Charles Gibbs
Encyclopedia
Charles Gibbs was an American pirate (real name James D. Jeffers) who was one of the last active in the Caribbean during the early-19th century and was among the last executed for piracy by the United States.
His career, like many others during this time, was marked by violence and brutality. Shortly before his execution, Jeffers admitted to have been involved in the killing of as many as 400 victims. His confessions during his imprisonment and trial detailing his career were recorded and published following his death and remained popular reading throughout the mid 19th century. However, given the sensationalistic nature of these accounts, historians have questioned the accuracy of Jeffers's confessions.
, Rhode Island on November 5, 1798, he was the son of a Newport sea captain who had served as an American privateer during the Revolutionary War. Jeffers would later claim to have enlisted in the United States Navy during the War of 1812
and to have served under James Lawrence
on the USS Hornet
and before being captured following a battle with the in Boston Harbor in 1813. Later investigations into these claims proved this to be untrue. (Before his hanging, he admitted to having first gone to sea aboard a Newport-based brig
called the Brutus in 1816, aged 17).
By his own account, he was involved in privateering starting in 1816 aboard a Margarita Island-based schooner
called the Maria. During a cruise Jeffers took part in a mutiny after which the crew abandoned their letter of marque
from Cartagena, Colombia
and began engaging in piracy
. Jeffers told his biographers that he was named navigator of the Maria, and claimed to have eventually assumed the captain's role. Stories later circulated as to how, during his time in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, he became known for his cruel treatment of prisoners. He was said to have once had the arms and legs chopped off of a captured captain and, in another incident, ordered an entire merchantman's crew to be burned alive after setting fire to the ship. (No contemporary accounts mention these episodes, which appear to have been invented by later writers.)
On October 21, 1821, Jeffers encountered the brig under Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Kearny
while his fleet of four ships were attacking three merchantmen off Cape Antonio, Cuba
. Despite outnumbering the USS Enterprise, Jeffers's fleet was destroyed after a short battle and he was forced to flee into the jungle with his men.
Little is known about his life immediately following his escape. He claimed to have resided in the United States by 1825, and to have served Argentina in the Cisplatine War as both a regular naval officer and as commander of a privateer. Following a reputed voyage to North Africa to join the Barbary Corsairs
, Jeffers was eventually forced to find work as a sailor again. After signing with the brig Vineyard (using the Charles Gibbs alias), he and Thomas J. Wansley (and several others) led a mutiny, killing the captain and his first mate on the night of November 23, 1830 in an attempt to seize its cargo of silver.
The mutineers headed for Long Island
where they scuttled the vessel and came ashore, several mutineers losing their lives in rough waters which also claimed much of their loot. After only a few days ashore Jeffers, Wansley, and two others were captured and taken to prison in New York City
(other accounts incorrectly claim he was executed in New Orleans) where he and Wansley were tried and convicted of mutiny and murder in 1831. Incarcerated at Bridewell Prison and then moved to Bellevue Prison, they were eventually hanged at Ellis Island
on April 22, 1831.
His career, like many others during this time, was marked by violence and brutality. Shortly before his execution, Jeffers admitted to have been involved in the killing of as many as 400 victims. His confessions during his imprisonment and trial detailing his career were recorded and published following his death and remained popular reading throughout the mid 19th century. However, given the sensationalistic nature of these accounts, historians have questioned the accuracy of Jeffers's confessions.
Career
Born in NewportNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island on November 5, 1798, he was the son of a Newport sea captain who had served as an American privateer during the Revolutionary War. Jeffers would later claim to have enlisted in the United States Navy during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and to have served under James Lawrence
James Lawrence
James Lawrence was an American naval officer. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon...
on the USS Hornet
USS Hornet (1805, brig)
The third USS Hornet was a brig-rigged sloop-of-war in the United States Navy. Later, however, she was re-rigged as a ship. Hornet was launched on 28 July 1805 in Baltimore and commissioned on 18 October...
and before being captured following a battle with the in Boston Harbor in 1813. Later investigations into these claims proved this to be untrue. (Before his hanging, he admitted to having first gone to sea aboard a Newport-based brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
called the Brutus in 1816, aged 17).
By his own account, he was involved in privateering starting in 1816 aboard a Margarita Island-based schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
called the Maria. During a cruise Jeffers took part in a mutiny after which the crew abandoned their letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
from Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
and began engaging in piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
. Jeffers told his biographers that he was named navigator of the Maria, and claimed to have eventually assumed the captain's role. Stories later circulated as to how, during his time in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, he became known for his cruel treatment of prisoners. He was said to have once had the arms and legs chopped off of a captured captain and, in another incident, ordered an entire merchantman's crew to be burned alive after setting fire to the ship. (No contemporary accounts mention these episodes, which appear to have been invented by later writers.)
On October 21, 1821, Jeffers encountered the brig under Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Kearny
Lawrence Kearny
Commodore Lawrence Kearny was an officer in the United States Navy during the early nineteenth century. In the early 1840s he began negotiations with China which opened that country to U.S. trade and pointed the way toward the American Open Door Policy a half century later...
while his fleet of four ships were attacking three merchantmen off Cape Antonio, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Despite outnumbering the USS Enterprise, Jeffers's fleet was destroyed after a short battle and he was forced to flee into the jungle with his men.
Little is known about his life immediately following his escape. He claimed to have resided in the United States by 1825, and to have served Argentina in the Cisplatine War as both a regular naval officer and as commander of a privateer. Following a reputed voyage to North Africa to join the Barbary Corsairs
Barbary corsairs
The Barbary Corsairs, sometimes called Ottoman Corsairs or Barbary Pirates, were pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. This area was known in Europe as the Barbary Coast, a term derived from the name of its Berber...
, Jeffers was eventually forced to find work as a sailor again. After signing with the brig Vineyard (using the Charles Gibbs alias), he and Thomas J. Wansley (and several others) led a mutiny, killing the captain and his first mate on the night of November 23, 1830 in an attempt to seize its cargo of silver.
The mutineers headed for Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
where they scuttled the vessel and came ashore, several mutineers losing their lives in rough waters which also claimed much of their loot. After only a few days ashore Jeffers, Wansley, and two others were captured and taken to prison in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(other accounts incorrectly claim he was executed in New Orleans) where he and Wansley were tried and convicted of mutiny and murder in 1831. Incarcerated at Bridewell Prison and then moved to Bellevue Prison, they were eventually hanged at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
on April 22, 1831.
Further reading
- Gibbs, Joseph (2007), "Dead Men Tell No Tales: The Lives and Legends of the Pirate Charles Gibbs." University of South Carolina PressUniversity of South Carolina PressThe University of South Carolina Press , founded in 1944, is a university press that is part of the University of South Carolina.-External links:*...
. - Cordingly, David (1997). Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates. Harvest Books.
- Ellms, Charles. The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers. Salem, Massachusetts: Marine Research Society, 1924.
- Gosse, Philip. The History of Piracy. New York: Tudor Publishing, 1934.
- Lindsay, Philip. A Mirror for Ruffians. Ayer Publishing, 1939.
- Foster, Chris "Charles Gibbs" song written about the pirate on the audio CD titled Cayo Hueso
External links
- Charles Gibbs Treasure
- Charles Gibbs at Rob Ossian's Pirate Cove!