[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

The North Carolinans could hardly put up a blimp to request aid from Virginia's Lt. Governor in putting a stop to Blackbeard's depredations. They needed a strike to the thorax of Blackbeard's operation. Or, at least, Alexander Spotswood needed a massive victory on his pallet for the picture he needed to paint to fellow Virginians to silence the many critics-- like the VA House of Burgesses. The defeat of Blackbeard by Virginian forces would show just how inept the North Carolinians under Governor Eden had been with fighting pirates. Unfortunately for Lt. Governor Spotswood, the requests from North Carolina citizens for Virginian aid were almost non-existant because of the very bad blood between the two colonies over trade and the proper way to govern. Spotswood decided a different tactic had to be used to get permission from the inhabitants to invade another colony's territory. He would use a Trojan Horse approach and have prominent North Carolinians back his play against Blackbeard by advancing their careers and bank accounts. He found such Trojans in North Carolinians Edward Moseley and Colonel Maurice Moore. Spotswood also tried to argue that the King's Court could share with Spotswood's troops in the salvage rights of whatever treasure the pirate ships might contain when captured. Especially in treasure that had been taken from North Carolina to Virginia and back. Which was only fitting as Spotswood paid for the expedition to kill and/or capture Blackbeard and his pirates out of his own pocket. Now, Spotswood's course was set to the Battle of Ocracoke Inlet. Marker: D-63 - MAURICE MOORE Marker: D-46 Encyclopedia Virginia: Spotswood, Alexander (1676–1740)

Blackbeard's semi-retirement and long term partying at Ocracoke Inlet had greatly reduced his forces to only eighteen. Many of his former forces had abandoned him to sail with other pirate captains in more lucrative pursuits than getting drunk and laid. A third of these were escaped slaves or slaves taken off of slave ships who were they taught in the ways of the pirate like the brisk parlay--bets on feats of strength which also built up the bettors' arm and leg muscles as well as vaulting over men with cutlasses held low. On the other side, the Royal Naval force paid and sent by Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia and comprised on two sloops had at least fifty-eight men on the Pearl and the Lyme. He also gave the force two smaller vessels for shallower waters--the Ranger and the Jane. Each of the pirates had to buy his own cutlass and pistols. Blackbeard usually went into battle with at least six of these ready to fire and with lit cannon fuses stuck drooping from his hat. Blackbeard's new sloop Adventure also had eight cannons whereas the Royal Naval sloops had none. They did have quite a lot of men armed with muskets. Unfortunately for Blackbeard and his men, they had spent most of Friday night before the November 22, 1718 Saturday Battle at Ocracoke Inlet getting rip-roaring drunk. This would play out in some rash decisions that would prove fatal in the upcoming battle. (Days of the week are in the Julian Calendar which the Colonials did not stop using until 1752. Going to the Gregorian in 1752 ). http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gregorian1.html http://www.hf.rim.or.jp/~kaji/cal/cal.cgi?1718

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Jumble - Houston Chronicle


Lunch.
Adapt.
Narrow.
Police.

The Police went out after lunch
hoping a donut they'd crunch
following the flight of a sparrow
they wandered through streets wide 'n' narrow
but they had to adapt you know
they ended up eating crow

[Taltarzac725]

Friday's Jumble solutions to Thursday's puzzle:

Ethic.
Awaken.
Stunk.
Alpaca.

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/c.../comic/Jumble/

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Blackbeard's semi-retirement and long term partying at Ocracoke Inlet had greatly reduced his forces to only eighteen. Many of his former forces had abandoned him to sail with other pirate captains in more lucrative pursuits than getting drunk and laid. A third of these were escaped slaves or slaves taken off of slave ships who were they taught in the ways of the pirate like the brisk parlay--bets on feats of strength which also built up the bettors' arm and leg muscles as well as vaulting over men with cutlasses held low. On the other side, the Royal Naval force paid and sent by Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood of Virginia and comprised on two sloops had at least fifty-eight men on the Pearl and the Lyme. He also gave the force two smaller vessels for shallower waters- the Ranger and the Jane. Each of the pirates had to buy his own cutlass and pistols. Blackbeard usually went into battle with at least six of these ready to fire and with lit cannon fuses stuck drooping from his hat. Blackbeard's new sloop Adventure also had eight cannons whereas the Royal Naval sloops had none. They did have quite a lot of men armed with muskets. Unfortunately for Blackbeard and his men, they had spent most of Friday night before the November 22, 1718 Saturday Battle at Ocracoke Inlet getting rip-roaring drunk. This would play out in some rash decisions that would prove fatal in the upcoming battle. (Days of the week are in the Julian Calendar which the Colonials did not stop using until 1752. Going to the Gregorian in 1752 ). The Gregorian Calendar—History | Infoplease.com Calendar [1718]

On an alpaca blanket stolen from a rich merchant captain, Blackbeard awakened on his last day on earth and first in hell to the sound of round shot from one of his cannon and a ship that stunk of gunpowder. Adventure had fired at a rowboat sent from two unknown sloops (the Ranger and the Jane) flying Royal Naval colors. Blackbeard surmised that the rowboat had been taking soundings so that the sloops could approach closer to Blackbeard's ship without running aground. He could also see no cannon on either sloop. Since he had been in these waters at least six months he knew their depth very well and where the shoals were. He knew he had the upper hand. Neither was Blackbeard going to run despite his crew of only eighteen. He had a warrior's ethic taken straight out of the books of Homer which he read often.

Blackbeard yelled at the ships loudly: "Damn you for villains, who are you? And from whence come you?"

"You may see by our colors we are no pirates," Lt. Robert Maynard responded from the small sloop The Jane.

"Send your boat on board so that I might see who you are," demanded Blackbeard.

Maynard answered: "I cannot spare my boat, but I will come aboard you as soon as I can with my sloop."

Blackbeard knew he was about to be attacked by the Royal Naval sloops so taking up a bowl of liquor saluted them with: "Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarter or take any from you."

This got the response of Maynard of: "I expect no quarter from you, nor shall I give any."

Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times, Robert E. Lee, 1974, p 118 and other sources.

[Taltarzac725]

Jumble - Houston Chronicle


Mishap.
Vixen.
Swung.
Felony.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

On an alpaca blanket stolen from a rich merchant captain, Blackbeard awakened on his last day on earth and first in hell to the sound of round shot from one of his cannon and a ship that stunk of gunpowder. Adventure had fired at a rowboat sent from two unknown sloops (the Ranger and the Jane) flying Royal Naval colors. Blackbeard surmised that the rowboat had been taking soundings so that the sloops could approach closer to Blackbeard's ship without running aground. He could also see no cannon on either sloop. Since he had been in these waters at least six months he knew their depth very well and where the shoals were. He knew he had the upper hand. Neither was Blackbeard going to run despite his crew of only eighteen. He had a warrior's ethic taken straight out of the books of Homer which he read often.

Blackbeard yelled at the ships loudly: "Damn you for villains, who are you? And from whence come you?"

"You may see by our colors we are no pirates," Lt. Robert Maynard responded from the small sloop The Jane.

"Send your boat on board so that I might see who you are," demanded Blackbeard.

Maynard answered: "I cannot spare my boat, but I will come aboard you as soon as I can with my sloop."

Blackbeard knew he was about to be attacked by the Royal Naval sloops so taking up a bowl of liquor saluted them with: "Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarter or take any from you."

This got the response of Maynard of: "I expect no quarter from you, nor shall I give any."

Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times, Robert E. Lee, 1974, p 118 and other sources.

Since the Royal Navy's rowboat had not had time to do soundings because of The Adventure's roundshot, both the Jane and the Ranger suffered a mishap that is a felony in seamanship. Both ran aground and gave Blackbeard's gunner Philip Morton a perfect target for his eight cannon. Blackbeard swung his cannon to the side of the ship facing the vixen the Jane and the Ranger and opened up with all eight cannons blazing. At least, twenty eight men of Lt. Maynard's men lay dying or dead on his two sloops. Armless, headless, legless and riddled with splinters from the ships' wood broken by the very well aimed cannon. Unfortunately for Blackbeard pushing all the cannon to on side on the Adventure propelled his ship onto the shore on the other side of from where the blast was fired. Now there were three sloops stranded on Ocracoke Inlet.

Blackbeard the Pirate toy-- http://www.aardvarkstozebras.com/Cap.../saf850029.htm
Philip Morton, gunner toy-- http://www.aardvarkstozebras.com/Gun.../saf850529.htm

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Jumble - Houston Chronicle


Mishap.
Vixen.
Swung.
Felony.

A man was driving his car and spotted a vixon. When he took his eyes off the road he failed to see that the car in front of him had stopped. He quickly turned the steering wheel and swung the car into the left lane. As he did that, he accidently hit a young man who was ridding his bicycle. It was a terrible vishap in which the man died instantly and, needless to say, the driver was charged with a Felony. The moral of this story: Keep your eyes on the road!

[Taltarzac725]

Word Jumble words for March 2, 2013:

Fence.
Parlor.
Drink.
Mystic.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Since the Royal Navy's rowboat had not had time to do soundings because of The Adventure's roundshot, both the Jane and the Ranger suffered a mishap that is a felony in seamanship. Both ran aground and gave Blackbeard's gunner Philip Morton a perfect target for his eight cannon. Blackbeard swung his cannon to the side of the ship facing the vixen the Jane and the Ranger and opened up with all eight cannons blazing. At least, twenty eight men of Lt. Maynard's men lay dying or dead on his two sloops. Armless, headless, legless and riddled with splinters from the ships' wood broken by the very well aimed cannon. Unfortunately for Blackbeard pushing all the cannon to on side on the Adventure propelled his ship onto the shore on the other side of from where the blast was fired. Now there were three sloops stranded on Ocracoke Inlet.

Blackbeard the Pirate toy-- Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach Replica from Safari
Philip Morton, gunner toy-- Gunner Phillip Morton Replica from Safari

Lt. Maynard was left as the only living Captain on these two Royal Naval sloops as Mr. Hyde the other sloop's commander as well as his second-in-command were dead from Blackbeard's broadside. The call was put out to put anything and everything that was not a weapon over the side of the Jane and the Ranger including the drinking water, any parlor game cards and pieces the sailors had, any mystic talismans kept for luck, and any blunted weapons only good for teaching how to fence. After the ship was lightened of any unnecessary burdens, the tide and a wind sent it moving. While the ships were drifting, Lt. Maynard hid his remaining men of the Jane in the ship's hold but put two ladders at the ready for his men to make a quick maneuver if Blackbeard took the bait of a ship full with dead bodies and smeared with crimson. Blackbeard's ship The Adventure had also found the high tide and started to move towards the Jane. http://www.teachshole.com/exhibit.htm

[Taltarzac725]

Jumble - Houston Chronicle

Correct answers for Saturday's Word Jumble:

Drink.
Mystic.
Parlor.
Fence.

Sunday's Jumble answers from The Villages Daily Sun:

Basis.
Quaint.
Stolid.
Testy.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Lt. Maynard was left as the only living Captain on these two Royal Naval sloops as Mr. Hyde the other sloop's commander as well as his second-in-command were dead from Blackbeard's broadside. The call was put out to put anything and everything that was not a weapon over the side of the Jane and the Ranger including the drinking water, any parlor game cards and pieces the sailors had, any mystic talismans kept for luck, and any blunted weapons only good for teaching how to fence. After the ship was lightened of any unnecessary burdens, the tide and a wind sent it moving. While the ships were drifting, Lt. Maynard hid his remaining men of the Jane in the ship's hold but put two ladders at the ready for his men to make a quick maneuver if Blackbeard took the bait of a ship full with dead bodies and smeared with crimson. Blackbeard's ship The Adventure had also found the high tide and started to move towards the Jane. Teach's Hole Exhibit - Blackbeard History

Maynard had left his pilot William Butler as well as a midshipman at the helm to keep on eye on Blackbeard's sloops. Blackbeard's next trick was hardly quaint and had been the basis of many a stolid man to get very testy. This was his own invention of the hand grenade-- a bottle filled with powder and pieces of iron and lead. Each missile also had fuse worked into its center. His men now bombarded the Jane with these early versions of IEDs. Upon seeing the result of these explosions from the hand grenades, Blackbeard told his men: "They were all knocked on the head but three or four. Blast you-- board her and cut them to pieces". Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times Robert E. Lee, p. 119.

[Taltarzac725]

Jumble - Houston Chronicle


Tuesday March 5 answers for March 4, 2013's Jumble.

Enact.
Rummy.
Eleven.
Locket.


Good resource for checking your Jumble answers or playing a timed Jumble: http://www.uclick.com/client/sea/tmjmf/

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Maynard had left his pilot William Butler as well as a midshipman at the helm to keep on eye on Blackbeard's sloops. Blackbeard's next trick was hardly quaint and had been the basis of many a stolid man to get very testy. This was his own invention of the hand grenade-- a bottle filled with powder and pieces of iron and lead. Each missile also had fuse worked into its center. His men now bombarded the Jane with these early versions of IEDs. Upon seeing the result of these explosions from the hand grenades, Blackbeard told his men: "They were all knocked on the head but three or four. Blast you-- board her and cut them to pieces". Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times Robert E. Lee, p. 119.

Eleven men, including Blackbeard, boarded the Jane as soon as they could using grappling hooks. Most of these men had very rummy eyes according to the Jane's pilot William Butler. As soon as they were on board, Butler let lose the dogs of war by putting into motion the plan enacted by Lt. Maynard. Instead of facing "three or four" stunned crewmen as Blackbeard expected, a dozen men leaped up from the hold from the two ladders set up before. Blackbeard and his men cut a huge swarth though the Royal Naval massed men but were soon cut down from behind and/or outflanked. Blackbeard had had twenty serious sword wounds and five pistol bullets in his corpse when they examined him later. After they took off Blackbeard's head, many men took off pieces of his beard to place in lockets for souvenirs. Unfortunately for Lt. Maynard, Blackbeard had another ace up his sleeve in the person of Black Caesar one of his most trusted men who remained on the Adventure biding his time to put Blackbeard's revenge in motion. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/199...ck-man-legends http://nccultureblogger.wordpress.co...black-pirates/ http://www.sciencebuzz.org/topics/ou...ack-experience http://testaae.greenwood.com/doc_pri...ooks/greenwood

[Taltarzac725]

http://j387communicationhistory.weeb...blackbeard.pdf


Boston News-Letter, Feb 23- March 2, 1719.

Benjamin Franklin's poem on the death of Blackbeard:

The Downfal of Pyracy





by Benjamin Franklin


Will you hear of a bloody Battle,

Lately fought upon the Seas,

It will make your Ears to rattle,

And your Admiration cease;

Have you heard of Teach the Rover,

And his Knavery on the Main;

How of Gold he was a Lover,

How he lov'd all ill got Gain.



When the Act of Grace appeared,

Captain Teach with all his Men,

Unto Carolina steered,

Where they kindly us'd him then;

There he marry'd to a Lady,

And gave her five hundred Pound,

But to her he prov'd unsteady,

For he soon march'd of[f] the Ground.



And returned, as I tell you,

To his Robbery as before,

Burning, sinking Ships of value,

Filling them with Purple Gore;

When he was at Carolina,

There the Governor did send,

To the Governor of Virginia,

That he might assistance lend.



Then the Man of War's Commander,

Two small Sloops he fitted out,

Fifty Men he put on board, Sir,

Who resolv'd to stand it out:

The Lieutenant he commanded

both the Sloops, and you shall hear,

How before he landed,

He suppress'd them without Fear.



Valiant Maynard as he sailed,

Soon the Pirate did espy,

With his Trumpet he then hailed,

And to him they did reply:

Captain Teach is our Commander,

Maynard said, he is the Man,

Whom I am resolv'd to hang Sir,

Let him do the best he can.



Teach reply'd unto Maynard,

You no Quarters here shall see,

But be hang'd on the Main-yard,

You and all your Company;

Maynard said, I none desire,

Of such Knaves as thee and thine,

None I'll give, Teach then replyed,

My Boys, give me a Glass of Wine.



He took the Glass, and drank Damnation,

Unto Maynard and his Crew;

To himself and Generation,

Then the Glass away he threw;

Brave Maynard was resolv'd to have him,

Tho' he'd Cannons nine or ten:

Teach a broadside quickly gave him,

Killing sixteen valiant Men.



Maynard boarded him, and to it

They fell with Sword and Pistol too;

They had Courage, and did show it,

Killing the Pirate's Crew.

Teach and Maynard on the Quarter,

Fought it out most manfully,

Maynard's Sword did cut him shorter,

Losing his Head, he there did die.



Every Sailor fought while he Sir,

Power had to weild [sic] the Sword,

Not a Coward could you see Sir,

Fear was driven from aboard:

Wounded Men on both Sides fell Sir,

'Twas a doleful Sight to see,

Nothing could their Courage quell Sir,

O, they fought courageously.



When the bloody Fight was over,

We're inform'd by a Letter writ,

Teach's Head was made a Cover,

To the Jack Staff of the Ship:

Thus they sailed to Virginia,

And when they the Story told,

How they kill'd the Pirates many,

They'd Applause from young and old.

[Taltarzac725]

Jumble - Houston Chronicle

Tuesday's Jumble answer:

Thief.
Strum.
Govern.
Dainty.