Born: c. 1800
Died: April 22, 1831

Although he lived almost one hundred years after the “golden age” of piracy, Charles Gibbs was a highly successful pirate who plundered tens of thousands of dollars in goods—and murdered with little hesitation.

A wanted man

Born in Rhode Island at the end of the eighteenth century, Gibbs went to sea as a teenager. As a seaman during the War of 1812 (a conflict between the United States and Great Britain), he sailed with a number of privateers (legalized pirates), earning a reputation as an able fighter. Later, as a privateer aboard an Argentinean ship, Gibbs looted ships in the Caribbean.

By 1821 Gibbs had crossed the fine line that distinguished privateers from pirates. After signing on as a member of a ship’s crew, he determined how he could best profit from his position. Taking advantage of a...