John "Calico Jack" Rackham, so called for his preference for calico clothing, was a relatively unimpressive pirate. His captures were few and far from spectacular, and he was somewhat easily captured at the end of his career. Even his nickname was unimpressive--rather than being known for some act of daring or skill, he is known for wearing multicolored pants. One could assert that the only reason history remembers John Rackham is his relationship with Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Bonny and Read are the most infamous female pirates in American history, having escaped hanging only by claiming to be pregnant.

Career

Rackham's career is summarized in the following map, courtesy John White at Indian Bay:

According to a narrative by Defoe found in both A General History of the Pyrates and in The Pirates Own Book, Calico Jack's career began as a member of Captain Vane's crew. Jack was elected quartermaster of Vane's ship. On 23 October 1718, Vane's ship came upon a French Man-of-War whom Vane, being outgunned, decided not to attack. Although the crew did not object to a retreat while in the midst of the attack, Rackham did manage to lead a mutiny shortly thereafter. Captain Vane and his few supporters were sent off in a boat and the newly elected Captain Rackham and his crew then ran the ship.

Calico Jack's crew then made their way to Bermuda, where they made a few small captures and thence to Cuba. In Cuba, they lived somewhat dissolutely until they ran out of money. In 1719, Rackham decided to take advantage of an offer by Governor Rogers to gain a pardon in exchange for abandoning piracy. Rackham was not, unlike many other pirates who gained pardons, offered a naval commission, most likely because Rogers did not think Rackham would be able to catch many pirates or to fight Spanish warships well.

Anne Bonny

After receiving his pardon, Rackham and much of his crew remained in Nassau. It was there that Rackham met Anne Bonny. Jack and the reportedly promiscuous Anne Bonny fell in love, to the dismay of Bonny's husband. After unsatisfactory attempts to resolve the issue in court, Rackham and Bonny commandeered a new ship, disguising Anne Bonny as a man. They took a new crew and sailed the Bahamas as pirates. Unfortunately for Rackham, Anne's company was not good for his character. Rackham became jealous and drank more frequently.  Rackham even became jealous of the other woman on his crew, the still disguised Mary Read.  This irrationality would lead to Calico Jack's downfall.

The End of Calico Jack

Although Rackham's crew was not considered especially fearsome while Rackham himself was in charge, they were certainly feared while under the de facto command of Anne Bonny.  This increase in force attracted the attention of the British, and in 1720, Calico Jack's end came when his ship was attacked by Governor Roger's forces while in dock at Dry Harbor Bay.  With the exception of Mary Read, Anne Bonny and a few others, the crew of Rackham's ship was drunk and asleep.  This left only the two women and one other pirate on deck fighting off the entire attack.  Bonny, enraged by her cowardly and inebriated shipmates, fired into the cabins and killed a fellow crew member.  Jack and his crew were captured and most were hanged.  Bonny was pleased that Rackham would be hanged, saying that "If he had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a dog."

Bibliography

Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. 1724. Ed. Manuel Schonhorn. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1999.

Driscoll, Sally. "Anne Bonny: Background and Early Live, 'Revenge', and Trials". MASUltra Database via EBSCOHost. Great Neck Publishing, 2006.

Ellms, Charles. The Pirates Own Book: Authentic Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Robbers. Marine Research Society. Dover Publishing, Inc., 1993.

Means, Richard. "Jack Rackham (Calico Jack): Background, A Bonny Lass, and Hanged Like a Dog". MASUltra Database via EBSCOHost. Great Neck Publishing, 2006.

Rediker, Marcus. "When Women Pirates Sailed the Seas". Wilson Quarterly. 19930101, Vol. 17, Issue 4. From the Historical Abstracts Database via EBSCOHost.