Cutlass combat

[Cracked Carrie]

I personally observed quite a few bayonet attacks from both us and the V.C. at rather ugly times when I was doing erection of material handling systems in 'Nam, usually when one or the other was quite overrun..My own brother-in-law, now deceased Major, U.S.M.C. was repeatedly bayoneted AFTER being quite heavily machine-gunned during the Tet offensive....Go figure........didn't know this was a topic.....

Urk. My fault, Royaliste...I went on a tangent after a random comment about bayonets. My brain works that way - like a flea on a hot plate...boingboingboing in random directions.

[Longarm]

There is no doubt that Blacbeard could and would fight. But in my opion Blackbeard died a fool.

1st. After blockading Charleston he heads straight for his favorite hide-out that everyone and his grandmother knew about.

2nd. By most accounts he delibrately grounded the Queen Anne's Revenge. If not delibrately than why would a man who knew those waters so well get stranded.

3rd. He delibrately abandoned most of his crew and took-off in a smaller ship, thus giving hemself fewer men to fight with.

4th. He goes to Ocracoke with it's shifting currents and sandbar basicly trapping himself on the island during lowtide.

5th. He waits for Maynards two ships to come in with the tide. If he knew the waters so well why not leave?

6th. When the battle starts all three ships find themselves grounded while trying to manuver, even Blackbeard and both sides had to do alot of work to get free.

7th. Blackbeard falls for one of the oldest tricks in the book, something he might have pulled himself at one time or another, that is he allowed Maynard into tricking him into boarding by pretending that he was less well manned, when he kept most of his men below decks.

8th. Maynard did this to protect his crew and deceive Blackbeard because neither of his ships had cannon and Blackbeard was suppose to have eight. So instead of sitting back and blowing the hell out of Maynard he chose to board. He had to know that any ship coming after him would not be carrying anthing of real value.

9th. What did Blackbeard fight for? 25 hogsheads of sugar,11 tierces these are cask containing about 304-330 lbs., 145 bags of cocoa, a barrel of indigo, and a bale of cotton. Not really a cargo to lose your life over is it.

In my opion Blackbeard started to believe his own hype, that he himself helped to propergate in order to make himself more fearsome so his victims would be more apt to surrender than fight. All in all Blackbeards carreer as captian last only about 15 months. Bold he may have been but not very wise.

[El Pirata]

Interesting account. I had always been motivated by the real pirates in the Caribbean instead of those on the coast of the US, maybe I need to switch research projects.

[Longarm]

Interesting account. I had always been motivated by the real pirates in the Caribbean instead of those on the coast of the US, maybe I need to switch research projects.

I don't know if you have this or not, you probaly do but, the book "Pirates" by Captain Charles Johnson isn't a bad place to start. Another is" Pirates of the New England Coast 1630-1730" by George Francis Dow and John Henry Edmonds. I know I have others but right now they seem to be scattered all over the place. I'll let you Know about the others when and if I find them.

[El Pirata]

Maybe I need to make a stop at the public library, probably to find my card has expired again from lack of usage.

[capnwilliam]

Longarm, you mentioned that Blackbeard had become a victim of his own hype. Probably true. Probably true for David Crockett as well. Both were trying to live up to the legends that they had become in their own lifetimes.

In Blackbeard's case there's also the angle of what piracy is all about; is it a means to an end, or an end in itself? Rembmber the voice-over at the end of the movie GOODFELLAS, where he says that it's the LIFE of a mobster that he misses?

I think that most pirates got addicted to the life they lived: the "live hard, die young" syndrome. It also lead them to take cocky and reckless chances, hang the consequences. And hang, many of them did.

Capt. William

[Capt. Flint]

Just wanted to let everyone know..... I started the topic of Blackbeard under it's own title. Thought we could move cutlass combat back into cutlass combat. The post were great and I really like them. It just seemed we went a little astray. So feel free to pick up all your talk on the old pirate under it's own heading........Flint

Happy Thanksgiving

[El Pirata]

I think that most pirates got addicted to the life they lived: the "live hard, die young" syndrome. It also lead them to take cocky and reckless chances, hang the consequences. And hang, many of them did.

Capt. William

Is there another way to live????

[capnwilliam]

Why, sure there is, Pirata! Henry Morgan socked away his loot, bought property, got himself knighted, and became Lt. Governor of Jamaica. (Of course, drink did him in, too).

It all depends on whether you see the sweet trade as a means to an end, or an end in itself.

Capt. William

[El Pirata]

He also spent 5 years in a prison in London before he could "buy" his freedon and LT Governorship.

[capnwilliam]

Aye, but my point was that he had long term goals, and used piracy to acquire the wealth to achieve them.

Capt. William

[El Pirata]

True but once in office and with his title he bashed his previous brothers in arms because it was not politically correct for a titled man to associate with pirates.

[capnwilliam]

I didn't say that he was loyal or admirable. I was only trying to draw a distinction between two types of pirates. One type had a long term goal. The other type was completely caught up in the moment: the life itself of pyracy.

The latter type, consciously or otherwise, didn't really expect to survive long, hence were willing to accept greater risks, with less margin for returns.

The former group would balance the risk against the reward, always realizing that money's no good if you're not alive to spend it.

Blackbeard was clearly the latter kind. In his case, this was augmented by the legend that had been created by/for him.

The result was that by the time of his final, fatal enounter with Maynard, he really "had no choice" but to fight to the death.

I believe that in another context, David Crockett really "had no choice" but to go to the Alamo and die there.

In both cases, their legends had preceded them. Their die was already cast.

Capt. William

[El Pirata]

I dig where you're coming from but in some ways I always will resent that way of thinking where your loyalty lies in your goal and nothing else before, between or after your goal is acheived. It truly is a perfect example of a capitalist. IMHO, a bastard's bastard.

[El Pirata]

Oh and for the record, I am not saying you are like that just that Morgan was like that.

[capnwilliam]

I see your point, Pirata. And no, I took no offense; just enjoyed the discussion.

Capt. William

[Deacon Frye]

I don't think Morgan ever regarded himself as a pirate.

As far as imprisonment, I've seen conflicting accounts, but most seem to indicate that while he as arrested and sent to London, he was never formally imprisoned.

In any event, there is a long history of pirate-hunters becoming pirates and vice versa.

[John Maddox Roberts]

Buccaneers usually operated under "letters of marque" as privateers in the employ of England, Holland, Denmark, France or whoever else was at war with Spain, and plundered only (supposedly) Spanish ships and settlements. Technically, this spared them the onus of piracy and gave them the protection of the laws of war. The Spanish, understandably, considered them nothing but pirates.

[Capt. Flint]

Oh well.. so much for cutlass combat..... Flint

By the way.... Morgans long term plans were to get rich and stay alive. According to whatever history still exist on the man, he had no immediate plans to become gov. of Jamaica. It was later in life that he saw his opportunity and took advantage of it.... Kind of like a regular pirate would heh?......... Flint