Born in Rhode Island, Charles Gibbs confessed to the murder of nearly 400 people over the course of his career as a pirate.

He originally took to the sea as a member of the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812. At some point after the war, he joined a privateering ship. Perhaps not content with the rewards of privateering, he led a successful mutiny and became captain of his first pirate ship.

He is best known for his cruelty, often slaughtering entire crews of the ships that he took.

With the riches he plundered as a pirate, he left the sea for a time. But, he squandered his money and in 1830 found himself a seaman again. He attempted another mutiny, but this time was unsuccessful—and he was hanged at Ellis Island in New York in 1831.

His final words were "No mercy did we ever show, for dead men tell no tales."