Captain Henry Morgan

Thanks to the creation of the internet, everything that happens has a thorough record. From news reports on presidential elections to high schoolers’ spring breaks, the internet has become a vast collection of daily events. Those who lived back in the 1600s, though, were not so lucky. No one was keeping a record of what was happening everywhere at all times. Due to this, history on some events or people may have some differences from source to source. Captain Henry Morgan was not immune to this. Whether it be due to an author’s personal opinion on him, or just a spotty memory written down after some time had passed, records of his actions have a few variations from source to source.

In Chapter 3 of Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly, Captain Morgan is revered as “the greatest of the buccaneers.” He served as the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and owned many acres of land in which he established sugar plantations. Prior to this rather simple lifestyle, he was an ambitious and successful pirate in the Caribbean Sea, as well as many surrounding waters. Morgan’s successes were such marvels that King Charles II granted him a knighthood, as well as his position as Jamaica’s Lieutenant Governor.

Contrary to this, many see him as a vicious barbarian, who only left destruction in his path. Morgan and his crew are spoken of as a “horde of ravenous scoundrel” in Frank Stockton's Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts.

Even opinions on Captain Henry Morgan were split while he was alive. In fact, Morgan sued publishers of Excuemelin’s journal for libel because they were spreading information that was damaging to his image.

Thorough and accurate records of historical events from the 1600s are hard to come by, therefore it is important for many sources to be referenced in order to get a full picture of what actually happened. Henry Morgan accomplished many things in his lifetimes, including making many enemies, so whether or not he was a great man is hard to define.