universally - whether the fight is in on the High Seas of Early Colonial America; deep within Japanese occupied China or in the present day middle east. Ironically it was the pre colonial American Privateers who first modified their privateer Ensigns from 13 stars and stripes (representing the 13 early 1700's American Colonies) to fly a Skull and Cross Bones Art for the Americas. A Privateer is a sailor with a "letter of marquee" from a government, which "allows" the sailor to plunder any ship of a given enemy nation. Technically a privateer was a self employed soldier of fortune paid only by what he plundered from an enemy and thus, supposed to be above being tried for piracy. Most often, privateers were a higher class of Sailor with either naval or maritime service under his belt and came from good families. Privateers include Buccaneers (originally a term for those privateers who fought against the Spanish, later a general term for pirates of the Atlantic, specifically the Caribbean. The Buccaneers were first hunters of pigs and cattle on the island of Hispaniola - and French Corsairs a term used for Christian and Muslim privateers in the Mediterranean between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Christian Corsairs were known as the Maltese corsairs and they took their orders from the Knights of St. John to attack the Turks and counter Barbary corsairs from North African states often "hired" by Muslim nations to attack Christian Corsair ships. Early First evidence of Skull art Used by US forces commences as far back as 1692 with Colonial American Privateer Thomas Tew who was a licensed Privateers man from Rhode Island. His flag did not have a skull or even a bone, just an arm wielding a cutlass or scimitar. Tew like many privateers simply retained their old (Jolly Roger) symbols, although black became the favored color. Sir Thomas Tew seemed to think it more polite to suggest violence in his flag rather than death, and took the image of the sword rather than skull or bones. The message however was no less clear regarding the fate of any who opposed his advance. The images on a pirate flag were designed to indicate a certain message. The skull was a sign of death, but a skeleton, often with horns, indicated a tormented death. A dart or spear was used to indicate a violent death in contrast to the bleeding heart denoting a slow and painful death. The hourglass gave a threat that time was running out or that capture was inevitable. A raised fist or hand clutching a dagger or cutlass was to indicate a general willingness to kill. This was the image Tew chose. In the event that a ship was particularly evasive, or a pirate was particularly brutal, a red flag was raised to indicate that no quarter would be given (no lives would be spared) once the ship was captured. Tew's Ensign though not with Skull art was as recognizable on the High Seas as any earlier or later Pirates "Jolly Roger." Though most people knew that Tew was a pirate, little is known about him prior to 1692 when he arrived in Bermuda and purchased a share in the sloop "Amenity". From there, he got the additional owners of the sloop interested in taking on a privateering commission from Bermuda Governor Isaac Richier. Together with the Royal African Company, they were to attack the French factory at Goori, in Gambia. Tew and his crew instead chose to sail off to the Red Sea where they attacked an Indian ship which they found to be very profitable. Tew settled in Rhode Island, but eventually was lured back to piracy. For when the outlets for legitimate privateering dried up at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1714, many privateers turned to piracy. He took command of a pirate ship and sailed off to the Red Sea. He was killed in June of 1695 while attacking a large ship belonging to the Great Mogul of India. My black flag is that of U.S. Special operations community that rules the night not seen or heard as my flag or tattoo of my flag on my right shoulder is rarely seen as many special operations are not seen nor heard of. The Skull is "death to our enemies and we fear not death," all in one tidy little package without any verbalization. It is understood universally. The crossed cutlasses behind the skull are the weapon of an operator that is silent and used as close quarters weapon know to be the choice of skilled operators, or ayes means privateers, as a tattoo you are marked for life and those colors never run and form of permanent identification and comment to a cause. Now, all my trade is ball and blade and blood forever As it was me ink on my right sholder till the avatars went down during an pub upgrade and had to be redone so now it just be an old sea dog

PIRATE PERSONA Webster's definition of Persona: "A role a person assumes in order to display their conscious intentions" We all assume roles every day. People reveal different roles in every aspect of their life. How many people act the same at work as they do at home? Imagine going to your boss at work and say "Yes dear, right away dear what ever you say dear". You would not have a job for very long if you worked for any sizeable corporation. How about the other way, you come home and reprimand your spouse for not cooking dinner or taking out the garbage. Can you say "Dog house" People assume different personas in order to make their life uncomplicated. As a pirate I take on a persona to make my life more authentic. It pleases me and to my advantage it affords me the autonomy of being something different. This was an immense wall to break through when I first started dressing as a pirate. Family and work thought very different of me as I started to assume this role. First a person starts growing all their hair long, a pirate of the sixteenth century did not have the luxury to be shaven or well groomed. So the first thing the people at work see is their friend / boss going senile. This starts the remarks flowing. Which brings questions to mind of what the heck is wrong with me? The next step is to start dressing the part, ear rings, jewelry, and attire. This really starts bringing up the eyebrows. My wife still complains that I had more jewelry than her. As things progress you start buying clothes that aid your persona. Imagine the face of a lady as a five foot ten man comes out of the dressing room with a women's blouse on. Let alone a spouse of a coworker. Next comes the verbal education, a pirate can not simply walk around and say "Good afternoon Doug, how is the day is treating you? Did you catch the game last night?" This does not work if you wish to embrace the persona. So you learn "Afternoon Barnacle how be t' day? Watch the game mate? No matter how hard you try to contain this persona you'll catch yourself slipping, like when you learn Spanish you say "Hola" in lieu of Hello. Imagine the ladies face when you walk out of a dressing room with a blouse on saying "Aye this shirt feels like the caresses of a thousand wenches." Before you realize it, friends that do not accept the traditions of the pirate start to fade. You find yourself surrounded by people that validate your persona. In the words of a dazzling (I here the trumpets of a thousand angels blowing) women A pirate; first and foremost is absolutely fearless and cowers to no one. He moves through his life's work and journey as if nobody or nothing caged his soul. He is a renegade and answers to no one...not even a vicious god he cannot see. In his mind he is his own God. His own north star who is focused on liberating himself from conventional notions. A pirate is a man who does contain a moral compass and creates pathways of freedom not fear. He understands his masculinity and power and uses it as an umbrella to protect those who cannot protect themselves. His passion is unbridled. A pirate is an adventurer not a caged animal; although women try to cage him and weaken his inherit strength he refuses to be caged and brought to his knees. A weak spineless man is to be tossed out and trampled but a pirate mans backbone is fused to invisible titanium and will not bend--he will die first rather than give up the essence of what makes him a man. I believe this explains a pirate's state of mind. In time it becomes increasingly difficult to return to the mundane dregs of everyday life. After all, a persona is a role a person assumes in order to display their conscious intentions. All this happens slowly, most pirates do not realize that they have changed. You find that you are spending more time in the persona. You look foreword to donning clothes, using the persona as an umbrella to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Children are particularly in need due to society's interest to have them grow up faster. Children have less time to pretend, fewer activities besides video games. Children of today need a mechanism to be children. The pirate persona helps teach that you don't have to loose your childhood imagination as you grow older. Childhood is a place in your soul that becomes buried under adulthood. The pirate persona teaches people of all ages that having imagination and leaving the problems of the world behind for a few moments is a great thing. Even when you are an adult, it is acceptable to be a child at heart. Children are the most accepting, giving, loving people in the world. They are the true treasure of all time. If I were to bury a treasure, it would contain all the memories of being a child. At parades pirates come up to children all scary and mean, stop, smile and make them laugh. Still to this day after entertaining at a hospital, parade or appearance I find myself continuing in the persona. While walking through a crowded mall in jeans and tennis shoes, I notice a young child walking in front me, they turn around and I snarl and growl a blood curdling ARRRRR. Believe me very few parents of children find this entertaining. With out the clothes people do not realize that you are a pirate A pirate persona, face or public mask is an avenue used to carry out your pirate activities. This mask enables you to entertain in any environment. Generally speaking, people love the image of a pirate. So far I have entertained in four countries outside of the United States. The pirates have been accepted, invited and welcomed many times over. All you need is pirate clothes, a good ARRRR, and plenty of smiles. The pirate image has been very well received. It seams my brethren before me has paved the way long before my time. The dilemma is this; it is simple to become lost in a persona. If a person believes long enough, the persona becomes personality. People laugh at this statement, but it is real. Let me ask you this, If you could first and foremost be absolutely fearless and cower to no one. Move through life and work as if nobody could cage you. Focus on liberating yourself from conventional notions. Have a moral compass and create pathways of freedom not fear. Understand your power and use it as an umbrella to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Be welcomed with open arms no mater where you go in the world. Entertain and teach people of all ages. Perform at parades, hospitals, and television would you become a pirate? You already know my answer.

At the outset of the American Revolution, the state of the American army under the command of General George Washington was nothing to be proud of. Washington's forces lacked in equipment, training and numbers -- but at least Washington was sure his land troops existed. He had no such assurances about the a navy: there was none. Washington knew that a war against Britain would have to be fought, at least in part, by targeting their arriving ships. Commissioning a navy became one of Washington's earliest goals. He knew the Americans had no chance of winning the war if the British were able to land and launch ships as much as they liked, up and down the coast. He did everything within his power to create a traditional navy for the Americans, but almost as soon as he looked into the venture, he discovered that a national navy could not be organized and equipped in a few weeks or months. Faced with the dilemma of needing a navy and being unable to build one, Washington settled for what was available. He arranged and paid for several officers in his army who had some experience seafaring to arm and acquire the services of any vessel and crew floating in American waters and supporting the Revolutionary forces. His officers found eager volunteers among the many American sailors who had been amateur privateers just a few years before. Privateering was exactly the same as piracy, except that a privateer choose a country to have allegiance to and only pirated enemies of that country. Americans had experience preying on the French, the Dutch and Spanish, who had been at war with Britain frequently in the colonial period. Many of the same men who'd pirated for Britain were delighted to have the chance to turn their skills back on the British. Though ships appeared and guarded the harbor, what Washington ended up working with could hardly be called a navy at all. His officers had commissioned everything in the water that would float, from whalers to traders. The only thing all the vessels had in common was a willingness to commit acts of piracy on British ships. Following Washington's lead, merchants and investors began commissioning privateers left and right. The privateers were contracted to search out British merchants, board them, take their cargo and capture their crews and passengers. At first, the privateers encountered easy marks. Britain did not expect any American military action on the high seas, and so merchant ships were only lightly defended. The captured cargo of these ships sometimes caused more problems than monetary damages for the British merchants. On November 25, 1775, the Lee, which had been commissioned by Washington himself, brought in the British Nancy. The cargo turned out to be 2,000 muskets, 2,000 bayonets, 3,000 rounds of shot for 12-pounders, some gunpowder and 50 fire shells. Until then there had been hardly a bayonet in the whole Continental Army. Shortly thereafter, the Lee, the Defense and three small ships chased two British transports into Nantasket's harbor. They discovered that the cargo had been reinforcements for the Boston Garrison of British Regulars. They next day the same ships went out and captured another British transport with yet another 100 British regulars. Immediately thereafter this feat was duplicated by other amateur privateers in other American ports and harbors. Troops transports, like merchant ships, were very lightly armed because the British had not anticipated that they would be attacked. The British soon stepped up their defenses. They couldn't afford to have Americans capturing their soldiers, munitions, supplies and merchant ships. They began escorting transports and merchant ships in convoys, complete with warships. It was one thing for a meagerly armed privateer vessel to attack an even more lightly armed merchant or transport ship; a war ship was completely out of their capability. With the changes in British policy, the Americans were forced to seek out a new naval resource. The earlier American ships were sailed by Americans who had some experience as amateur privateers. When British warships entered the picture, professional privateers continued to do what was outside the talent of the amateurs. This second batch of privateers were less of the good-natured patriotic sort, and more of the blood thirsty profit hungry sort, but as privateers went, they were incredibly loyal. In general, it was not uncommon for a privateering vessel to switch sides in a war whenever doing so was advantageous, but this hardly happened at all among the Revolutionary privateers. Privateers were not soldiers. They were not out to take down the entire British navy one ship at a time, through gory and drawn-out battles. They were interested in making money and living to spend it. As the war progressed, their primary role became as a distraction and annoyance to the British, rather than a direct line of assault. Constantly evading privateers, British warships were unable to arrive on schedule, or make attacks on more important American systems. Individual citizens and then colonies granted commissions to privateers up until March 23, 1776, when Congress authorized privateering against enemies of the colonies. On April 3, they began issuing their own commissions for owners and captains of ships--there was no reason not to do so. Congress set strict rules about prizes, prisoners and reporting, and required that one-third of the crew must be landsmen (perhaps to protect the fledgling navy from losing all its men to privateering). All money for funding congressional commissions came from private contributors. Congress simply signed the papers and offered their blessings. But, when the privateers sold off the stolen booty, some of the profit went to fund Congress. Under congressional rules, commissions and bonds were expensive, running from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of a ship. Still, there were thousands of wishful privateers seeking them from Congress. It is estimated that 2,000 commissions were issued and that between 250 and 400 privateer ships were always functioning. The smallest of the colonies, Rhode Island, sent out fifty-seven privateer ships. American privateers began operating in the English Channel, the Caribbean, the British West Indies, as well as their home waters. Wherever the British were, the Americans followed. Hundreds of British merchant ships were captured by privateers, despite the increased number of convoys. Food headed into the British West Indies was intercepted by American ships, and the colony suffered a severe food shortage. Americans, meanwhile, could buy the luxury goods from raided ships at excellent prices, and supplies for Washington's army were frequently provided by privateers. When the French fleet finally arrived in Boston in 1778 to assist the American cause, it was the money earned by privateers that was used to pay for their provisions. Though the American privateers were eager to rob the British blind for their own reasons, the French provided new encouragement. The French and the British had been in a state of almost constant war for centuries, and in all this time, any enemy of the British was a friend of the French. Thousands of French soldiers and sailors, including the Marquis de Lafayette, cheerfully crossed the Atlantic take up arms against the British. France violated a 1713 treaty with England and opened its ports to American privateers. American ships sailed for French shores and worked out of the English Channel. In addition to the new ability to stop ships from returning to English, suddenly, no British vessel in the world was safe. Wherever the English had a colony, so did the French, and they allowed the Americans to hang around all of them. Premiums for insurance of British ships sky-rocketed, even if the ship was in a convoy. In England, merchants began losing money, and actually began hiring French ships to transport their goods. The French ships, were never attacked by the American privateers. France made money, the Americans terrorized the British at home, and the British began to wonder if these colonies were worth keeping. In 1778, the House of Lords heard a complaint that American privateers had captured or destroyed a total of 733 ships. As British enthusiasm and economy disappeared, the French made their participation in the war official. On July 17, 1778 France declared war on Britain and made a Treaty of Amity with the 'United States of North America.' One of the provisions of the treaty was that each country would leave its ports open for the other's privateers. The full support of France, and not the privateers, cinched the war for the Americans, and in 178 the war came to an end with the Treaty of Paris. However, the circumstances surrounding France's early assistance and choice to finally endorse the Americans completely may have owed in to their earlier working arrangement with the privateers, which left Britain economical weak and vulnerable to international, directed piracy. After years of living on the high seas, most of the privateers were ready to go home and enjoy the plentiful money they'd earned. Though they were out for money more than glory, the privateers did well for the revolution. According to Lloyd's of London, they captured 3,087 ships, and provided arms and supplies for American and French forces. Perhaps their most important and understated role of all was as morale boosters for the colonial rebels. Most cities and towns in America were close enough the ocean, or inlets, that privateering news was local news. Every newspaper rushed to print the latest privateering adventures, and the people took a forming national pride in how well the pirates succeeding in thwarting the British.

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