There really was a Stede Bonnet,and,yes,indeed,he was a retired British Army major.Infantry,I believe.
This was in the days when officers bought their commissions,and,the second son of a wealthy merchant could rise through the ranks easily and quickly.Consequently,one could achieve status with a minimal degree of competance,and,in his case,ability.
Bonnet was described as a short,plump,pudgy,and rather epicene man,Certainly,he was nobody's physical ideal of a pirate.He had retired at a rather early age,married a woman of vicious temper,and became a planter in the West Indies.
The marriage was unhappy,and,as divorce was almost impossible during that period,Bonnet decided to run away from home,piracy being the most logical option,given the location and the period.Unfortunatly,he had NO idea as to how to sail or navigate,knew nothing about commanding a gang of psychopaths,and went so far as to buy his own ship(the usual practice was to STEAL one),outfit it via the usual legal channels,and advertise for a crew,openl stating that they were going to be pirates.They then set sail.
Needing advice,he fell into league with Edward Teach,the notorious Blackbeard.Teach invited Bonnet aboard,ostensibly for a sociable drink and to impart some fatherly advice.No sooner was Bonnet on deck,however,when Blackbeard placed him under house arrest,had his own men take over Bonnet's ship,and sailed off for further adventures.
Needless to say,Bonnet was humiliated.However,he took advantage of this period,nad became proficient as a sailor and navigator.Blackbeard,eventually tiring of his joke,released the hapless Major.Bonnet started his own career as a pirate,and,while lacking Teach's ferocity,had his own streak of viciousness.Consequently,he became a noted crininal in his own right.It seems,by the way,that he was the only pirate who is reocorded as using the legendary from of execution "Walking the Plank."
In 1716,Bonnet,along with many of his cohorts,received a pardon,but,after returning to piracy,was eventually captured and hanged.
