Throughout history the legend and lore of pirates has been passed down largely by word of mouth...and in most cases it is hard to distinguish the truth from the exaggerated or merely made up. We are then tainted by the stories of fiction such as Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island and Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe. But what most do not know is that there are some accounts in existence that document actual pirate characters and their activities. In fact the conceptual basis of the latter two classics were based on true writings that the authors came to hear. On the other hand there is the other branch of the public who have accepted the imagery created by Hollywood and some literature as true bearings of what/who pirates were.

The following essays are dedicated to the pirates who literally became authors either by choice or by accident. Their story can help educate us further in interpreting where, when and why they committed these acts.
   

William Dampier (1652-1715)

William Dampier was a British buccaneer, navigator and hydrographer. He pursued adventure between the years 1679-1711. He was considered "the best known and probably the most intelligent, of the famous group of buccaneers who tormented the Spanish in the South Seas from 1680 to 1720"-Hill. Dampiers first voyage to the pacific began when he joined the buccaneers, although for a short period of time. The buccaneers crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1680 raiding Spanish settlements on the coast of South America. He then crossed the Pacific to the East Indies. He then became further involved in piracy and privateering during most of his travels afterward. His exploits led to the circumnavigating of the world three times.

One of the his most notable voyages he documented is his A New Voyage Around the World. Published in 1697, its content is best described by its subtitle "...Describing the world, describing particularly, the Isthmus of America, several coasts and islands in the West Indies...The South Sea coasts of Chili, Peru, and Mexico." In 1698, shortly after the first volume of his voyages received great acclaim, he was sent on a voyage of discovery to New Holland (Australia) in command of the HMS Roebuck with a commission as captain in the Royal Navy. This led to the printing of Voyage to New Holland in the year 1699. Which was added as a supplement to or in most cases bound with A New Voyage Around the World. He once again returned to Australia with another expedition exploring the south coast of New Guinea and discovered New Britain and Dampier Strait. Eventually completing the circumnavigation of the globe in 1701. In 1708-1711 Dampier sailed with Woodes Rogers as navigator on circumnavigating missions with were induced by privateering.

Sieur Raveneau de Lussan

Sieur Raveneau de Lussan was a French buccaneer. He was involved with several buccaneering expeditions which took place in the West Indies and the Pacific coast of South America. Apparently the author adopted the buccaneering profession "..in order to obtain money to pay his creditors and to return to his fashionable life in Paris". Regardless, he wrote a famous classic of buccaneering splendor called "Histoire des Filibustiers de la mer de Sud" published in 1689 which was later translated into English entitled "Journal of a Voyage into the South Seas in 1684 and the following years with the Filibusters".

Alexander Oliver Exquemelin (1645-1707)

What we know of him is limited to what he tells us in his book The Buccaneers of America. As with most of the accounts written in that time it was supported a large subtitles which read " a true account of the most remarkable assaults committed of late years upon the coasts of the West Indies by Buccaneers of Jamaica and Tortuga...Wherein are contained more especially the unparalleled exploits of Sir Henry Morgan, an English Jamaican hero who sacked Porto Bello, burnt Panama,etc." This book was first published in Dutch at Amsterdam in 1678 as De Americaenche Zee-Roovers. It was then translated into Spanish by Alonso de Bonne-Maison (A Dutch doctor) in 1681. Finally the English version was translated from the Spanish version in 1684. This is generally the interpretation found in copies sold today. Along with various changes to the text, the authors name was anglicized to that of John Esquemeling.

Born a Frenchman, most probably a native of Harfleur in Normandy, Exquemelin came to the new world as a indentured servant for the French West India Company in 1666. For three years he served on the island of Tortuga, a haven for buccaneers at the time. He then joined the buccaneers, possibly as a barber-surgeon. Alexander Exquemelin accompanied Henry Morgan, a legendary figure of piracy who later became the governor of Jamaica, on most of his expeditions. When writing about Morgan he wrote that the captain allowed his men to torture the citizens of the sacked city in order to confess to their hidden stashes of money and jewels. Morgan later denied these statements and further sued the publishers of the book, William Crooke and Thomas Malthus. Morgan won the lawsuit on the grounds that Buccaneers of America gave the description of him as a pirate. The publishers made the following public apology:

"There have been lately printed and published two works, one by Wil. Crook, the other by Tho. Malthus, both initialed The History of the Bucaniers: both which books contained many false, scandalous and malitious reflection on the life and actions of Sir Henry Morgan, of Jamaica, Kt. The said Sir Henry Morgan hath by judgment had in the Kingsbench-Court, recovered against the said libel 200£ damages. And on the humble solicitation and request of William Crook, hath been pleased to withdraw his action against Crook, and accept of his submission and acknowledgment in print."

This illustrates that Exquemelins writings did have an effect on the society of the time. He was also present at the attack on Cartagena in 1697. What makes this book such a important document, is that Exquemelin himself was a buccaneer and was present at the events he details in the book.

Hollywood owes much to this author, not only to the content of his writings but to the events and occupations of his life itself. Several characters in previous movies are portrayed as "Slaves turned pirate." Such as the character 'Morgan' in Morgan the Pirate. Even in one most recent motion picture the character, named 'Shaw', is a "surgeon" seeking work with little success and then joins a band of pirates.

Louis Le Golif

Louis Le Golif is perhaps the most un-confirmable pirate author on this list. He is generally unknown to most. Whether his writings were based on reality can never be proven. Attempts to authenticate his account have met mixed emotions.

The original manuscript was found in 1945 by Yves Hemar while clearing rubble from the cellar of his bombed out house in the city of Saint Malo. The manuscript was incomplete having lost part of the end to fire. His memoirs were published for the first time in 1954 under the title "The Memoirs of a Buccaneer. Being a Wondrous and Unrepentant Account of the Prodigious Adventures and Amours of King Louis XIV's Loyal Servant ...., known for his singular wound as Borgnefesse,Captain of the Buccaneers."

Apparently, Louis Le Golif was a school dropout that wandered aimlessly. As a vagabond he roamed the French countryside until he found his way on a ship to the West Indies. There he joined a group of buccaneers. These adventures taking place sometime during 1645-1660. The fact that he mentions Sieur Raveneau de Lussan's book "Journal of a Voyage into the South Seas in 1684 and the following years with the Filibusters",which was printed in 1689, makes him about 50 years old at the time of writing this journal.

His "account" is filled with adventure and romance. It collaborates historically in most cases although there are a few conflicting dates. Otherwise it is a very entertaining book, one in which an author would be proud of.

Sir Henry Mainwaring (1587-1653)

Sir John Mainwaring was a English vice-admiral who became attracted to the life of a corsair. He was originally a pirate hunter but in 1612 he sailed to the Mediterranean to prey on ships. Now a pirate, he hunted the waters and based himself on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

He eventually returned to England in 1616 and expectantly received a royal pardon. He later wrote about piracy and the means of its suppression.

Basil Ringrose (1653?-1686)

Basil Ringrose was a English buccaneer and surgeon. Ringrose wrote the rare account which was added as a fourth part of The Buccaneers of America in the second English edition. It can be found bound with the first three parts but scarcely as a separate book. Entitled "The South Seas Waggoner". Ringrose wrote about his adventures with Bartholomew Sharp's expedition across the Isthmus of Panama in 1680-1682. He drew numerous charts and views during these ventures. This account also provides us with a description of daily activities by the buccaneers.

Ringrose was killed during an attack on the city Santiago against the Spanish in Mexico

Woodes Rogers (Born?-1732)

Woodes Rogers was considered a privateer to the English, but to the Spanish he was a pirate as with all of the men listed here. Rogers led a privateering expedition which involved circumnavigating the world and harassing Spanish shipping in 1708 through 1711. William Dampier served as navigator. The expedition was quite successful, capturing bullion, precious stones and exotic silks from unfortunate Spanish vessels, all making it a most profitable voyage. Rogers wrote of this voyage in A Cruising Voyage Round the World: First to the South Seas, Thence to the East Indies, and Homeward by the Cape of Good Hope...Containing A Journal of All the Remarkable Transactions...An Account of Alexander Selkirk's Living Alone Four Years and Four Months on an Island.

From this book, printed in London in 1712, came the inspiration, source and spine for Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe. Woodes Rogers after navigating through Cape Horn rescued Alexander Selkirk from the island of Juan Fernandez. Selkirk was marooned there alone, being left behind by a Captain Stradling, for a period more than four years.

While attacking Spanish shipping on the West coast in 1709, Rogers succeeded in capturing the Acapulco Galleon. Famed for its exotic riches of the west Indies, this was great prize and along with other seized vessels made the expedition very profitable. The expedition charted a course which went as far north as California.

Woodes Rogers became Governor of the Bahamas in 1718. Like Henry Morgan, he was given the commission to clean out pirates which polluted the surrounding waters. England saw the advantage of having a 'pirate' hunt down other pirates.

Bartholomew Sharp (c.1650-1690?)

Bartholomew Sharp was a English buccaneer. He was active mainly between the years 1664-1690. Sharp along with several other known pirate figures (such as Henry Morgan, Lionel Wafer) were involved in the attack on Porto Bello in 1679. He commanded a barque which plowed the way to a series of land battles which took the Spanish city.

In 1680-1682 Sharp led a buccaneering expedition which plundered several Spanish settlements along the Western coast of South America. Sharp, like Morgan and Rogers, became a pirate hunter.

Bartholomew Sharp's account of the 1680-1682 buccaneering expedition became part of Esquemeling's Buccaneers of America. It is seldomly found as a separate book which is becoming extremely rare..

Capt. George Shelvocke

Capt. George Shelvocke became active while sailing in 1719 with an expedition to prey on Spanish Ships. He broke off from his superior officer against orders and proceeded on his own. Shelvocke and his crew sailed along the coast of South America as far up as California, where he noticed the soil might contain gold. He then crossed over to China seas and eventually returned to England.

In England he was arrested on charges of piracy. He was acquitted shortly after. His account "A Voyage Round the World By Way of The Great South Sea" was an apology for his conduct on the un-endorsed expedition as an answer to the proprietors who had brought suit against him.

Lionel Wafer (c.1660-1705)

Lionel Wafer was a English Buccaneer and surgeon. He began his nautical career in 1677 when he set out for the East Indies as a servant to the surgeon on board a ship called the Great Anne. His second voyage brought him to the West Indies. In Jamaica, he jumped ship and lived with his brother who worked on a plantation on the island. During this time, he practiced as a surgeon in Port Royal.

He eventually joined with the buccaneers in Jamaica. He partook in the concentrated plunder of the shipping bound to and from the Spanish Main with the noted buccaneer's Cook and Lynch. Later he joined with the buccaneers who were led under the command of Bartholomew Sharp. Around this time he meet William Dampier. In 1679, Wafer, Dampier and the buccaneers crossed the Isthmus of Darien. After the venture they returned to an island called Drake's Island, here the men found themselves un-united in direction which led to their separation into two groups. Wafer directed his followers to return to the Isthmus. In May 1681, he was accidentally injured by an unexpected explosion of gunpowder. Immobile due to his injuries he remained and was cared for by the Cuna Indians. For several months he absorbed the geography and culture of the residents, only returning to his group after regaining his health.

It is from these experiences that he wrote his New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of Panama in 1699. This document remains to us as an important account of which describes the natural history and inhabitants of South America. The author briefly summarized the content in the subtitle of his book: Giving an Account of the Author's Abode there, The Form and Make of the Country, the Coasts, Hills, Rivers, &c...Trees, Fruit, Beasts, Birds, Fish, &c. The Indian Inhabitants...their Manners, Customs...Hunting, Computation, Language, &c. With Remarkable Occurrences in the South Sea, and Elsewhere.

All essays written by Renato Cachina.