South Carolina’s coast was pirate country. During the Golden Age of Piracy, Charleston was one of the richest ports in North America, and that wealth attracted every pirate sailing the western Atlantic. The city had a complicated relationship with piracy — until 1718, when it ended violently.
Edward Teach (Blackbeard)
Blackbeard is the most famous pirate in history, and his most audacious act happened right here in Charleston Harbor. In May 1718, Blackbeard arrived off Charleston with a four-ship flotilla mounting roughly 60 guns — the most powerful maritime force in the hemisphere at the time. He blockaded the port for six days, capturing every ship that tried to enter or leave. He seized hostages, including prominent citizens, and ransomed them. His demand was not gold. It was medicine for his crew. The governor complied.
Blackbeard was known for lighting slow-burning cannon fuses in his beard during battle to create a terrifying, smoke-wreathed appearance. He was killed in North Carolina in November 1718.
Stede Bonnet (The Gentleman Pirate)
Stede Bonnet was a wealthy Barbadian plantation owner who, for reasons historians still debate, abandoned his comfortable life to become a pirate. He had no maritime experience. He purchased a ship, hired a crew, and simply went pirating. He was, by most accounts, not very good at it.
Bonnet allied himself with Blackbeard, who essentially took over his ship for a period. After the alliance dissolved, Bonnet was captured near the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. He was brought to Charleston, tried, and hanged at White Point Garden (now The Battery) in November 1718, along with 29 of his crew. He reportedly wept and begged for mercy. It was not granted.
Anne Bonny
Anne Bonny was born in County Cork, Ireland, and raised near Charleston. She married a small-time sailor against her father’s wishes, then left him for the pirate Calico Jack Rackham. She sailed with Rackham’s crew dressed as a man, and by most accounts fought as well as any of them.
When Rackham’s ship was captured in 1720, most of the crew was drunk below decks. Bonny and another woman pirate, Mary Read, were reportedly the only ones fighting on deck. Rackham was hanged. Bonny was sentenced to death but claimed pregnancy and received a stay of execution. What happened to her after that is unknown. She simply disappears from the historical record.
The Pirate Trials of 1718
1718 was the year the Golden Age of Piracy effectively ended in South Carolina. Governor Robert Johnson, tired of the pirate threat, authorized a series of expeditions and trials. Dozens of pirates were captured and tried in Charleston. The hangings at White Point Garden sent a message that was received across the Atlantic world. Within a few years, the pirate threat to the Carolina coast had been largely eliminated.
Where to Experience Pirate History Today
The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon (Charleston) — Prisoners were held here before the pirate trials. The dungeon is open for tours.
The Battery / White Point Garden (Charleston) — The site of the pirate hangings. A peaceful park today, with a dark history underfoot.
Charleston Museum — Artifacts and exhibits covering the colonial period, including the piracy era.
The Pirate Voyage Dinner & Show (Myrtle Beach) — More entertainment than history, but fun for families.