Pirates & Privateers: Jeremy Moss's Books

Mention Virginia and fighting pirates and most readers think of Governor Alexander Spotswood and his determination to bring down Blackbeard. But two decades earlier, another Virginian wages war against pirates and even takes part in the final battle that results in the capture of a notorious buccaneer.

In December 1698, Colonel Francis Nicholson set foot in Jamestown as Virginia’s new governor. It wasn’t his first stint as a colonial administrator. He had served as the colony’s lieutenant governor until stepping down in 1692. He spent the next six years governing Maryland. No matter where he served, he tended to make both friends and enemies. The former saw his as a protector, a devout defender of the colony and the church. The latter abhorred his temper and thought him arbitrary and overbearing. Moderation was a word that was absent from his vocabulary; its absence showed in his hatred of piracy and his determination to enforce the law, even though turning a blind eye to illicit trade was the norm among Britain’s American colonies.

In 1699, Louis Guittar came to piracy as a victim. He was one of the original buccaneers, a hunter who had skills that the pirates needed. For this reason, they forced him to become not just a fellow pirate but also their captain. His successes eventually garnered him a crew of 125. In the battle that brought about his downfall, the government expended a massive amount of gunpowder and shot.

Moss also discusses other pirates who preyed in Virginian waters. One of these accounts concerns a pirate who claimed to be William Kidd (he was not) and whose treasure amounted to £3,000,000. More importantly, he captured vital intelligence from a navy ship that helped further his piratical adventures.

Whenever possible, Moss relies on original source material to recount the story of Nicholson and Guittar, and he incorporates snippets from these primary documents throughout the narrative. Also included are maps, illustrations, end notes, and an index (although the last isn’t as detailed as some researchers may prefer). He contrasts Nicholson’s handling of pirates with two governors who colluded with them. Moss also explains how three buccaneers ended up funding the College of William and Mary in greater detail than is often found in pirate histories.

What sets this short volume of pirate history apart from others is its coverage of two men rarely mentioned in piratical accounts. Moss presents the information in a compelling way and incorporates details that expand on episodes that usually receive scant coverage. The fact that Nicholson actually participated to bring down Guittar, rather than sitting on the sidelines and having others do the hunting for him, is both fascinating and a rarity in piratical history. Colonial Virginia’s War Against Piracy is a welcome and enlightening addition to collections that focus on the buccaneering era of piracy.

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