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Stede BonnetPirate
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Stede Bonnet
- First Expedition and Captures
- Joining Blackbeard
- Reforming and Reclaiming
- Confrontation and Capture
Biography of Stede Bonnet
Stede Bonnet, also known as Major Bonnet, was a nobleman and a pirate. He was highly respected on the island of Barbados, where he lived. Bonnet had a reputation for being lucky and was educated, which gave him an advantage over many others. Despite his high position, no one expected him to become a pirate, so people were shocked when rumors began to circulate about his strange behavior. Although he was pitied rather than condemned due to his respected status, there were speculations that Bonnet's mental disorder was a result of his unsuccessful marriage. However, his lack of knowledge about ship management and navigation made him ill-suited for the pirate life.
First Expedition and Captures
Equipping his own savings, Bonnet set sail from Barbados on a sloop named the "Revenge," which had ten cannons and a crew of seventy. His first order of business as a pirate was an expedition to the Virginia Capes, where he captured several ships and looted supplies such as food, clothing, money, and ammunition. From there, he sailed at full speed towards New York. When he arrived on the eastern shore of Long Island, he managed to capture another sloop heading to the West Indies. He then made a stop at Gardner's Island to drop off some people and purchase provisions for his crew. Bonnet paid for everything and continued his journey without causing harm to anyone.
Joining Blackbeard
After some time, Bonnet and his crew arrived at the entrance of the North Carolina harbor in August 1717. Here, he seized a sloop belonging to Barbados, loaded with sugar, rum, and several slaves owned by Joseph Palmer. He also captured a brigantine from New England owned by Thomas Porter, whom he released after looting the vessel. Bonnet took Palmer's sloop and sailed to a small island in North Carolina to repair his ship. Later, he burned the captured sloop.
After repairing his vessel, Bonnet set sail again. However, lacking navigation skills, the crew disagreed on which direction to go. Eventually, they encountered the infamous pirate Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach. Blackbeard was a skilled sailor but a ruthless and audacious criminal. He was the leader of a notorious gang of pirates and held this position due to his heinous acts of cruelty.
Bonnet's crew joined forces with Blackbeard's gang, and Richard, a member of Blackbeard's crew, took command of Bonnet's sloop, even though it belonged to Bonnet personally. Bonnet was forced to board Blackbeard's ship, where he remained until it was wrecked near Topsail Island. Bonnet had plenty of time to reflect on his foolishness in getting involved with pirates. He regretted his decision but it was too late. These remorseful thoughts plunged Bonnet into a deep melancholy.
Reforming and Reclaiming
When he thought about his past life and his current existence, Bonnet was overwhelmed with shame and cursed the day he had the insane idea of becoming a pirate. He confided in some friends about his desire to find a way to end his life as a pirate, which now disgusted him. He expressed his wish to disappear into a province in Spain or Portugal and spend the rest of his days forgotten by the world. Alternatively, he preferred to stay among the pirates rather than return to his country. True to his word, he did not return to his country. When Blackbeard's ship was wrecked near Topsail Island, Bonnet decided to submit to the conditions of the royal pardon. He took command of his sloop again and arrived in Bath, North Carolina, where he declared his willingness to follow the king's will.
When the war broke out between the Confederates of the Triple Alliance and Spain, Bonnet planned to request permission from the commander-in-chief to attack the Spaniards. With this in mind, he left North Carolina and set course for St. Thomas Island. However, when he returned to Topsail Island, he discovered that Blackbeard and his gang had already left on a small ship, taking all the money, weapons, and other valuables from their wrecked giant ship. As a result, they stranded seventeen members of their crew on a sand island about a mile away from inhabited land. The deserted pirates spent two days and two nights without food, losing all hope of rescue and consumed by the fear of a hungry death. However, they were unexpectedly saved.
Learning about the stranded pirates from two fellow pirates who hid in a nearby village to avoid Blackbeard's cruelty, Bonnet sent his sloop to check if they were still alive. When the starving pirates saw the sails of the sloop from their deserted island, they immediately signaled for help. The sloop approached the island and took the poor souls on board. Bonnet informed his entire crew about his intention to go to St. Thomas Island to obtain permission to fight the Spaniards. He offered any pirates who wanted to try their luck with him a warm welcome on his ship, and they all eagerly accepted. However, when the sloop was ready to sail, a bark loaded with apples and cider arrived. The ship's owner, Cock, informed Bonnet that he had been captured and plundered by a pirate named Charles Vane, commanding a twelve-gun brigantine with a crew of ninety. Vane had previously captured two ships: one was a small sloop commanded by Captain Dillametre, and the other was a brigantine commanded by Captain Thompson, carrying ninety slaves from Guinea. The slaves had been transferred to another pirate sloop under the command of Yates, Vane's companion, with a crew of twenty. Later, Cock and his crew were able to return to their ship, and Yates and his companions were issued government certificates.
Confrontation and Capture
Vane took some time to approach the shoals separating a small lagoon from the sea, where he hoped to find Yates. Two ships, sailing from the lagoon into the open sea towards London, were immediately captured. Meanwhile, the prisoners were on board the pirate brigantine. Some pirates, unaware of Vane's plan to sail to one of the rivers flowing into the lagoon from the south, accidentally revealed their intentions. One of the prisoners later revealed this information to Cock.
Upon learning this lengthy and intriguing story, Colonel Rhett decided to teach Vane a lesson. On September 14, accompanied by the two sloops, Rhett set course for Cape Fear with the intention of attacking the pirate before they could cause harm to the colony. The governor quickly approved the council's proposal and gave Colonel Rhett permission to use the two suggested ships, which he deemed most suitable for the expedition.
The two sloops were equipped within two days. One, named "Henry," was commanded by Captain John Masters, equipped with eight cannons and a crew of seventy. The other, "Sea Nymph," was commanded by Captain Fairer Hall, with the same number of cannons and a crew of sixty. Both sloops were under Colonel Rhett's command, who set sail from Charleston on September 14 on board the "Henry," intending to start operations against the unknown pirate from Sullivan's Island. At the same time, a small ship from Antigua arrived, and the ship's owner, Cock, stated that he had been captured and plundered by Charles Vane, who commanded a twelve-gun brigantine with a crew of ninety. Cock's ship brought news of Vane's presence on Ocracoke Island. Bonnet, who deeply despised Vane due to the insults he had suffered, decided to sail first to Vane's hideout but missed him. After four days of unsuccessful cruising around Ocracoke, without any information about his enemy, Bonnet changed course towards Virginia.
Soon, Bonnet and his crew encountered two large ships off the coast of Philadelphia, heading to Bristol. They seized the ships and looted goods totaling around £150. On the following day, they captured a small sloop, from which they took twenty barrels of pork and lard, giving two barrels of rice and one barrel of molasses in exchange. Although it was a small haul, it seemed that their only goal was to stock up on supplies before reaching St. Thomas Island. Until then, they had been lenient towards those unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. However, their behavior changed.
North of the 32nd parallel, not far from Philadelphia, the pirates captured two large ships bound for Glasgow, seizing a small fortune in addition to goods valued at £150. They also took possession of a sixty-ton sloop on its way from Philadelphia to Barbados, which they plundered and released along with two other ships.
The pirate sloop, named the "King Jacques" by Bonnet, sprang a leak, forcing the pirates to stop at Cape Jean for two months to make repairs. They also seized a small sloop on the river, which they had to dismantle to use its materials for repairing their own ship.
During this time, the South Carolina Council learned that a pirate ship was stationed at Cape Fear with captured goods and was in the process of repairing its ship. Colonel William Rhett, residing in the province, graciously agreed to personally lead two sloops to confront the pirates before they could harm the colony. The governor immediately approved the council's decision, granting Colonel Rhett full authority over the two suggested ships, which he considered most suitable for the expedition.
Both sloops were ready to sail within two days. One, named "Henry," was placed under the command of Captain Jean Masters, armed with eight cannons and a crew of seventy. The other, "Sea Nymph," was commanded by Captain Fairer Hall, with the same number of cannons and a crew of sixty. Both sloops were under the supervision of Colonel Rhett, who departed Charleston on September 14 and arrived at Cape Fear on September 26 with his small fleet. They immediately spotted three ships anchored: one belonging to Major Bonnet and the other two captured by him.
However, the pilot made a mistake, and Rhett's sloop ran aground while navigating the river. They had to wait half the night to float again and were reluctant to attack the pirates in the dark. Meanwhile, the pirates also spotted the approaching sloops and armed three yawls, which they sent to intercept the uninvited guests. However, the intercepted yawls quickly realized that a big battle was brewing, so they returned to their comrades as quickly as possible to deliver the alarming news. Major Bonnet spent the whole night giving orders for the upcoming battle. At dawn, the pirates hoisted their sails and descended the river with the intention of fighting from a distance. Colonel Rhett also raised his sails and advanced towards the pirates to capture their ship by boarding it. The pirates pressed against the shore and became stuck. The Carolina sloops were in the same predicament due to the shallow depth of the river. They also became stuck, unable to move from their shallow positions. The "Henry," with Colonel Rhett on board, stood motionless within pistol-shot range of the pirates, while the other sloop was further away, beyond the range of a cannon shot. The pirates had a significant advantage, as their sloop, stuck at the shore, was sheltered by the vegetation, while Colonel Rhett's crew was completely exposed. Nevertheless, Rhett and his men continued firing relentlessly throughout the five-hour period they were stranded. The pirates, feeling safe, taunted the crew with their hats, jokingly inviting them to come and visit their ship. The crew responded with determination, expressing their desire to come aboard and get acquainted. This happened soon enough, as the sloop was the first to float off the shoal. Wanting to rectify the unsuccessful start to the battle, Rhett rushed towards the pirate ship, intending to board it. This was completely unexpected for the pirates, and they had to surrender. Rhett took control of their ship and was delighted to learn that "Captain Thomas" was none other than Stede Bonnet, whom he had encountered several times in Carolina.
On board the "Henry," there were ten dead and fourteen wounded, while on the "Sea Nymph," the losses were only two dead and four wounded. The pirates lost seven men in the shootout, and five others were wounded, two of whom died shortly after. Colonel Rhett and his crew displayed great courage during this operation, and they would have captured the pirate ship with fewer losses if they hadn't run aground. Colonel Rhett raised anchor on September 30 and arrived in Charleston on October 3 with the prisoners on board, filling the hearts of the Carolina province's inhabitants with joy.
Two days later, Bonnet and his crew were landed on the shore. The pirates were locked in the town's guardhouse since there was no prison available. The sergeant acted as their jailer, guarding Bonnet in his house, where senior officer David Herriot and master Ignatius Pell were also held, separated from the rest of the crew.
