John Halsey
Encyclopedia
John Halsey was a colonial American privateer and a later pirate who was active in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the early 18th century. Although much of his life and career is unknown, he is recorded in A General History of the Pyrates
which states "He was brave in his Person, courteous to all his Prisoners, lived beloved, and died regretted by his own People. His Grave was made in a garden of watermelons, and fenced in with Palisades to prevent his being rooted up by wild Hogs."
Born in Boston
, Halsey became a privateer in the service of Great Britain
commanding the 10-gun brigantine Charles during the War of the Spanish Succession
, or Queen Anne's War
as it was known in the American colonies, and raided French fishing fleets in the Newfoundland and later sailed to Fayal in the Azores
and the to the Canary Islands
where he attacked Spanish ships en route to Barcelona
during 1704. During the voyage, several of his men deserted as he put his lieutenant ashore at Cape Verde
. However they were subsequently returned to Halsey by the Portuguese governor who recognized the validity of his privateer's commission.
However, as his letter of marque
expired the following year, he turned to piracy and sailed to Madagascar. As he made his way through the Cape of Good Hope
, putting into Augustine Bay for water, wood and other provisions, Halsey picked up several castaway sailors of the lost Degrave, formerly under the command of Captain Young. Leaving Augustine, he sailed for the Red Sea
in search of treasure ships the Great Mogul of India operated in the Indian Ocean.
In late 1706, the Charles spotted a large Dutch ship which Halsey declined to attack, reluctant to offend a European power. His crew condemned the captain and his gunner for cowardice and relieved them of their posts. The crew, who presumed the ship to be a lone merchantman, pressed forward with their attack only to discover, as they approached their intended victim, that the Dutch ship was well gunned. It fired a warning shot towards the Charles, which injured a crew member manning the wheel as well as unstripping the swivel gun and severely damaging the topsail. The Dutch attack caught the crew off guard and many to fled into the ship's hold. Despite the damage, the Charles escaped and Halsey was reinstated as commander shortly afterwards.
After seizing two coastal traders off the Nicobar Islands
in February 1707, he sailed to the Straits of Malacca fared poorly due to the low morale of the crew following the incident of the Dutch ship.
Returning to Madagascar
, Halsey recruited additional men including his Quartermaster Nathaniel North
. Setting sail for Mocha
, he encountered a British squadron consisting of five warships shortly after entering the Red Sea
in August 1707. Despite facing a combined 62 guns, Halsey chose to engage the British fleet and, after forcing the largest to flee, the remaining warships scattered with Halsey capturing two of the warships, along with £50,000 in money and cargo.
Following his return to Madagascar in January 1708, his flotilla was virtually destroyed in a hurricane. Halsey died of a fever soon after.
A General History of the Pyrates
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates is a 1724 book published in Britain, containing biographies of contemporary pirates. Influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates, it is the prime source for the biographies of many well known pirates...
which states "He was brave in his Person, courteous to all his Prisoners, lived beloved, and died regretted by his own People. His Grave was made in a garden of watermelons, and fenced in with Palisades to prevent his being rooted up by wild Hogs."
Born in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Halsey became a privateer in the service of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
commanding the 10-gun brigantine Charles during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, or Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
as it was known in the American colonies, and raided French fishing fleets in the Newfoundland and later sailed to Fayal in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and the to the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
where he attacked Spanish ships en route to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
during 1704. During the voyage, several of his men deserted as he put his lieutenant ashore at Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. However they were subsequently returned to Halsey by the Portuguese governor who recognized the validity of his privateer's commission.
However, as his 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...
expired the following year, he turned to piracy and sailed to Madagascar. As he made his way through the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, putting into Augustine Bay for water, wood and other provisions, Halsey picked up several castaway sailors of the lost Degrave, formerly under the command of Captain Young. Leaving Augustine, he sailed for the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
in search of treasure ships the Great Mogul of India operated in the Indian Ocean.
In late 1706, the Charles spotted a large Dutch ship which Halsey declined to attack, reluctant to offend a European power. His crew condemned the captain and his gunner for cowardice and relieved them of their posts. The crew, who presumed the ship to be a lone merchantman, pressed forward with their attack only to discover, as they approached their intended victim, that the Dutch ship was well gunned. It fired a warning shot towards the Charles, which injured a crew member manning the wheel as well as unstripping the swivel gun and severely damaging the topsail. The Dutch attack caught the crew off guard and many to fled into the ship's hold. Despite the damage, the Charles escaped and Halsey was reinstated as commander shortly afterwards.
After seizing two coastal traders off the Nicobar Islands
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...
in February 1707, he sailed to the Straits of Malacca fared poorly due to the low morale of the crew following the incident of the Dutch ship.
Returning to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Halsey recruited additional men including his Quartermaster Nathaniel North
Nathaniel North (pirate)
Nathaniel North was a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy who operated in the Indian Ocean. He served under John Bowen and succeeded him as captain of the Defiant following Bowen's retirement in 1704. After losing the Defiant, he was ruler of a pirate colony at Ambonavoula made up of his former...
. Setting sail for Mocha
Mocha, Yemen
Mocha or Mokha is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Until it was eclipsed in the 19th century by Aden and Hodeida, Mocha was the principal port for Yemen's capital Sana'a.-Overview:...
, he encountered a British squadron consisting of five warships shortly after entering the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
in August 1707. Despite facing a combined 62 guns, Halsey chose to engage the British fleet and, after forcing the largest to flee, the remaining warships scattered with Halsey capturing two of the warships, along with £50,000 in money and cargo.
Following his return to Madagascar in January 1708, his flotilla was virtually destroyed in a hurricane. Halsey died of a fever soon after.
Further reading
- Pringle, Patrick. Jolly Roger: The Story of the Great Age of Piracy. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-486-41823-5
- Rogozinski, Jan. Pirates!: Brigands, Buccaneers, and Privateers in Fact, Fiction, and Legend. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. ISBN 0-306-80722-X
- Rogozinski, Jan. Honor Among Thieves: Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 2000. ISBN 0-8117-1529-9
- Seitz, Don Carlos, Howard F. Gospel and Stephen Wood. Under the Black Flag: Exploits of the Most Notorious Pirates. Mineola, New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2002. ISBN 0-486-42131-7