I'm going now for to tell'
             Benjamin Franklin, Colonial Williamsburg Press
             Historians consider Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, to be the most ruthless pirate of all time. He gained this reputation in part because of his physical appearance, his treatment of women, his crew, and his captives, and his notoriously brutal death.
             First of all, Blackbeard's appearance was enough to frighten the bravest of men. His beard was grizzly and black in a time that most men did not have beards. His hair was long and braided into pigtails, some of which were swept behind his ears, while others were tied with brightly colored ribbons (Day 18). Captain Johnson, who sailed with Blackbeard, stated that, "Captain Teach assumed cognomen of Blackbeard, from that large quantity of hair, which, like a frightful meteor, covered his whole face and frightened America more than any comet that has appeared there along time" (Cordingly 13).
             Blackbeard's size greatly added to his frightful appearance. He stood six feet four inches tall and weighed nearly two hundred-fifty pounds. Blackbeard was very intimidating because of his size, especially in a time when few men stood even six feet tall (Feder 44).
             When it was time for battle, Blackbeard added to his image to frighten his enemies. He stuck lighted matches under his tri-cornered hat. The matches were actually slow burning hemp cords, used in those days for firing cannons and grenades. When they were lit, these slow burning fuses created a swirl of smoke around the head of Blackbeard, giving him the appearance according to Captain Johnson, "of a fury from hell" (Sherry 235).
             Some of Blackbeard's clothing was quite abstract. He would oftentimes wear a colored velvet jacket with fully skirted chunky cuffs reaching to his elbows. At times, he would cover this with a scarlet cloak. He wore knee-high britches constructed of bright, clash...