Stede Bonnet arrived in Nassau (in the Bahamas) in late-Spring 1717 (May), where he first met Blackbeard.
By mid-September 1717, Bonnet and the Revenge (with Blackbeard now onboard and as captain) was ready to sail, and approximately 150 pirates headed north toward the Delaware Bay.
The working relationship between Blackbeard and Bonnet grew more complicated as the two sailed throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and east coast of the American colonies. Blackbeard and Bonnet would sail together off-and-on for the next nine month, taking dozens of prizes and pulling off one of the most significant naval blockades (the blockade of Charleston) of the era.
Eventually, the large pirate flotilla that included Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Bonnet’s Revenge and several other ships, sailed to North Carolina to take advantage of the King’s pardon of pirates who turned themselves in.
Sending Bonnet first, Blackbeard double-crossed the Gentleman Pirate in June 1718, looting his ship, marooning most of the Revenge’s crew onto an island with no food or water, and separating from Bonnet forever…
To learn the full story, pick up a copy of my book “The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet” wherever books are sold…
