matches were potentially costly for both sides and widely offered no monetary gains for the vengeful crew. “The Pirates were ruthless in revenging the death of their comrades, and slaughtered
Lappen 4 any man still found alive” (Cordingly 130). A pirate's life was an intertwined one; they shared in their accomplishments and their defeats, together they weathered many a storm, and only together did they reach their common goal.
Conversely, while these strong bonds were responsible for holding the crew together, if something caused them to fail, the whole system could come crashing down. Because pirating was not a legitimate business, the communal bonds which so powerfully held them together were also the only thing holding them together. As anyone with an ex
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There are multiple circumstances that could lead to such an outcome. First, while many pirates voluntarily joined, it was not uncommon for pirates to abduct and force crew members from captured ships into service, “All except one Irishman and the Captain were forced at pistol point to leave the ship and join the pirates” (Cordingly 106). All pirates, voluntary or not, were forced to sign a boat's articles, but these forced hands owed the pirates no loyalty only complying due to a fear for their lives, not a sense of community. If the pirates had enough unwilling hands on board, the oppressed crew could mutiny, at best commandeering the ship and turning the pirates in and at worst leaving the pirates with a few less men. If such inward discursion or mutiny were to happen, per se, during a heated battle with an enemy ship, the combined assault from within and without could mean the end for a pirate crew. Another motivator that could drive a crew apart was the very incentive which brought them together, booty. A particularly large haul could prove motive enough for a greedy individual. A good portion of Blackbeard's