TM: Blackbeard's Revenge (Students

Transcript: Ms. Jones's Class: Hello..... WE'RE BACK!... Dave Moore: Ms. Jones - do you have a different class this time and how many students are partaking? Ms. Jones's Class: Dave, I am with the same group of children.... My class is a self-contained 4th grade.... Dave Moore: In fact, if all classes checking could give us an idea of how many students are involved, we would appreciate it. We like to record the numbers for posterity Ms. Jones's Class: Dave... I have 30 students BREWSTER: Hi this is Brewster Middle and right now we have 3 kids and 2 adults watching! Beverly Hills: We are two fourth grade classes, about 28 students in all. We also had 28 additional students this morning. Mt. Holly MS: We have ten students in the eighth grade and four teachers Ms. Jones's Class: If anyone would like to see video clips of this morning's Go to this webpage I've made about Blackbeard... http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/5827/blackbeard.html Rural Hall Elem.: We have several rotating groups of 4 students in fourth grade for the presentation with Dave....
	Mt. Holly MS: Welcome to the afternoon session with David Moore... Dave Moore: We're live from the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC. Next up will be the renowned Blackbeard expert, David Moore. A little bit about protocol first. Whenever you see . . . (three periods or an ellipsis), that means David will continue his thoughts but just wants to get you something to read . . . Dave Moore: David will paste in his bio info first, then give you time to read it. Next he will paste in a brief comment about the Maritime Museum, then give you time to read it. Next he will answer the five questions we posted--and again, he will allow time for reading each one. . . Dave Moore: Then he will address your questions. He would like to spend the first 25 minutes fielding general Blackbeard questions and the remaining time he would like to spend taking questions about the wreck site. Enjoy!
Dave Moore: Hello. My name is Dave Moore and I'm an underwater archaeologist for the North Carolina Maritime Museum. An archaeologist is a person who studies the past and history by digging up the things left behind by people a long time ago. I do my digging underwater on shipwrecks and try to figure out things about the people who built, operated, and sailed on the ship before it wrecked. I have worked on Spanish treasure galleons, English slave ships, Civil War blockade runners, and now have the opportunity to work on one of the only pirate ships ever located anywhere in the world and its right here off the coast of North Carolina . . Dave Moore: My museum is located in Beaufort, North Carolina and about 2 ½ miles north of the shipwreck that we believe to the Queen Anne's Revenge, the infamous flagship of Blackbeard the pirate. We have been diving on the site and recovering artifacts for the past couple of years. I have been researching Blackbeard and his crew and ships for the past 17 years and will try to answer any questions you may have about the pirate or our shipwreck project, but first I'll answer the third question we posted . . .
	Dave Moore: Q3 - What is the general depth and visibility of the waters surrounding the shipwreck that is thought to be the Queen Anne's Revenge? The shipwreck currently under investigation lies in about 24 feet of water. Though the visibility of the water has been as good as 25 feet a few times, divers can normally not see anything past 6 to 10 feet when they're diving on the shipwreck site. We have not seen any sharks on the wreck so far . . .
Dave Moore: Let’s go right into Q&A. Beverly Hills: Why was he called Blackbeard? Dave Moore: He was undoubtedly called Blackbeard due to the long black beard that he wore. This was during a period when men's beards were not necessarily in vogue; therefore, he tended to stand out among other men. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: How did his ship sink? Dave Moore: His ship ran aground off Beaufort Inlet in June 1718. We still do not know whether he did this on purpose in order to break up his company of pirates as he crew seem to think he did or not. Beverly Hills: What is the most interesting artifact you have found so far? Dave Moore: Probably the most interesting artifact we've recovered to date, is the ship's bell with the date 1709 on it.
	Ms. Jones's Class: How many weapons did Blackbeard carry on him at one time? Dave Moore: According to some accounts BB carried at least 3 brace of pistols in his belt when entering battle. A brace was a set or two, so 3 brace would have been at least 6 pistols. He undoubtedly carried a sword and possibly a knife or two as well. Beverly Hills: What was Blackbeard's background that caused him to become a pirate, and act so insane? Dave Moore: We're not sure of much concerning the early background of BB. So we're not sure what exactly led him to piracy apart from saying that the seafaring life during the 18th century was harsh. This and cruel captains tended to drive at least some mariners to piracy. Beverly Hills: Where was Blackbeard from? Dave Moore: At least one account mentions BB being from Bristol, England, but we have reason to believe he may have been from around London. BREWSTER: How old was he when he died? Dave Moore: Again, not sure about when BB was born, but he was probably somewhere in his 30's when he died.
Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Is it true BB put his hair on fire? Dave Moore: BB did not catch fire to his hair, but reportedly placed slow burning cannon fuses up under his hat before going into battle to create a smoky aura around him. BREWSTER: How did he die? Dave Moore: Blackbeard was killed during a battle with the Royal Navy at Ocracoke Inlet on 22 November 1718 from numerous pistol shot and sword wounds.
	Mt. Holly MS: When you were going through school, Mr. Moore, did you always want to do this type of work? Dave Moore: I did not start out wanting to do this type of work. Did not know it existed. However, once I got to college, I began to realize that one could utilize history and archaeology in different ways. Over the past 12-15 years, things have just developed such that I now find myself working on one of the few known pirate shipwrecks anywhere. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: How did you find out about BB? Mt. Holly MS: What made you want to study about Blackbeard and QAR?
Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did he have any children and how many wives did he have? Dave Moore: Do not know exactly how many wives or children, though legend has it that he had as many as 14 wives. We do have evidence of children back in London, but nothing is certain. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Where did he put his weapons when he went to bed? Beverly Hills: How much money in total did he steal? Dave Moore: Do not know for sure how much money BB ever took from the many ships he captured, but we do have data on well over 50 ships that he took as prizes during his career. Beverly Hills: How many people did he kill? Dave Moore: We have no evidence to support that BB ever actually killed anyone apart from the final battle at Ocracoke, but it could easily be argued that that was self-defense. BREWSTER: Did he ever betray his crew Dave Moore: Blackbeard did indeed betray his crew and it happened right here at Beaufort Inlet when he ran the Queen Anne's Revenge aground and broke up his company.
	Beverly Hills: How long or big was his ship? Dave Moore: The QAR was reportedly 200 tons which would have made her about 85 feet long, 25 feet wide and about 12 feet deep. BREWSTER: how many ships did he have? Dave Moore: At the height of his career, BB had 4 vessels under his command and somewhere between 300 and 400 pirates. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did BB carry any slaves on his ship? Dave Moore: BB does appear to have had slaves aboard his ship. In fact the QAR was a French slave ship called CONCORDE when he captured her and turned her into the QAR. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: How many people did he make walk the plank? Dave Moore: BB probably never made anyone walk the plank because this was a common myth concerning pirates. We only have direct evidence of one, maybe two instances, of pirates making someone walk the plank, and this over 100 years after BB's period. Mt. Holly MS: What did they do with Blackbeard's head when they cut it off? Dave Moore: BB's head was cut off following the Ocracoke battle and hung beneath the bowsprit of his sloop and taken back to Virginia. Ms. Jones's Class: Dave, may we see that picture of Blackbeard's head again? Ms. Jones's Class: Thank you for showing us the picture of his head, Dave
Ms. Jones's Class: What kind of boots or shoes did Blackbeard wear? Dave Moore: No idea what kind of footwear BB wore, but imagine it would have been some kind of heavy leather shoe or boot. Beverly Hills: Have you ever found his skeleton? Dave Moore: Have not found his skeleton and are not likely to. His body was thrown overboard following the battle at Ocracoke. Beverly Hills: Did BB ever go to school? Dave Moore: Do not know about BB's schooling, but he does appear to have been educated as several letters to him were found among his papers following his death at least suggesting that he could read and probably write as well. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did he have any pets? Dave Moore: Do not know of any pets belonging to BB, but pets such as monkeys and parrots were common among seafarers as well as pirates.
	BREWSTER: Why did he name the ship QAR? Dave Moore: The name Queen Anne's Revenge probably comes from the war with France normally called Queen Anne's War which BB may have taken part in as a privateer. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did he ever raid anything other than ships? Dave Moore: Do not know of anything apart from ships that BB ever raided, though he did harass a number of smaller boats near Bath close to the end of his career. Beverly Hills: What did he do when wasn't robbing another ship? Dave Moore: When not taking ships, BB probably hung out around either Bath or Ocracoke relaxing and planning other forays. Beverly Hills: Did BB have a wooden leg? Dave Moore: BB did not wear an eye patch, hook on his arm, or peg leg that we know of. Beverly Hills: Did he have any girl pirates on board his ship? Dave Moore: We are not aware of any female pirates in BB's crew, though there were several, notably Anne Bonney and Mary Read who were sailing during the same period.
Mt. Pleasant Elementary: What was his first wife's name? Dave Moore: Though it has been written that BB had as many as 14 wives, historical research does not confirm this. We do not know the names of any of these women, though locals around Bath seem to think the name of his last wife was Mary Ormond, a fact that is currently being looked into through genealogical research. Ms. Jones's Class: Did Blackbeard ever kill one of his wives? Dave Moore: Many rumors exist concerning BB and his many wives, but we currently have no evidence to support that he ever killed any of them or anyone else for that matter.
	BREWSTER: Were there any kind of people he would not attack? Dave Moore: BB or any other pirate would never attack a ship better armed than they were, which would certainly include any warship. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: What kind of utensils did he use? Dave Moore: BB as other seafarers of the period undoubtedly used whatever utensils were available which included knives, forks, and spoons much like we use today. BREWSTER: How many ships did he attack? Dave Moore: BB is known to have taken well over 50 ships during his piratical career.
Mt. Pleasant Elementary: What was his house like when he was a child? Did he ever live in town (other than on a ship)? Dave Moore: BB is known to have hung out around both New Providence in the Bahamas and Bath, NC, but it is not known whether he ever actually lived in a house in either place. He was probably more apt to lived aboard his ship like many seafarers of the period. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: What was his Mom and Dad's name? Did he have any brothers or sisters? Beverly Hills: Did BB ever hit a child?
	Dave Moore: Blackbeard's flag is currently being shown. Does anyone know the significance of the symbols on this flag? Dave Moore: BB's flag shows a skeleton holding an hourglass and a spear stabbing a heart. The hourglass denotes that time was running out for the intended victim and the stabbed heart is self-explanatory. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did he had a "special place" to store his loot? Dave Moore: We know of no special hiding place where he stored his booty, but he undoubtedly had one either aboard ship or somewhere ashore. Ms. Jones's Class: In what part of the ship did Blackbeard sleep? Dave Moore: BB would have slept in his cabin which would have been located at the stern of the ship.
Ms. Jones's Class: Is it true someone used his skull as a drinking cup? Dave Moore: Legend has it that BB's skull was turned into a drinking cup sometime after his death. People are still looking for it as it hasn't been seen for many years. Ms. Jones's Class: Is the story true about making victims walk home in their underwear down in Charlestown? Dave Moore: Have not heard the story about forcing people to walk around in their underwear around Charleston. Ms. Jones's Class: Dave, we read a story about Blackbeard forcing town officials to walk back to town in their underwear. Dave Moore: When BB held the city of Charleston hostage and forced them to provide a chest of medicine, he sent in a number of his pirates with one of the hostages. Once the medicine chest was delivered, the hostages were released, but without their clothes which BB and his crew kept for their own use.
	Beverly Hills: Who was the youngest pirate on any pirate ship? Dave Moore: There were reportedly pirates as young as 8 yrs old among some pirate crews. Beverly Hills: What happened to BB's kids? Dave Moore: Currently know nothing about any children that BB may have had.
Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did QAR have any lifeboats? Dave Moore: The QAR did not have lifeboats per se, but would have had one or two smaller boats to carry dispatches between ships at sea or to get into a port when anchored offshore. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Did the slaves sleep on the floor or where? Dave Moore: The slaves would have been forced to remain below decks most of the time while aboard ship. There were temporary shelves placed below for this purpose which would have been no different than sleeping upon the floor or deck. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Why did BB wear fancy clothes on the ship? Dave Moore: Do not know what kind of clothes BB wore, but he probably wore something similar to most pirate captains which would have been something fancy. They would have taken these fancy clothes from the wealthier passengers among the ships they captured.
	Beverly Hills: Thank you for your time! We enjoyed your presentation. :-) Ms. Jones's Class: Dave, Thank you for a great 2 hours.... My students enjoyed your visit very much.... One last question, we missed the location of the traveling artifacts about BB, where did you say it is now? Dave Moore: BB traveling exhibit is currently in Plymouth, NC. For additional info on where it will be in the future, give us a call or check out the website. BREWSTER: Thank you very much!! Mt. Holly MS: Thank you Mr. Moore for sharing with us today! Dave Moore: Thank you folks. If anyone has any additional questions, please check out the Teachers Connect Website and our own websites which are referenced at Teachers Connect or give me a call at 252 728 2284. Mt. Pleasant Elementary: Thank you Mr. Moore for answering our questions and giving us all the interesting information about BB and QAR from Mrs. Brandon's 4th grade class at MPES. Ms. Jones's Class: Goodbye from Bennett Elementary School in Chatham County........Thanks to you too, Glenn! Dave Moore: You're welcome