A General History of the Pirates · Chapter
Of Captain John Phillips, and His Crew explained
This chapter recounts the career of John Phillips, a former carpenter who turned pirate after being captured by Anstis.
What happens
This chapter recounts the career of John Phillips, a former carpenter who turned pirate after being captured by Anstis. After a brief return to England, he fled to Newfoundland, where he conspired with a few men to seize a vessel and begin a new pirate venture. They drew up articles, elected officers, and set sail, capturing several small fishing vessels and recruiting more hands, including John Rose Archer, a former pirate under Blackbeard. The crew faced starvation before capturing a French sloop, then cleaned their vessel at Tobago. Internal tensions led to mutiny attempts, brutal punishments, and the killing of Captain Robert Mortimer. Eventually, the pirates headed for Newfoundland, with the captive carpenter Edward Cheeseman plotting with John Philmore to overthrow the pirate government.
Themes in this chapter
Corruption of Colonial Governance
The chapter shows how pirates like Phillips imposed their own brutal 'articles' and governance, while the legal system often condemned innocent men captured aboard pirate vessels.
Violence, Brutality, and Moral Depravity
Graphic depictions of amputation with a saw and red-hot axe, summary executions, and the killing of Captain Mortimer highlight the extreme violence of pirate life.
Pirate Democracy Versus Maritime Tyranny
The pirates' articles establish a pseudo-democratic code with shares and punishments, yet the captain's tyranny and brutal enforcement reveal the fragility of such 'freedom.'
Characters to notice
- John Phillips
Former carpenter turned pirate captain; led the crew after escaping England and seizing a vessel in Newfoundland.
- John Rose Archer
Former pirate under Blackbeard; taken from a fishing vessel and made quartermaster, causing resentment among the crew.
- Robert Mortimer
Captain of a Virginia ship; attempted to retake his vessel but was killed by Phillips and his pirates.
- Edward Cheeseman
Carpenter taken from a Virginia ship; sober and averse to piracy, he conspired with John Philmore to overthrow the pirates.
- John Filmore
Former captive who approached Cheeseman to join in a plot against the pirate crew.
- Thomas Fern
Carpenter who resented Archer's promotion; attempted to escape with a prize but was killed by Phillips.
Key passages
“hunger will break down stone walls”
Desperation for food drove the pirates to attack a superior French vessel.
Illustrates the theme of economic despair driving piracy.
“the carpenter was appointed, as the most proper man: upon which, he fetch’d up the biggest saw, and taking the limb under his arm, fell to work, and separated it from the body of the patient, in as little time as he could have cut a deal board in two”
The carpenter performed a crude amputation on a wounded pirate using a large saw, treating the limb like a piece of wood.
Highlights the brutality and lack of medical care aboard pirate ships.
“Thus was many an honest man’s case made most desperate by the consummate villainy of a few hardened wretches, who fear neither God or devil”
The author laments that innocent men forced into piracy were often condemned by the courts due to the actions of a few ruthless criminals.
Reflects the theme of law versus injustice and the plight of coerced pirates.
