Jean Lafitte
Encyclopedia
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer
in the Gulf of Mexico
in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places named for him.
Lafitte is believed to have been born either in France or the French colony of Saint-Domingue
. By 1805, he operated a warehouse in New Orleans to help disperse the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre Lafitte
. After the United States government passed the Embargo Act of 1807
, the Lafittes moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay
. By 1810, their new port was very successful; the Lafittes pursued a successful smuggling operation and also started to engage in piracy.
Though Lafitte tried to warn Barataria of a British attack, the American authorities successfully invaded in 1814 and captured most of Lafitte's fleet. In return for a pardon, Lafitte helped General Andrew Jackson
defend New Orleans against the British in 1815. The Lafittes then became spies for the Spanish and moved to Galveston Island
, which they called Campeche, where they developed the colony there.
Lafitte continued pirating around Central American ports until he died trying to capture Spanish vessels in 1823. Speculation around his death and life continue amongst historians.
A number of details about Jean Lafitte's early life are obscure and often contradictory. In one document, Lafitte claimed to have been born in Bordeaux, France, in 1780. He and his brother Pierre
alternately claimed to have been born in Bayonne
, while other documents of the time place his birthplace as St. Malo or Brest
. However, as Lafitte's biographer Jack C. Ramsay states, "this was a convenient time to be a native of France, a claim that provided protection from the enforcement of American law." Further contemporary accounts claim that Lafitte was born in Orduna
, Spain or even Westchester, New York.
(now Haiti
). It was not uncommon in the late 18th century for the adult children of the French landowners in Saint-Domingue to resettle in the Mississippi River
delta, also owned by France. Families with the surname Lafitte are mentioned in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. According to Ramsay, Lafitte, his elder brother Pierre, and his widowed mother journeyed from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans, Louisiana
, in the 1780s. In approximately 1784, his mother married Pedro Aubry, a New Orleans merchant; Jean stayed with his mother, while Pierre was raised by extended family elsewhere in Louisiana.
According to Ramsay's theory, as a young man, Lafitte likely spent a great deal of time exploring the wetland and bayou country south of New Orleans. In later years, he was described as having "a more accurate knowledge of every inlet from the Gulf than any other man". His elder brother became a privateer
, probably operating from Saint-Domingue, which frequently issued letters of marque. Lafitte likely helped his brother to disperse the merchandise. By 1805, he was thought to be running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street
.
, France, the son of Pierre Lafitte and his second wife, Marguerite Desteil. The couple had six children, with at least three being daughters. Jean Lafitte was likely born in 1782, although he was not baptized until 1786. Pierre Lafitte also had one child, also named Pierre, from his first marriage to Marie LaGrange, who likely died in childbirth. The boys were likely given a basic education.
Although acknowledging that details of Lafitte's first twenty years are sparse, Davis speculates that Lafitte spent much time at sea as a child, probably aboard ships owned by his father, a known trader. Davis places Lafitte's brother Pierre in Saint-Domingue in the late 1790s and early 19th century. Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution
, in early 1803, Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans. By 1806, several "Captain Lafitte"s operated in New Orleans; Jean Lafitte was likely one of them.
Louisiana had become a United States territory in 1804. In January 1808 the government began to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807
, which barred American ships from docking at any foreign port. This was problematic for New Orleans merchants. In response, the Lafitte brothers began to look for another port from which they could smuggle goods to local merchants. They established themselves on the small and sparsely populated island of Barataria, in Barataria Bay
. The bay was located beyond a narrow passage between the barrier islands of Grande Terre and Grande Isle
. Barataria was far from the U.S. naval base and ships could easily smuggle in goods without being noticed by customs officials. After being unloaded, the merchandise would be reloaded onto pirogue
s or barges for transport through the bayous to New Orleans.
Pierre established himself in New Orleans and served as a silent partner, looking after their interests in the city. Jean Lafitte spent the majority of his time in Barataria managing the daily hands-on business of outfitting privateers and arranging the smuggling of stolen goods. By 1810, the island had become a booming port. Seamen flocked to the island, working on the docks or at the warehouses until they were chosen as crew for one of the privateers.
Lafitte was unhappy with the length of time it took to get goods from the port to the merchants; navigating the swamps could take a full week. In 1812, Lafitte and his men began holding auctions at the Temple, a memorial mound halfway between Grande Terre and New Orleans.
Dissatisfied with their role as primarily a broker, in October 1812 the Lafitte brothers purchased a schooner
and hired a Captain Trey Cook to sail it as a privateer
. The schooner did not have an official commission. In January 1813 they received their first prize, a Spanish hermaphrodite brig loaded with 77 slaves. Sale of the slaves and additional cargo generated $18,000 in profits and the brothers turned the captured ship into another privateer, named Dorada. Within weeks, Dorada captured a schooner loaded with over $9,000 in goods. The captured schooner was not considered a good fit for privateering, so after unloading its cargo the Lafittes gave the ship back to its former captain and crew. The Lafittes gained a reputation for treating captive crew members well, and often gave the ships back to their original crew.
The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligent. The ship was outfitted with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. Dorada captured their fourth ship, a schooner they renamed Petit Milan. The brothers stripped down their original schooner, using its guns to outfit the new ship. They now sailed three ships, which Davis described as likely "one of the largest privately owned corsair fleets operating on the coast, and the most versatile". For several months, the Lafittes would send the ships directly to New Orleans with a legal cargo and would take on outgoing provisions in the city. The crew would then create a manifest that listed not the provisions that had actually been purchased, but instead smuggled items that awaited at Barataria. Customs agents were uninterested in which goods were leaving New Orleans and rarely checked the accuracy of the manifest. The ship would then sail to the mouth of Bayou Lafourche
and load the contraband goods, which they could then legally sail back to New Orleans, as those goods were listed on their manifest.
took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson
as acting governor. Robertson was incensed by Lafitte's operation, labeling the men on the island "brigands who infest our coast and overrun our country". The citizens of New Orleans did not share Robertson's hostility, but were grateful to the Lafittes for providing them with luxuries the embargo would have otherwise prevented. When Claiborne returned to office he remained relatively quiet on the subject.
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain
. Britain maintained a powerful navy, but the United States had little naval power. To supplement their navy, the United States offered letters of marque to private armed vessels. New Orleans issued six of these letters, primarily to smugglers who worked with Lafitte at Barataria. The smugglers often held letters of marque from multiple countries, authorizing them to capture booty from differing nations. Booty from captured British ships would be properly submitted to the American authorities at New Orleans, while booty from all other ships was often channelled through Lafitte's operation. The smuggling operations reduced the amount of revenue that the customs offices could collect, and American authorities were determined to halt the Barataria operations. Because the United States Navy did not have enough ships to act against the Baratarian smugglers, the government turned to legal action. On November 10, 1812, United States District Attorney John R. Grymes charged Lafitte with "violation of the revenue law". Three days later, 40 soldiers were sent to ambush the Baratarians; they captured Lafitte, his brother Pierre, and 25 unarmed smugglers on November 16 and confiscated several thousand dollars of contraband. The smugglers were released after posting bond and disappeared, refusing to return for a trial.
Despite being under indictment, in March 1813 Lafitte registered himself as captain of Le Brig Goelette la Diligente for a supposed journey to New York. Biographer Jack Ramsay speculates that the voyage was intended to "establish...[Lafitte] as a privateering captain". Lafitte soon gained a letter of marque from Cartagena
, but never sent any booty there; instead, all prizes in which he was involved were landed at Barataria.
Lafitte's continued flouting of the laws angered Governor Claiborne, who on March 15 issued a proclamation against the Baratarian "banditti ... who act in contravention of the laws of the United States ... to the evident prejudice of the revenue of the federal government". The proclamation was printed in the nationally read Niles' Weekly Register.
In October, a revenue officer prepared an ambush of a band of Lafitte's smugglers. The smugglers wounded one of the authorities and fled in safety, with their contraband. The following month, the governor offered a $500 reward for Lafitte's capture. Within two days of his offer, handbills were posted all over New Orleans offering a similar award for the arrest of the governor. Although the handbills were made in Lafitte's name, Ramsay believes "it is unlikely [the handbills] originated with him". Following the reward offer, Lafitte wrote Claiborne a personal note denying the charges of piracy.
The success of the auctions at the Temple encouraged Lafitte to launch a similar auction just outside New Orleans in January 1814. Officials attempted to break up this auction, and in the ensuing gunfight one of the revenue officers was killed and two others were wounded. Many of the city's merchants were also unhappy with this auction, which allowed their customers to buy goods directly from Lafitte at a lower price than the merchants could charge.
Angry at this blatant violation of the revenue laws, Claiborne appealed to the new state legislature. He requested approval to raise a militia company to "disperse those desperate men on Lake Barataria whose piracies have rendered our shores a terror to neutral flags." The legislature appointed a committee to study the matter, but as most of their constituents benefitted by the smuggling, no militia was ever raised. Authorities did convince a grand jury to indict Pierre after one of the leading merchants in the city testified against him. Pierre was arrested and jailed on charges of "having knowingly and wittingly aided and assisted, procured, commanded, counselled, and advised" persons to commit acts of piracy".
. On September 3, 1812, the British ship HMS Sophie
fired on a smuggling ship that was returning to Barataria. The smaller privateer grounded itself in shallow water where the larger British ship could not follow. The British raised a white flag and launched a small dinghy with several officers. Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway.
The commander of the Sophia, Captain Nicholas Lockyer, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". He was accompanied by British army Captain McWilliams, who had been given a package to deliver to Lafitte. The Baratarians invited the British officers to row to their island. Only when they had disembarked and were surrounded by Baratarians did Lafitte identify himself to them. Many of the smugglers wanted to lynch the British men, but Lafitte intervened, even placing guards outside his home so that the more unruly of his men would not interfere. McWilliams presented the packet to Lafitte. It contained two letters. The first was written under the seal of King George III and offered the Baratarians British citizenship and landholdings in the British colonies in the Americas if they promised to assist in the naval fight against the United States and return any recent property that had been taken from Spanish ships. If they refused the offer, the British Navy would destroy Barataria. The second letter was a personal note to Lafitte from McWilliams' superior, urging him to accept the offer.
Lafitte was convinced that the United States would eventually prevail in the war, and he believed that he could more effectively defeat the United States revenue officers than he could the British navy. He had also been informed, however, that throughout August, American authories, under Commodore Daniel Patterson
, had been planning an assault on Barataria. The Americans feared that the Baratarians would side with the British. Lafitte needed to convince the Americans that they had nothing to fear from him.
His initial response was that few of his men would be willing to assist the British, but he requested 15 days to consider the offer. Lafitte quickly created copies of the letters and sent them to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. In a personal note, Lafitte reminded Blanque that Pierre was still in jail and deserved an early release. Lafitte further included a note to Claiborne, proclaiming that "I am the stray sheep, wishing to return to the sheepfold ... If you were thoroughly acquainted with the nature of my offenses, I should appear to you much less guilty, and still worthy to discharge the duties of a good citizen." Lafitte volunteered himself and his men for any defensive measures needed by New Orleans. Within two days of Lafitte's notes, Pierre "escaped" from jail.
Although Lafitte hoped that his missives would prove his loyalty to the United States, on September 13 Patterson set sail aboard the USS Carolina
for Barataria. He was accompanied by six gunboats and a tender
. The fleet anchored off Grande Terre and the gunboats attacked. By midmorning, 10 armed privateers formed a battle line in the bay. Within a short period of time, however, Lafitte's men abandoned their ships - setting several on fire - and fled. Patterson's men went ashore and found no resistance. Although 80 Baratarians were captured, Lafitte escaped safely. The Americans took custody of six schooner
s, one felucca
, and a brig
, as well as 20 cannon and goods worth $500,000. On September 23, Patterson and his fleet, including all of the captured ships, began the return trip to New Orleans. The raid was widely published and hailed by the Niles' Weekly Register as "a major conquest for the United States". Lafitte was personally described in that newspaper as "a man who, for about two years past, has been famous for crimes that the civilized world wars against. ... [He] is supposed to have captured one hundred vessels of all nations, and certainly murdered the crews of all that he took, for no one has ever escaped him."
Following the custom of the times, Patterson filed a legal claim for the profits from the confiscated ships and merchandise. An attorney representing Lafitte argued that the captured ships had flown the flag of Cartagena, an area at peace with the United States. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the United States, but had prepared their vessels only to flee. The judge ruled that profits from the goods that had already been sold should go to Patterson, but did not settle the ownership of the ships, which remained in port under custody of the United States marshal. Likely inspired by Lafitte's offer to help defend Louisiana, Governor Claiborne wrote the US Attorney General, Richard Rush
requesting a pardon for the Baratarians, explaining that for generations smugglers were "esteemed honest ... [and] sympathy for these offenders is certainly more or less felt by many of the Louisianans". Shortly after, Claiborne wrote to General Andrew Jackson
, according to Ramsay "implying Patterson had destroyed a potential first line of defense for Louisiana." Jackson responded, ""I ask you, Louisianans, can we place any confidence in the honor of men who have courted an alliance with pirates and robbers".
On December 23, advance units of the British fleet reached the Mississippi River. Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was too short, allowing the British to potentially encircle the American troops. He proposed that the line be extended to a nearby swamp, and Jackson immediately ordered the extension. The British began firing at the American lines on December 28, but were repulsed by an artillery crew manned by two of Lafitte's former lieutenants, Renato Beluche and Dominique Youx. Patterson widely praised the Barataria men who had agreed to serve on one of the US Navy ships, and whose skill at the artillery was much greater than their British counterparts. The gunners—on both land and sea—continued to garner praise as the battle stretched on. On January 21, Jackson issued a statement praising his troops, especially the cannooneers and "Captains Dominique and Beluche, lately commanding privateers of Barataria with part of their former crews and many brave citizens of New Orleans, were stationed at Nos. 3 and 4." Jackson also singled out Jean and Pierre Lafitte for having "exhibited the same courage and fidelity". Jackson then formally requested clemency for the Lafittes and the men who had served under them. They were all granted a full pardon on February 6.
. The brothers were collectively known as "Number thirteen". Pierre would keep the Spanish informed of happenings in New Orleans, and Jean was sent to Galveston Island
, a part of Spanish Texas
that served as the home base of privateer Louis-Michel Aury
, who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary. By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. Lafitte visited in March 1817. Two weeks into his stay, the two leaders of the revolutionaries left the island. The following day, Lafitte took command of the island and appointed his own officers. On April 18, he sailed for New Orleans to report his activities. With Spanish permission, Lafitte returned to Galveston, promising to make weekly reports of the activities there.
Lafitte's motives were not selfless; he essentially turned Galveston Island into a new Barataria. Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. It had the advantage of being outside the authority of the United States, and it was largely uninhabited, except by Karankawa
s.
Lafitte quickly began improving his new colony, naming it Campeche after the Mexican outpost further down the coast. Existing houses were torn down, and 200 new, sturdier buildings were constructed. Ships operating from Galveston flew the flag of Mexico
, but they engaged in no revolutionary activities, as Lafitte worried about a potential Spanish invasion. Aury returned to Galveston several months later, but left in July when he realized that the men were unwilling to revolt.
In less than a year, Lafitte's colony grew to 100–200 men and several women. All newcomers were personally interviewed by Lafitte and required to take an oath of loyalty to him. The headquarters of the operation was a two-story building facing the inland harbor, where landings were made. The building was surrounded by a moat and painted red; it became known as Maison Rouge. Most regular business was conducted aboard Lafitte's ship, The Pride, where he also lived. Lafitte created letters of marque from a nonexistent nation for all of the ships sailing from Galveston. These letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations.
In April 1818, the United States passed a law prohibiting the import of slaves into any port in the United States. The law left several loopholes, however. It essentially gave permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country from which it originated. Furthermore, any newly imported slaves who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits of the sale going to the people who turned them in. Lafitte worked with several smugglers, including Jim Bowie
, to profit from the poorly written law. Lafitte's men would target ships that carried slaves. Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials. A representative of the smuggler would purchase the slaves at the ensuing auction, and the smuggler would be given half of the purchase price. The smuggler was then the lawful owner of the slaves and could transport them to sell in other parts of the United States.
The colony experienced hardships in 1818. After a Karankawa woman was kidnapped, the Indian tribe attacked and killed five members of Lafitte's colony. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Indians, killing most of the men in the tribe. A hurricane in September covered almost all of the island in water, killing several people and destroying four ships and most buildings. Only six homes were habitable afterwards.
Around 1820, Lafitte reportedly married Madeline Regaud, possibly the widow or daughter of a French colonist who had died during an ill-fated expedition to Galveston. In 1821, the schooner
was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf after one of the pirate's captains attacked an American merchant ship. Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and in 1821 or 1822 departed on his flagship, the Pride, burning his fortress and settlements and reportedly taking immense amounts of treasure with him. All that remains of Maison Rouge is the foundation, located at 1417 Avenue A near the Galveston wharf.
Lafitte and his men continued to take Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico, often returning to Galveston or the barrier islands near New Orleans to unload cargo or take on supplies that had been left by Pierre. The congressional delegation in Louisiana began to demand that the federal government do something to halt the smuggling, and more U.S. Navy ships were sent to the Gulf. The number of active pirates began to decline.
In October or November 1821, Lafitte's ship was ambushed as he attempted to ransom back a recent prize. He and a few crewman initially escaped but he was soon taken prisoner and jailed. On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. Over the next few months, Lafitte established a base along the coast of Cuba, bribing local officials with a share of the profits. In late April, Lafitte was captured after taking his first American ship. The American warship which captured him turned Lafitte over to the local authorities, who promptly released him.
Lafitte and other pirates operating in the area began targeting ships carrying legal goods to Cuba, angering Cuban officials. By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in Colombia
, whose government had begun commissioning former privateers into their new navy. Lafitte was granted a commission and given a new ship, a 40-ton schooner named General Santander. For the first time, Lafitte was legally authorized to take Spanish ships.
Lafitte continued to patrol the shipping lanes around Cuba. In November 1822, he made news in the American press after escorting an American schooner through the pirate-strewn area and providing them with extra cannon balls and food.
In February 1823, Lafitte was cruising off the town of Omoa, Honduras on his 43 ton armed Colombian schooner named General Santander. Omoa was the site of the largest Spanish fort in Central America and it guarded the silver shipments from the mines of Tegucigalpa to overseas destinations. Lafitte attempted to take what appeared to be two Spanish merchant vessels on the night of February 4. It was cloudy and visibility was low that night. His misjudgement would prove to be fatal. The Spanish ships appeared to be fleeing but at 10:00pm made some lantern signals and turned back for a frontal counterattack. The Spanish ships were actually heavily armed Spanish privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. Lafitte was wounded in the battle and died just after dawn on February 5. He was buried at sea in the Gulf of Honduras
.This account of Lafitte's death is not accepted by all historians. Ramsay believes that Lafitte died of a fever in 1826 or 1827 on Isla Mujeres
just northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. (Ramsay (1996), pp. 129–133.) Davis recounts a similar story, but maintains that the man who died on this island was Pierre Lafitte, and that the death occurred in late 1821. (Davis (2005), pp. 453–5.) Two obituaries have been found for Lafitte: the Gaceta de Cartagena and the Gaceta de Colombia wrote that "the loss of this brave naval officer is moving". No American newspaper ever carried an obituary for him.
Davis writes that Lafitte's death may have been a blessing; by 1825 piracy had been essentially eradicated in the Gulf of Mexico, and "the new world of the Gulf simply had no room for [his] kind". There was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had died. Rumors abounded: that he changed his name after leaving Galveston and disappeared; that he was killed by his own men shortly after leaving Galveston; that he rescued Napoleon and they both died in Louisiana. In 1843, Mirabeau B. Lamar
investigated many of the Lafitte stories and concluded that while there were no authentic records of death, Lafitte was likely dead. By this time, Lafitte's only known son, Jean Pierre Lafitte, was also dead; he perished during an epidemic in New Orleans in October 1832.
Ramsay compares the number of legends surrounding the life and death of Lafitte to those about King Arthur
and Robin Hood
. Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations, including Galveston and many locations along coastal Louisiana, such as Contraband Bayou
in Lake Charles
. Ramsay believes that over time, almost "every foot of Grande Isle has been spaded for pirate gold". In 1909, a man was given a six-year prison sentence for fraud after swindling thousands of dollars from people by claiming that he knew where the Lafitte treasure was buried.
A search for the treasure of Lafitte extended to the draining of Indian Bayou in the mid 1920's. As an arm of the Natalbany River in Springfield, La., the entire bayou was dyked and drained in a dedicated search that was financed exclusively to search for the treasure of Lafitte. An Indian dugout canoe was found in the mud, retrieved and resides at the Cabildo in New Orleans, La. Mysteriously, the crew and all the workman broke camp without a word and left one night after several weeks of work. A warehouse had been located in the same area of Indian Bayou serving as a transfer point on the east side of Springfield for trade from New Orleans which also confirms the viability of the route Lafitte took from New Orleans.
The legends have been expanded through a multitude of fictional works. The first novel featuring Lafitte was the 1826 The Memoirs of Lafitte, or The Baratarian Pirate; a Narrative Founded on Fact. Several years later, many Americans assumed that Lord Byron's poem "The Corsair" was based on the life of Lafitte; the work sold over 10,000 copies on its first day of sale. By 1840, Lafitte was commonly known "as a fatal lothario with women, and a cold-blooded murderer of men who yet observed some forms of honor".
The first serious biography of Lafitte, Historical Sketch of Pierre and Jean Lafitte, the Famous Smugglers of Louisiana, was written by Charles Gayarre and published in 1883. Other biographies followed; a 1930 book by Lyle Saxon served as the basis for the Cecil B. DeMille
movie The Buccaneer
. The movie was remade in 1958
, starring Yul Brynner
as Lafitte. Perhaps the most recent film on Lafitte can be seen at The Pier 21 Theater off The Strand in Galveston, which has a year-round screening of the 18 minute film called The Pirate Island of Jean Lafitte, directed by C. Grant Mitchell (this movie appears to have been made after the 1980s).
In 1948, John Andrechyne Laflin approached the Missouri Historical Society with a document he claimed was a journal Lafitte kept from 1845 until 1850. When the historical society could not authenticate the claim, Laflin approached Louisiana author Stanley Arthur, who wrote Jean Laffitte: Gentleman Rover based on the journal. In 1958, Laflin self-published an English translation of the journal, but he refused to allow anyone to see the original documents until 1969, when he sold them to a professional document dealer. The paper and ink were analyzed and confirmed to be of mid-19th century origin. An archivist for Bexar County, Texas
soon declared the papers authentic. In 1980, the manuscript was donated to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
in Texas, and became available to researchers for the first time. Many researchers noticed a similarity between Laflin's handwriting and the writing in the journal. Laflin has also been accused of forging letters from Abraham Lincoln
, Andrew Jackson
, and Davy Crocket. Most historians now believe the Lafitte journal to be a forgery.Ramsay believes the documents were written by Laflin's ancestor, Matthew Laflin (1803–1854), who may have convinced his descendants that he was Jean Lafitte.(Ramsay (1996), pp. 151–2.) Handwriting analysis shows similarities between John Laflin's handwriting and that of the journal, however. (Nickell (2005), p. 73.)
Since 1957, the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana
devotes an annual festival, Contraband Days
, to Lafitte. Held during the first two weeks of May, the festival celebrates rumors of buried treasure in Lake Charles and Contraband Bayou. The festival features a band of actors portraying Lafitte and his pirates, who sail into the city's namesake lake and capture the city's mayor, forcing him to walk the plank. No such event is known to have occurred, although there are unsubstantiated legends that Lafitte hid treasure in the area of the lake. A fishing village
along Bayou Barataria in Louisiana bears his name, as does the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
.
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places named for him.
Lafitte is believed to have been born either in France or the French colony of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
. By 1805, he operated a warehouse in New Orleans to help disperse the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was the historically less-well-known older brother of Jean Lafitte...
. After the United States government passed the Embargo Act of 1807
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 and the subsequent Nonintercourse Acts were American laws restricting American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years of 1807 and 1812. The Acts were diplomatic responses by presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison designed to protect American interests...
, the Lafittes moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
. By 1810, their new port was very successful; the Lafittes pursued a successful smuggling operation and also started to engage in piracy.
Though Lafitte tried to warn Barataria of a British attack, the American authorities successfully invaded in 1814 and captured most of Lafitte's fleet. In return for a pardon, Lafitte helped General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
defend New Orleans against the British in 1815. The Lafittes then became spies for the Spanish and moved to Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
, which they called Campeche, where they developed the colony there.
Lafitte continued pirating around Central American ports until he died trying to capture Spanish vessels in 1823. Speculation around his death and life continue amongst historians.
Origins
Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was the historically less-well-known older brother of Jean Lafitte...
alternately claimed to have been born in Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, while other documents of the time place his birthplace as St. Malo or Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. However, as Lafitte's biographer Jack C. Ramsay states, "this was a convenient time to be a native of France, a claim that provided protection from the enforcement of American law." Further contemporary accounts claim that Lafitte was born in Orduna
Orduña
Orduña is a town and municipality of 4,057 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain....
, Spain or even Westchester, New York.
Saint-Domingue
Ramsay speculates that Lafitte was actually born in the French territory Saint-DomingueSaint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(now Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
). It was not uncommon in the late 18th century for the adult children of the French landowners in Saint-Domingue to resettle in the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
delta, also owned by France. Families with the surname Lafitte are mentioned in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. According to Ramsay, Lafitte, his elder brother Pierre, and his widowed mother journeyed from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, in the 1780s. In approximately 1784, his mother married Pedro Aubry, a New Orleans merchant; Jean stayed with his mother, while Pierre was raised by extended family elsewhere in Louisiana.
According to Ramsay's theory, as a young man, Lafitte likely spent a great deal of time exploring the wetland and bayou country south of New Orleans. In later years, he was described as having "a more accurate knowledge of every inlet from the Gulf than any other man". His elder brother became a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
, probably operating from Saint-Domingue, which frequently issued letters of marque. Lafitte likely helped his brother to disperse the merchandise. By 1805, he was thought to be running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street
Royal Street, New Orleans
Royal Street is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is one of the oldest streets in the city, dating from the French Colonial era, and is most well known for the antique shops, art galleries, and stately hotels that line its sides as it runs through New Orleans' French Quarter and tourist...
.
France
Biographer William C. Davis reports a different childhood for Lafitte. According to his book, Lafitte was born in or near PauillacPauillac
Pauillac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:The commune consists of only 3000 acres of vineyards in the Haut-Médoc between the villages of Saint-Julien to the south and Saint-Estèphe to the north, but is home to three of Bordeaux's five...
, France, the son of Pierre Lafitte and his second wife, Marguerite Desteil. The couple had six children, with at least three being daughters. Jean Lafitte was likely born in 1782, although he was not baptized until 1786. Pierre Lafitte also had one child, also named Pierre, from his first marriage to Marie LaGrange, who likely died in childbirth. The boys were likely given a basic education.
Although acknowledging that details of Lafitte's first twenty years are sparse, Davis speculates that Lafitte spent much time at sea as a child, probably aboard ships owned by his father, a known trader. Davis places Lafitte's brother Pierre in Saint-Domingue in the late 1790s and early 19th century. Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
, in early 1803, Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans. By 1806, several "Captain Lafitte"s operated in New Orleans; Jean Lafitte was likely one of them.
Barataria
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 and the subsequent Nonintercourse Acts were American laws restricting American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years of 1807 and 1812. The Acts were diplomatic responses by presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison designed to protect American interests...
, which barred American ships from docking at any foreign port. This was problematic for New Orleans merchants. In response, the Lafitte brothers began to look for another port from which they could smuggle goods to local merchants. They established themselves on the small and sparsely populated island of Barataria, in Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
. The bay was located beyond a narrow passage between the barrier islands of Grande Terre and Grande Isle
Grand Isle, Louisiana
Grand Isle is a town in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, located on a barrier island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico. The island is at the mouth of Barataria Bay where it meets the gulf. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,541; during summers, the population sometimes increases to...
. Barataria was far from the U.S. naval base and ships could easily smuggle in goods without being noticed by customs officials. After being unloaded, the merchandise would be reloaded onto pirogue
Pirogue
A pirogue is a small, flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh. In West Africa they were used as traditional fishing boats. These boats are not usually intended for overnight travel but are light and small enough to be easily taken onto land...
s or barges for transport through the bayous to New Orleans.
Pierre established himself in New Orleans and served as a silent partner, looking after their interests in the city. Jean Lafitte spent the majority of his time in Barataria managing the daily hands-on business of outfitting privateers and arranging the smuggling of stolen goods. By 1810, the island had become a booming port. Seamen flocked to the island, working on the docks or at the warehouses until they were chosen as crew for one of the privateers.
Lafitte was unhappy with the length of time it took to get goods from the port to the merchants; navigating the swamps could take a full week. In 1812, Lafitte and his men began holding auctions at the Temple, a memorial mound halfway between Grande Terre and New Orleans.
Dissatisfied with their role as primarily a broker, in October 1812 the Lafitte brothers purchased a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
and hired a Captain Trey Cook to sail it as a privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
. The schooner did not have an official commission. In January 1813 they received their first prize, a Spanish hermaphrodite brig loaded with 77 slaves. Sale of the slaves and additional cargo generated $18,000 in profits and the brothers turned the captured ship into another privateer, named Dorada. Within weeks, Dorada captured a schooner loaded with over $9,000 in goods. The captured schooner was not considered a good fit for privateering, so after unloading its cargo the Lafittes gave the ship back to its former captain and crew. The Lafittes gained a reputation for treating captive crew members well, and often gave the ships back to their original crew.
The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligent. The ship was outfitted with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. Dorada captured their fourth ship, a schooner they renamed Petit Milan. The brothers stripped down their original schooner, using its guns to outfit the new ship. They now sailed three ships, which Davis described as likely "one of the largest privately owned corsair fleets operating on the coast, and the most versatile". For several months, the Lafittes would send the ships directly to New Orleans with a legal cargo and would take on outgoing provisions in the city. The crew would then create a manifest that listed not the provisions that had actually been purchased, but instead smuggled items that awaited at Barataria. Customs agents were uninterested in which goods were leaving New Orleans and rarely checked the accuracy of the manifest. The ship would then sail to the mouth of Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche
Bayou Lafourche, originally called Chetimachas River, is a bayou in southeastern Louisiana, United States, that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The first settlements of Acadians in southern Louisiana were near Bayou Lafourche and Bayou des Écores, which led to a close association of the bayou with...
and load the contraband goods, which they could then legally sail back to New Orleans, as those goods were listed on their manifest.
Shifting attitudes
Governor William C.C. ClaiborneWilliam C.C. Claiborne
William Charles Cole Claiborne was a United States politician, best known as the first Governor of Louisiana. He also has the distinction of possibly being the youngest Congressman in U.S...
took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson
Thomas B. Robertson
Thomas Bolling Robertson was a member of the U. S. House of Representatives representing the state of Louisiana, the third Governor and the Attorney General of Louisiana, and a United States federal judge....
as acting governor. Robertson was incensed by Lafitte's operation, labeling the men on the island "brigands who infest our coast and overrun our country". The citizens of New Orleans did not share Robertson's hostility, but were grateful to the Lafittes for providing them with luxuries the embargo would have otherwise prevented. When Claiborne returned to office he remained relatively quiet on the subject.
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Britain maintained a powerful navy, but the United States had little naval power. To supplement their navy, the United States offered letters of marque to private armed vessels. New Orleans issued six of these letters, primarily to smugglers who worked with Lafitte at Barataria. The smugglers often held letters of marque from multiple countries, authorizing them to capture booty from differing nations. Booty from captured British ships would be properly submitted to the American authorities at New Orleans, while booty from all other ships was often channelled through Lafitte's operation. The smuggling operations reduced the amount of revenue that the customs offices could collect, and American authorities were determined to halt the Barataria operations. Because the United States Navy did not have enough ships to act against the Baratarian smugglers, the government turned to legal action. On November 10, 1812, United States District Attorney John R. Grymes charged Lafitte with "violation of the revenue law". Three days later, 40 soldiers were sent to ambush the Baratarians; they captured Lafitte, his brother Pierre, and 25 unarmed smugglers on November 16 and confiscated several thousand dollars of contraband. The smugglers were released after posting bond and disappeared, refusing to return for a trial.
Despite being under indictment, in March 1813 Lafitte registered himself as captain of Le Brig Goelette la Diligente for a supposed journey to New York. Biographer Jack Ramsay speculates that the voyage was intended to "establish...[Lafitte] as a privateering captain". Lafitte soon gained a letter of marque from Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, but never sent any booty there; instead, all prizes in which he was involved were landed at Barataria.
Lafitte's continued flouting of the laws angered Governor Claiborne, who on March 15 issued a proclamation against the Baratarian "banditti ... who act in contravention of the laws of the United States ... to the evident prejudice of the revenue of the federal government". The proclamation was printed in the nationally read Niles' Weekly Register.
In October, a revenue officer prepared an ambush of a band of Lafitte's smugglers. The smugglers wounded one of the authorities and fled in safety, with their contraband. The following month, the governor offered a $500 reward for Lafitte's capture. Within two days of his offer, handbills were posted all over New Orleans offering a similar award for the arrest of the governor. Although the handbills were made in Lafitte's name, Ramsay believes "it is unlikely [the handbills] originated with him". Following the reward offer, Lafitte wrote Claiborne a personal note denying the charges of piracy.
The success of the auctions at the Temple encouraged Lafitte to launch a similar auction just outside New Orleans in January 1814. Officials attempted to break up this auction, and in the ensuing gunfight one of the revenue officers was killed and two others were wounded. Many of the city's merchants were also unhappy with this auction, which allowed their customers to buy goods directly from Lafitte at a lower price than the merchants could charge.
Angry at this blatant violation of the revenue laws, Claiborne appealed to the new state legislature. He requested approval to raise a militia company to "disperse those desperate men on Lake Barataria whose piracies have rendered our shores a terror to neutral flags." The legislature appointed a committee to study the matter, but as most of their constituents benefitted by the smuggling, no militia was ever raised. Authorities did convince a grand jury to indict Pierre after one of the leading merchants in the city testified against him. Pierre was arrested and jailed on charges of "having knowingly and wittingly aided and assisted, procured, commanded, counselled, and advised" persons to commit acts of piracy".
British offer
While Pierre was incarcerated, Jean continued to operate the smuggling business. Over the next few months, the British Navy increased their patrols in the Gulf Of Mexico, and by August they had established a base at PensacolaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. On September 3, 1812, the British ship HMS Sophie
HMS Sophie (1809)
HMS Sophie was an 18-gun Cruizer class brig-sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. During the War of 1812 Sophie participated in the economic war against American trade, capturing or destroying numerous small merchant vessels, and in an unsuccessful...
fired on a smuggling ship that was returning to Barataria. The smaller privateer grounded itself in shallow water where the larger British ship could not follow. The British raised a white flag and launched a small dinghy with several officers. Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway.
The commander of the Sophia, Captain Nicholas Lockyer, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". He was accompanied by British army Captain McWilliams, who had been given a package to deliver to Lafitte. The Baratarians invited the British officers to row to their island. Only when they had disembarked and were surrounded by Baratarians did Lafitte identify himself to them. Many of the smugglers wanted to lynch the British men, but Lafitte intervened, even placing guards outside his home so that the more unruly of his men would not interfere. McWilliams presented the packet to Lafitte. It contained two letters. The first was written under the seal of King George III and offered the Baratarians British citizenship and landholdings in the British colonies in the Americas if they promised to assist in the naval fight against the United States and return any recent property that had been taken from Spanish ships. If they refused the offer, the British Navy would destroy Barataria. The second letter was a personal note to Lafitte from McWilliams' superior, urging him to accept the offer.
Lafitte was convinced that the United States would eventually prevail in the war, and he believed that he could more effectively defeat the United States revenue officers than he could the British navy. He had also been informed, however, that throughout August, American authories, under Commodore Daniel Patterson
Daniel Patterson
Daniel Todd Patterson was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War and the War of 1812.-Biography:...
, had been planning an assault on Barataria. The Americans feared that the Baratarians would side with the British. Lafitte needed to convince the Americans that they had nothing to fear from him.
His initial response was that few of his men would be willing to assist the British, but he requested 15 days to consider the offer. Lafitte quickly created copies of the letters and sent them to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. In a personal note, Lafitte reminded Blanque that Pierre was still in jail and deserved an early release. Lafitte further included a note to Claiborne, proclaiming that "I am the stray sheep, wishing to return to the sheepfold ... If you were thoroughly acquainted with the nature of my offenses, I should appear to you much less guilty, and still worthy to discharge the duties of a good citizen." Lafitte volunteered himself and his men for any defensive measures needed by New Orleans. Within two days of Lafitte's notes, Pierre "escaped" from jail.
American invasion
USS Carolina (1812)
USS Carolina, a schooner, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the British colony that became the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. Her keel was laid down at Charleston, South Carolina. She was purchased by the Navy while still on the stocks, launched on 10...
for Barataria. He was accompanied by six gunboats and a tender
Ship's tender
A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
. The fleet anchored off Grande Terre and the gunboats attacked. By midmorning, 10 armed privateers formed a battle line in the bay. Within a short period of time, however, Lafitte's men abandoned their ships - setting several on fire - and fled. Patterson's men went ashore and found no resistance. Although 80 Baratarians were captured, Lafitte escaped safely. The Americans took custody of six schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s, one felucca
Felucca
A felucca is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in protected waters of the Red Sea and eastern Mediterranean including Malta, and particularly along the Nile in Egypt, Sudan, and also in Iraq. Its rig consists of one or two lateen sails....
, and a brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
, as well as 20 cannon and goods worth $500,000. On September 23, Patterson and his fleet, including all of the captured ships, began the return trip to New Orleans. The raid was widely published and hailed by the Niles' Weekly Register as "a major conquest for the United States". Lafitte was personally described in that newspaper as "a man who, for about two years past, has been famous for crimes that the civilized world wars against. ... [He] is supposed to have captured one hundred vessels of all nations, and certainly murdered the crews of all that he took, for no one has ever escaped him."
Following the custom of the times, Patterson filed a legal claim for the profits from the confiscated ships and merchandise. An attorney representing Lafitte argued that the captured ships had flown the flag of Cartagena, an area at peace with the United States. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the United States, but had prepared their vessels only to flee. The judge ruled that profits from the goods that had already been sold should go to Patterson, but did not settle the ownership of the ships, which remained in port under custody of the United States marshal. Likely inspired by Lafitte's offer to help defend Louisiana, Governor Claiborne wrote the US Attorney General, Richard Rush
Richard Rush
Richard Rush was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the second son of Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and Julia Rush. He entered the College of New Jersey at the age of 14, and graduated in 1797 as the youngest member of his class...
requesting a pardon for the Baratarians, explaining that for generations smugglers were "esteemed honest ... [and] sympathy for these offenders is certainly more or less felt by many of the Louisianans". Shortly after, Claiborne wrote to General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, according to Ramsay "implying Patterson had destroyed a potential first line of defense for Louisiana." Jackson responded, ""I ask you, Louisianans, can we place any confidence in the honor of men who have courted an alliance with pirates and robbers".
Battle of New Orleans
Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814 and discovered that the city had not taken any defensive measures. The city could depend on approximately 1,000 unseasoned troops and two ships. Although the city retained ownership of the ships captured from Lafitte's men, there were not enough sailors to allow them to participate in the defense. Although many of the Baratarians were not imprisoned, they were angry enough at the raid to refuse to serve on their former ships. In mid-December, Jackson met with Lafitte, who offered to serve if the United States would pardon any of his sailors who would agree to defend the city. Jackson agreed to do so. On December 19, the state legislature passed a resolution recommending a full pardon for all of the former residents at Barataria. Lafitte encouraged the Baratarian men to join the New Orleans militia, and many of them signed up as sailors. Others formed three artillery companies.On December 23, advance units of the British fleet reached the Mississippi River. Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was too short, allowing the British to potentially encircle the American troops. He proposed that the line be extended to a nearby swamp, and Jackson immediately ordered the extension. The British began firing at the American lines on December 28, but were repulsed by an artillery crew manned by two of Lafitte's former lieutenants, Renato Beluche and Dominique Youx. Patterson widely praised the Barataria men who had agreed to serve on one of the US Navy ships, and whose skill at the artillery was much greater than their British counterparts. The gunners—on both land and sea—continued to garner praise as the battle stretched on. On January 21, Jackson issued a statement praising his troops, especially the cannooneers and "Captains Dominique and Beluche, lately commanding privateers of Barataria with part of their former crews and many brave citizens of New Orleans, were stationed at Nos. 3 and 4." Jackson also singled out Jean and Pierre Lafitte for having "exhibited the same courage and fidelity". Jackson then formally requested clemency for the Lafittes and the men who had served under them. They were all granted a full pardon on February 6.
Galveston
In late 1815 and early 1816, the Lafitte brothers agreed to act as spies for Spain, which was in the midst of the Mexican War of IndependenceMexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
. The brothers were collectively known as "Number thirteen". Pierre would keep the Spanish informed of happenings in New Orleans, and Jean was sent to Galveston Island
Galveston Island
Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast in the United States, about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston....
, a part of Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. Although Spain claimed ownership of the territory, which comprised part of modern-day Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, the Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until after...
that served as the home base of privateer Louis-Michel Aury
Louis-Michel Aury
Louis-Michel Aury was a French Corsair operating in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean during the early 19th century.Aury was born in Paris, France, in about 1788. He served in the French Navy, but from 1802 served in privateer ships...
, who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary. By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. Lafitte visited in March 1817. Two weeks into his stay, the two leaders of the revolutionaries left the island. The following day, Lafitte took command of the island and appointed his own officers. On April 18, he sailed for New Orleans to report his activities. With Spanish permission, Lafitte returned to Galveston, promising to make weekly reports of the activities there.
Lafitte's motives were not selfless; he essentially turned Galveston Island into a new Barataria. Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. It had the advantage of being outside the authority of the United States, and it was largely uninhabited, except by Karankawa
Karankawa
Karankawa were a group of Native American peoples, now extinct as a tribal group, who played a pivotal part in early Texas history....
s.
Lafitte quickly began improving his new colony, naming it Campeche after the Mexican outpost further down the coast. Existing houses were torn down, and 200 new, sturdier buildings were constructed. Ships operating from Galveston flew the flag of Mexico
Flag of Mexico
The flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War...
, but they engaged in no revolutionary activities, as Lafitte worried about a potential Spanish invasion. Aury returned to Galveston several months later, but left in July when he realized that the men were unwilling to revolt.
In less than a year, Lafitte's colony grew to 100–200 men and several women. All newcomers were personally interviewed by Lafitte and required to take an oath of loyalty to him. The headquarters of the operation was a two-story building facing the inland harbor, where landings were made. The building was surrounded by a moat and painted red; it became known as Maison Rouge. Most regular business was conducted aboard Lafitte's ship, The Pride, where he also lived. Lafitte created letters of marque from a nonexistent nation for all of the ships sailing from Galveston. These letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations.
In April 1818, the United States passed a law prohibiting the import of slaves into any port in the United States. The law left several loopholes, however. It essentially gave permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country from which it originated. Furthermore, any newly imported slaves who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits of the sale going to the people who turned them in. Lafitte worked with several smugglers, including Jim Bowie
Jim Bowie
James "Jim" Bowie , a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo...
, to profit from the poorly written law. Lafitte's men would target ships that carried slaves. Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials. A representative of the smuggler would purchase the slaves at the ensuing auction, and the smuggler would be given half of the purchase price. The smuggler was then the lawful owner of the slaves and could transport them to sell in other parts of the United States.
The colony experienced hardships in 1818. After a Karankawa woman was kidnapped, the Indian tribe attacked and killed five members of Lafitte's colony. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Indians, killing most of the men in the tribe. A hurricane in September covered almost all of the island in water, killing several people and destroying four ships and most buildings. Only six homes were habitable afterwards.
Around 1820, Lafitte reportedly married Madeline Regaud, possibly the widow or daughter of a French colonist who had died during an ill-fated expedition to Galveston. In 1821, the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf after one of the pirate's captains attacked an American merchant ship. Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and in 1821 or 1822 departed on his flagship, the Pride, burning his fortress and settlements and reportedly taking immense amounts of treasure with him. All that remains of Maison Rouge is the foundation, located at 1417 Avenue A near the Galveston wharf.
Later years
On May 7, 1821, Lafitte and the remainder of his men sailed from Galveston aboard three ships. He was also accompanied by his mulatto mistress and an infant son. Before leaving, the group burned most of the structures they had erected on Galveston. Most of the men believed that Lafitte had a valid privateering commission, although there was confusion on which country had issued it. Two weeks after setting sail, they captured a Spanish ship, which they sent to Galveston, hoping the Longs would smuggle the goods to New Orleans. Lafitte's men buried some of the cargo on the island and ran the captured vessel aground, but an American patrol spotted the ship and after investigating discovered the buried cargo. Several of Lafitte's men were arrested and convicted of piracy.These men were later pardoned when they announced they had deserted from Lafitte's ship in Galveston when they discovered it did not have a valid privateering commission. (Davis (2005), p. 436). The remainder of the crew rejoined Lafitte, who finally announced that he did not have a valid commission, and his ships would be sailing as pirates. Almost half of the combined crew refused to sail as pirates; Lafitte allowed them to leave aboard his largest ship, the brig General Victoria. That night, however, the remaining crewmen reboarded the General Victoria and destroyed its masts and spars, crippling the ship, before leaving the crewmen unharmed.The General Victoria was rescued after more than two weeks, and the starving crew members were given rewards for having taken it from a pirate. (Davis (2005), p. 439).Lafitte and his men continued to take Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico, often returning to Galveston or the barrier islands near New Orleans to unload cargo or take on supplies that had been left by Pierre. The congressional delegation in Louisiana began to demand that the federal government do something to halt the smuggling, and more U.S. Navy ships were sent to the Gulf. The number of active pirates began to decline.
In October or November 1821, Lafitte's ship was ambushed as he attempted to ransom back a recent prize. He and a few crewman initially escaped but he was soon taken prisoner and jailed. On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. Over the next few months, Lafitte established a base along the coast of Cuba, bribing local officials with a share of the profits. In late April, Lafitte was captured after taking his first American ship. The American warship which captured him turned Lafitte over to the local authorities, who promptly released him.
Lafitte and other pirates operating in the area began targeting ships carrying legal goods to Cuba, angering Cuban officials. By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, whose government had begun commissioning former privateers into their new navy. Lafitte was granted a commission and given a new ship, a 40-ton schooner named General Santander. For the first time, Lafitte was legally authorized to take Spanish ships.
Lafitte continued to patrol the shipping lanes around Cuba. In November 1822, he made news in the American press after escorting an American schooner through the pirate-strewn area and providing them with extra cannon balls and food.
In February 1823, Lafitte was cruising off the town of Omoa, Honduras on his 43 ton armed Colombian schooner named General Santander. Omoa was the site of the largest Spanish fort in Central America and it guarded the silver shipments from the mines of Tegucigalpa to overseas destinations. Lafitte attempted to take what appeared to be two Spanish merchant vessels on the night of February 4. It was cloudy and visibility was low that night. His misjudgement would prove to be fatal. The Spanish ships appeared to be fleeing but at 10:00pm made some lantern signals and turned back for a frontal counterattack. The Spanish ships were actually heavily armed Spanish privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. Lafitte was wounded in the battle and died just after dawn on February 5. He was buried at sea in the Gulf of Honduras
Gulf of Honduras
The Gulf or Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. From north to south, it runs for approximately 200 km from Dangriga, Belize, to La Ceiba, Honduras....
.This account of Lafitte's death is not accepted by all historians. Ramsay believes that Lafitte died of a fever in 1826 or 1827 on Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is one of the ten municipalities of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The municipality, located in the northeastern corner of the state is mostly on the mainland and has a municipal seat of the same name; Isla Mujeres...
just northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula. (Ramsay (1996), pp. 129–133.) Davis recounts a similar story, but maintains that the man who died on this island was Pierre Lafitte, and that the death occurred in late 1821. (Davis (2005), pp. 453–5.) Two obituaries have been found for Lafitte: the Gaceta de Cartagena and the Gaceta de Colombia wrote that "the loss of this brave naval officer is moving". No American newspaper ever carried an obituary for him.
Legacy
Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was a Texas politician, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the second President of the Republic of Texas, after David G. Burnet and Sam Houston.-Early years:Lamar grew up at Fairfield, his father's...
investigated many of the Lafitte stories and concluded that while there were no authentic records of death, Lafitte was likely dead. By this time, Lafitte's only known son, Jean Pierre Lafitte, was also dead; he perished during an epidemic in New Orleans in October 1832.
Ramsay compares the number of legends surrounding the life and death of Lafitte to those about King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations, including Galveston and many locations along coastal Louisiana, such as Contraband Bayou
Contraband Bayou
Contraband Bayou is a large bayou which runs through Lake Charles, Louisiana and empties into Prien Lake. It is so named because of the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte who reputedly hid his contraband somewhere along the shores of the bayou. L'Auberge du Lac is located near the mouth of the bayou, as...
in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. Ramsay believes that over time, almost "every foot of Grande Isle has been spaded for pirate gold". In 1909, a man was given a six-year prison sentence for fraud after swindling thousands of dollars from people by claiming that he knew where the Lafitte treasure was buried.
A search for the treasure of Lafitte extended to the draining of Indian Bayou in the mid 1920's. As an arm of the Natalbany River in Springfield, La., the entire bayou was dyked and drained in a dedicated search that was financed exclusively to search for the treasure of Lafitte. An Indian dugout canoe was found in the mud, retrieved and resides at the Cabildo in New Orleans, La. Mysteriously, the crew and all the workman broke camp without a word and left one night after several weeks of work. A warehouse had been located in the same area of Indian Bayou serving as a transfer point on the east side of Springfield for trade from New Orleans which also confirms the viability of the route Lafitte took from New Orleans.
The legends have been expanded through a multitude of fictional works. The first novel featuring Lafitte was the 1826 The Memoirs of Lafitte, or The Baratarian Pirate; a Narrative Founded on Fact. Several years later, many Americans assumed that Lord Byron's poem "The Corsair" was based on the life of Lafitte; the work sold over 10,000 copies on its first day of sale. By 1840, Lafitte was commonly known "as a fatal lothario with women, and a cold-blooded murderer of men who yet observed some forms of honor".
The first serious biography of Lafitte, Historical Sketch of Pierre and Jean Lafitte, the Famous Smugglers of Louisiana, was written by Charles Gayarre and published in 1883. Other biographies followed; a 1930 book by Lyle Saxon served as the basis for the Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
movie The Buccaneer
The Buccaneer (1938 film)
The Buccaneer is a 1938 American adventure film made by Paramount Pictures based on Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille from a screenplay by Harold Lamb, Edwin Justus Mayer and C. Gardner Sullivan adapted by Jeanie...
. The movie was remade in 1958
The Buccaneer (1958 film)
The Buccaneer is a 1958 War film, made by Paramount Pictures like the 1938 version and shot in Technicolor and VistaVision. It takes place during the War of 1812, and tells a heavily fictionalized version of how the pirate Jean Lafitte helped in the Battle of New Orleans and how he had to choose...
, starring Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor of stage and film. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times on...
as Lafitte. Perhaps the most recent film on Lafitte can be seen at The Pier 21 Theater off The Strand in Galveston, which has a year-round screening of the 18 minute film called The Pirate Island of Jean Lafitte, directed by C. Grant Mitchell (this movie appears to have been made after the 1980s).
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
soon declared the papers authentic. In 1980, the manuscript was donated to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center is located in unincorporated Liberty County, Texas. The facility is located north of Liberty, east of Downtown Austin and northeast of Downtown Houston. It is owned and operated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and contains...
in Texas, and became available to researchers for the first time. Many researchers noticed a similarity between Laflin's handwriting and the writing in the journal. Laflin has also been accused of forging letters from Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, and Davy Crocket. Most historians now believe the Lafitte journal to be a forgery.Ramsay believes the documents were written by Laflin's ancestor, Matthew Laflin (1803–1854), who may have convinced his descendants that he was Jean Lafitte.(Ramsay (1996), pp. 151–2.) Handwriting analysis shows similarities between John Laflin's handwriting and that of the journal, however. (Nickell (2005), p. 73.)
Since 1957, the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
devotes an annual festival, Contraband Days
Contraband Days
Contraband Days is a 12-day festival filled with Cajun food, family fun, and festivities. Occurring annually in Lake Charles, it is among the larger celebrations in Louisiana, with an attendance of over 200,000. The Festival was first held in 1957....
, to Lafitte. Held during the first two weeks of May, the festival celebrates rumors of buried treasure in Lake Charles and Contraband Bayou. The festival features a band of actors portraying Lafitte and his pirates, who sail into the city's namesake lake and capture the city's mayor, forcing him to walk the plank. No such event is known to have occurred, although there are unsubstantiated legends that Lafitte hid treasure in the area of the lake. A fishing village
Lafitte, Louisiana
Lafitte is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,576 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area....
along Bayou Barataria in Louisiana bears his name, as does the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve protects significant examples of the rich natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. The park, named after Jean Lafitte, seeks to illustrate the influence of environment and history on the development of a unique...
.
Sources
- Davis, William C. (2005), The Pirates Laffite: the treacherous world of the corsairs of the Gulf, Harcourt Books, ISBN 9780151004034
- Ramsay, Jack C. (1996), Jean Laffite: Prince of Pirates, Eakin Press, ISBN 9781571680297
External links
- Laffite Society
- Jean Lafitte: Gentleman Pirate of New Orleans — full-length book at CrimeLibrary.Com
- Lafitte: the pirate of the Gulf - a book from 1836