Henry Morgan : biography

Biography

Henry Morgan was born in the family of Robert Morgan, who was a landowner in the suburbs of Cardiff. But, having no inclination to his father’s business, Henry started to work as a ship’s boy. He worked at a ship which was going to island Barbados. As soon as the ship arrived, the boy was sold as a slave.

Having served his term, Morgan became free and moved to Jamaica, where he joined a pirate band. One of the pirate leaders, Edward Mansfield, made Morgan his vice-admiral. With the several campaigns, Morgan gathered a small capital and, combining with a few comrades, he bought a ship. Morgan was unanimously chosen the capital of the ship and the first campaign to sea cost of Spanish America brought him fame of a fortunate leader. After that other pirate ship started to join Morgan’s crew. That gave Morgan an opportunity quit grabbing single ships, floating in seas, and switch to more profitable campaigns, capturing whole cities, increasing the income tremendously.

Panama campaign

In 1671 Morgan decided to arrange a new campaign. On 18 January he made his way to Panama. Morgan had thirty five ships and thirty two canoes, which carried one thousand and two hundred people. On the tenth day they approached Panama and started their assault. The garrison of panama counted 2500 people, including cavalry and artillery subdivisions. However, by the end of the day the city was captured and everybody who resisted were damaged. As captain Morgan ordered, the pirated burnt the city. Because of the fact that most of the two thousand houses in Panama were wooden, the city turned into a big pile of ashes.

Having stayed in Panama for three weeks and having plundered everything they could approach on land and sea, Morgan and his crew left the city on 24 February 1671, leading fifty mules, loaded with silver, and a lot of captives for sale.

Vice-governor of Jamaica

Soon after Morgan came back to Jamaica, he was arrested (while he was in Panama, England and Spain concluded a treaty) together with the recalled governor Thomas Modiford, who actively supported Morgan’s robbery campaigns. Soon they were sent to England. Everybody thought that the royal court would hang Morgan for all his sins, and the court didn’t forget the benefits brought by the captain. After the pretence of the hearing of the case, the court gave judgment that the guilt was not determined. And soon Morgan was sent back to Jamaica and appointed as the vice-governor of Jamaica and the commander in chief of its naval forces.

Morgan died in 1688 and was buried with all the ceremonies becoming his position. The captain was buried in Port-Royal at Saint-Catherine church. Four years later, on 7 June 1692, a strong earthquake started and the grave of Sir Henry Morgan sank in the deep sea.