Henry Morgan wasn't a hero
Suddenly the game cuts to commercial after the inning ends. A commercial for Captain Morgan rum plays and you see this macho manly captain in a nice red coat and a long black beard raise his glass and drink a drink.
That man is Captain Henry Morgan one of the most successful pirates and a man who was famous enough in history to have his own Rum. Now just like in the commercial Captain Henry Morgan is generally viewed as this famous pirate who was a macho man and in some cases a War Hero.
Based on the image that was placed in your head by the commercial he is seen as a good leader who most likely treated his crew right and as most pirates left no mercy for who they were attacking.Only some of that assumption is true. The man was great leader and completed many raids with small crews and saw large success, but that leader was a heartless bastard and grew to treat his men like he would the civilians he pillaged.
Captain Henry Morgan as the name would suggest is a Pirate, but he was technically a privateer. Being a privateer gave a protection over him and the English would not go after him. In David Cordingly's book Under the Black flag there is a chapter titled Sir Henry Morgan there a portion of the chapter that talks about Morgan's reaction to Exquemelin's book that called Morgan a pirate.
Morgan was angered by the remark of Pirate and said the only person he served was the queen her Majesty. This book in particular also made it very clear to state that after every expedition that Morgan would send a statement to Jamaica and to the officials. Morgan's expeditions were also only after enemies of the English like Spain where he did most of his plundering.
Under The Black Flag ends its chapter when a treaty is struck between Spain the English. Since someone had to pay for all the crimes committed by Morgan and his crew over the years in places like Panama where towns were burned and civilians made slaves and killed. Spain would not be satisfied with anyone but Henry Morgan taking punishment since he ordered those dastardly deeds.
Henry Morgan is sent to England and was imprisoned for two years to satisfy the Spaniards and keep the treaty. After two years Morgan was released unharmed and was knighted by King Charles the 2nd for his bravery. Him being knighted is what promptly is the reason to why he is to this day seen as not a pirate but as governor of Jamaica a war hero who conquered Panama.
In Under the Black flag Henry Morgan is rarely referred to as a pirate. The chapter chooses to highlight his accomplishments and his genius and bravery as a privateer , but not as a pirate.
Henry Morgan is instead depicted as a fictitious and successful mercenary who should be looked up to and respected.
In Frank R. Stockton's book called Buccaneers and Pirates Henry Morgans Romantification is completely ripped from him. In the book there are several chapters dedicated to Henry Morgan and his journey and expeditions he made, but in this book he is seen as what he was a pirate. He led men through raids and his men were inspired by him and would follow him to their graves.
Captain Henry Morgan was successful and had many great feats but how he achieved those feats is nothing to respect at all. Early in his days as a pirate when Morgan only had 400 men at his disposal he attacked One of Spain's strongest town Porta Bello. The raid was at first not supposed to succeed, but Morgan got a game winning idea in his head. There was a wall protecting the Governor of Porta Bello and his soldiers. Morgan needed to get his men over that wall to kill the governor.
His plan was to build a ladder and have his men climb to the top and get over the wall, but a small problem would stop that plan. Morgans men would surly be shot on the way to placing the ladder on the large wall. Morgan before reaching this point had captured civilian nuns and monks of Porta Bello. He took those captives and against their wills made them carry the ladders. The innocent monks and nuns were held at gun point by Morgans pirates and used as human shields. The Nuns and Monks were shot by their own soldiers in order to stop Morgan. The attempt to stop Morgan was futile and his men eventually reached the top of the wall and took over Porta Bello.
This was the most cruel he had been to civilians, but his greed eventually made him turn on his own crew. Before his raid on Porta Bello he made a huge speech talking about how everyone's loot and booty will be great and divided equally. After two expeditions this view of equal share of treasure changes drastically. He for some reason starts to not trust his crew and makes tests that pushed their loyalty. All of these tests turn useless since eventually Morgan would leave his crew and after he was knighted would imprison and hang his former crew.
So the idea of Henry Morgan being this great respected privateer is only pure fiction. It is fiction that has been exploited by the glamour from companies like Captain Morgan rum. He was actually a bastard of a pirate who burned towns, killed and used civilians in some cases against their own people.
He is actually evil much like Cornal Hanz Landa. Hanz was one of the greatest natzi's in Tarantinos film called Inglorious Bastards. He was a great natzi since he was great at catching and killing Jews during world war 2. Hanz was viewed as great. Hitler in Germany invited Hanz to a very important movie screening sitting next to Hitler himself. Hanz was repected by his people in his ranks and the German military despite the terrible things he did. Captain Henry Morgan was just like this he was respected among people but the fact was that he was just a bastard.
Cordingly, David. Under the Black Flag: the Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006.
Stockton, Frank R. Buccaneers and Pirates. Dover Publications, 2007.
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