Blackbeard

 Author's Note: I chose to write about Blackbeard because he is an interesting topic to learn and write about. He's interesting because he started out as a boy in the United Kingdom, and ended up halfway across the world. In this piece I am focusing on making a better introduction and conclusion, and using varying sentence structure.

It was a reign of fear that lasted two long years. Blackbeard and his crew of pirates terrorized sailors on the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea from 1716 through 1718. They ambushed ships carrying passengers and cargo in the dim light of dawn and dusk when a pirates' ship was hard to see. Some people think that pirates are bad, and others think that they are the best, most fierce people in the world.

Blackbeard was a British man, most likely born before 1690. His real name is thought to be Edward Teach. Before he became a pirate, he served on a British privateer, (a privately owned ship), that was based in Jamaica. The privateers job was to attack enemy ships. In this case, the ships were owned by the French and Spanish. After the War of the Spanish Succession, he joined a group of Caribbean plunderers and became a pirate.

Months later, he stole a ship and made himself captain of it. He then customized it and fitted with weapons so he could attack other ships. He soon became feared and famous. As Teach's reputation grew, so did his beard. He then called himself Blackbeard, and braided his beard and tied the braids with black ribbon.

Blackbeard once took over a large cargo ship carrying many wealthy passengers—including children—as it sailed out of Charleston, South Carolina. The hostages were locked in the dark hold of the ship. Blackbeard threatened to kill them all if the townspeople in Charleston didn't come up with the ransom: a medical chest filled with remedies. The deadline for delivery passed. The hostages were frantic. The pirates prepared them for hanging. With barely any time left, they came up with the ransom and gave it to the pirates.

Blackbeard had a base in North Carolina, and as it so happened, a British Colony. It was near an island chain off the coast called the Outer Banks. From there, he easily took ships traveling along the American coast. The local townspeople actually liked Blackbeard there, because he sold the items he stole to them.

News of the pirate bash reached Alexander Spotswood, the governor of Virginia. He decided that the time had come to stop Blackbeard once and for all. He spent the next several weeks planning Blackbeard's capture.

Spotswood sent two small, swift ships, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy to Ocracoke. Seeing the navy's sails, Blackbeard and his pirates knew they were trapped. Only sandbars and water lay between them and the navy. When morning came, the tide would rise, the sloops would glide over the submerged sandbars, and the attack on the pirate ship would begin.

All through the night Maynard's men prepared for the fighting. Laughter and swearing from the pirate ship echoed across the water. Blackbeard didn't seem worried about the upcoming battle. His pirates, however, were nervous. Thinking they would all die, one pirate asked Blackbeard whether Blackbeard's wife knew where he had buried his treasure. Blackbeard bellowed that nobody but he knew where it was

In the morning Blackbeard didn't try to outrun the navy sloops. Finally, when Maynard's sloops started moving toward the pirates, Blackbeard ordered his crew to set sail. He seemed to be steering the ship directly toward the beach! They were going to crash!

But then Blackbeard guided the pirate ship through a narrow channel between the beach and a barely visible sandbar. Chasing the pirates, the navy sloops crashed into the sandbar.

The pirates then blasted the stranded ships, picking off the easy targets. The pirate ship lurched backward-and got stuck on a sandbar.

Maynard ordered his men to throw food and water barrels over the side to lighten the ship. It worked. Floating free of the sandbar, Maynard's damaged sloop edged toward the pirate ship. Maynard ordered his men to hide below decks with pistols and swords ready.

The pirates boarded the ship easily. Suddenly, Maynard's men rushed the deck, firing pistols and wielding swords. The pirates were taken by surprise and started to get slaughtered. Blackbeard then came face-to-face with Maynard and both fired their pistols at one another. Blackbeard missed, but Maynard hit his mark. Blackbeard tried to finish Maynard off with his cutlass, but one of Maynard's men came up behind Blackbeard and slit his throat.

As a warning to other pirates, Blackbeard's head was cut off and suspended from a pole of Maynard's ship. Maynard searched for Blackbeard's treasure but found only supplies and letters. When Blackbeard died, the secret of his treasure died, too—if indeed he ever had one.