Pirate Jack Rackham Flag History

By Flagsmart.com PR Dept.
Flagsmart.com

Flagsmart.com, the wholesale flag All rights reserved

Click here to enlarge
Size: 3'x5' most popular size

John Rackam, also known as Calico Jack because of his clothing

preferences, was only a moderately successful pirate who is mainly
remembered for his association with two women pirates. Rather than
attacking plump rich targets, Rackam preferred using a small sloop to attack
local merchants and fishing vessels.

In 1718, Rackam served as quartermaster on Charles Vane's pirate ship. On

November 23, Vane's ship encountered a French man-of-war in the Windward
Passage and he decided to retreat from the battle rather than try to board the
warship. Many of the crew felt differently on this matter, including Rackam.
The next day, Rackam and crew confronted Vane and stated he was a
coward. The crew elected Calico Jack as the new captain and Vane and his
fellow supporters were set off on a small sloop. And within the day, Calico
Jack was able to plunder several small vessels and continued to plunder more
around Jamaica. One vessel taken had a Jamaican tavernkeeper, Hosea
Tisdale, onboard that Rackam and the crew were acquinted with and after
plundering the vessel, he released the captive crew and made sure the
tavernkeeper had a safe voyage home.

In May 1719 Rackam sailed to the Bahamas for a pardon and settled down
there soon after. While in a local tavern he met Anne Bonny whom he soon
started to court. When she became pregnant he took her to some friends he
had in Cuba to take care of her during her preganancy. Once their money
began to run out, Rackam returned to piracy and convinced Bonny to come
with him, which she did, only disguised as a man. He again went back to
plundering his standard small local merchants in the West Indies. On one of
the vessels was Mary Read who would also join Rackam's crew without
anyone knowing (yet) her true sexuality.

On August 20, 1720 Rackam and eleven others stole the anchored sloop
William in Nassau harbor during the night. Governor Woodes Rogers learnt of
this and soon issued a proclamation stating who was responsible for the
piracy. In addtion to this, he sent two sloops with 45 men out to find Rackam.
At this time, Calico Jack was attacking fishing vessels in Jamaica and
continued to plunder small vessels for about the next month along the West
Indies.

Captain Jonathan Barret's privateer sloop caught up with Calico Jack's stolen
William anchored near Nigril Bay in early October. Rackam immediately set
sail to escape the well-armed sloop but at about ten o'clock at night Barret
caught up to Rackam. Barret ordered him to surrender and in response
Rackam and his crew sent him a shot from a swivel gun along with a few
words. The nighttime duel did not last too long though, soon Barret's sloop
had damaged William's boom and effectively knocked her out of commision.
When Barret's crew boarded William, only Anne Bonny and Mary Read
defended the attackers while the rest of the pirates, including Rackam, simply
surrendered without a fight.

On November 16, 1720, Rackam and 11 of his male crewmen were convicted
and sentenced to death in St. Jago de la Vega, Jamaica (the two women were
tried later.) Rackam was able to see his lover Anne Bonny once before his
execution and she stated to him "that she was sorry to see him there, but if he
had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog." On
November 19-20, Rackam and his crewmen were hanged and their bodies
were placed in chains and hung at various locations on the islands as a
deterant and message to fellow pirates. Rackam's was hung on an island
near Port Royal called Deadman's Cay, now fittingly named Rackam's Cay.
Thus ended the life of the pirate Calico Jack. While he only plundered mainly
local small vessels in the Caribbean, he is unique in having had not one, but
two, women pirates disguised as men in his crew.

Related topics

US State Flags America Flag Canada Flag Rebel Flag Pirate Flag Military
Flag