Edward Teach - better known as Blackbeard was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. He was known for his fearsome image and daring acts on land and sea. He joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold around 1716. The two of them engaged in numerous acts of piracy. Teach captured a French slave ship known as La Concorde, he renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge. It was equipped with 40 guns, and crewed over 300 men. He became a renowned pirate. His nickname "Blackbeard" was derived from his this black beard and fearsome appearance.
It has been reported the he tied lit fuses (slow matches) under his hat to frighten his enemies and it gave his a crazed and frightening appearance. Stories of his misdeeds spread and fact and fiction blended into one. Tales of torturing prisoners, even turning on his own crew with no warning. It is said that was his method of maintaining order amongst the ranks. This added to the image of terror and strengthened his position with both his crew and enemies.
His flagged depicted a skeleton stabbing a heart with its spear and toasting the Devil with a glass in the other hand. It showed the danger that Blackbeard brought and his alliance with the Devil. This was another technique used to instill fear into his enemies and to let them know just who was attacking them. He was based off the Island just off the North Carolina coast. He rose to fame in the port of Charlestown in the province of South Carolina. Over the course of a week, nine vessels were stopped and plundered as they attempted to sail out of the harbor.
He died on Nov 22 1718 when he became to bold and angered Alexander Spotswood, the governor of Virginia. Spotswood assembled a private pirate hunter to track and hunt down Blackbeard lead by Lieutenant Maynard. Upon locating Teach and his pirates on Ocracoke Island; Teach spotted this ships heading his way and he cut anchor. He attacked the fleet with his cannons and destroying a third of the force within seconds.
Teach and Maynard fought man to man with pistols and swords. Teach was eventually wounded by one of the other soldiers and after the battle it was noted that Edward Teach (aka) Blackbeard was shot at least 5 times and received over twenty blade wounds. The head of the infamous Blackbeard was hung from the Mast.