Blackbeards Ghost

Blackbeard who's real name was Edward Teach was a infamous pirate who was a very tall man with a black beard that extended down below his waist. When he knew he was going into battle he would tie black ribbons in his beard and tie burning cannon fuses up under his hat so that smoke would surround his head. He kept two pistols shoved in his waist band and he always kept a sharp sword at his side. Many people including Virginia's Governor Spotswood thought Blackbeard was the devil himself.

For twenty seven months he terrorized the coastal regions of the Atlantic and Caribbean. He was known to attack at dawn or dusk often appearing to come out of the sun. He attacked at those times because he knew his ship was hard for his enemy to see at those times. And he would not raise his pirates flag until the last possible moment so that the ships he was attacking would assume they had no hope and quickly surrender. When the people on the ships he was attacking would surrender they would be spared but if they put up any fight they would be killed.

Blackbeard once cut off a mans finger to get a diamond ring and he once blockaded Charleston S.C. taking many wealthy people hostage until the people of Charleston paid the ransom Blackbeard was demanding.

In November of 1718 Blackbeard retreated to his favorite hideaway called Teach's Hole off of North Carolina's Ocracoke Island. They had a wild pirate party that lasted for days with dancing , drinking and huge bonfires and several North Carolina people sent word to Virginia's Governor Spotswood and Spotswood immediately ordered two British Royal Sloops commanded by British Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard to go down to Ocracoke and capture or kill Blackbeard.

On November 21 1718 Maynard engaged the pirate in a horrific battle. One of Maynard's Ships ran aground and Blackbeard fired and fired on the remaining ship commanded by Lt. Maynard. Many of Maynard's men were killed but then Maynard came up with the ideal of having his men to hide below deck so that the Pirates thought they had won. When the pirates swarmed aboard Maynard's ship however the men hiding below deck rushed up on the deck with Maynard and they attacked Blackbeard and his men.

But even though they were outnumbered the pirates including Blackbeard put up a bloody fight and then Blackbeard and Maynard came face to face. The two men fired at each other with their pistols and Blackbeard was struck with a pistol ball but Blackbeard missed with his shot. One of Maynard's men finally cut the throat of Blackbeard from behind and the battle was finally over. It took a total of six pistol shots and many cuts and stabs from swords before Blackbeard finally fell.

Maynard cut the head of Blackbeard from his body and then he had his men throw the body of Blackbeard overboard into the water. They hung his head from the ships bowsprit and its said that Blackbeard's head actually spoke and called out to his body. His body swam around the ship three times before slipping beneath the water.

And ever since that day people have claimed to see the headless body of Blackbeard searching the shores of Ocracoke for his head. It is said that people on Ocracoke found Edward Teach's headless body and they buried it near where the lighthouse on Ocracoke is today. It is in that area where people claim to see the headless body of Blackbeard today still searching for his head.

Other people claim to see huge fires burning just off Ocracoke and they claim its Blackbeard and his pirate gang having a party.