Edward Davis (buccaneer) - Davis & Cook

Davis & Cook

In August 1683, while selling captured prizes in Virginia, he agreed to join a privateering expedition as a quartermaster under Cooke. Sailing eastward, they soon captured the 36-gun Delight (or Bachelor's Delight) shortly after arriving off West Africa. Sailing to the Pacific by way of Cape Horn, Davis and the others were joined by John Eaton before raiding Spanish cities along the coast of present day South and Central America.

Following the death of Cook in July 1684, the crew of the Delight elected Davis to succeed him. However, the expedition ran into some difficulty as a failed attack on El Realejo, Nicaragua would result in the departure of Eaton as well as raids against Paita, Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador turning up little of value (although the capture of several slave ships resulted in 15 slaves joining the crew).

Turning back towards Panama, he raided Spanish shipping carrying silver from Peru to Spain before joining forces with a fleet under the command of Francis Grognet, Pierre le Picard and a Captain Townley.

Sailing back towards Ecuador, he encountered the Cygnet under Captain Charles Swan and Peter Harris (the nephew of privateer Peter Harris killed in the "Pacific Adventure" only four years before) and persuaded them to join the expedition.

With the Delight, the Cygnet and various smaller captured Spanish vessels, he would successfully lead an attack with Charles Swan and others against Panama. Although they planned to attack the Peruvian silver fleet, Spanish officials managed to transfer over 500,000 pesos in two galleons and escorted by three smaller warships which was able to evade the awaiting pirate fleet by sailing in an outwardly westward course. While awaiting the treasure fleet, Davis and the others encountered a Spanish patrol off the coast of Peru on June 8 and were eventually chased by a Spanish fleet to Corba Island.