Vincent Gambi
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Gambi was a 19th-century Italian pirate
. He was one of the most violent and bloodthirsty men in the Gulf of Mexico
during the early 19th century and raided shipping in the gulf for well over a decade before his death. Gambi was one of several pirates associated with Jean Lafitte
and later assisted him during the Battle of New Orleans
along with Dominique You
, Rene Beluche and another fellow Italian-born pirate Louis "Cut Nose" Chigizola. He is briefly mentioned in the 2007 historical novel Strangely Wonderful: Tale of Count Balashazy by Karen Mercury.
and the Bay of Barataria
. At one of his earliest conferences, Lafitte asked his fellow pirates to sail as privateer
s with a letter of marque
and limit their attacks only to the Spanish. Gambi openly defied him however, refusing to this request outright and left the conference. Soon after, Lafitte received news that Gambi was encouraging his own men to revolt against him. Lafitte was soon confronted by one of Gambi's officers who, challenging him with a pistol, shouted "The men of Gambi take orders only from Gambi!" Lafitte, in true fashion, drew his own pistol and shot his challenger, killing him. This subsequently ended any talk of rebellion against Lafitte.
Sailing with Lafitte's pirate fleet during the next years, he was later given command of the schooner Petit Milan in May 1813 and captured a Spanish schooner carrying a cargo of dry goods
soon after. He took the prize to Cat Island, roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) west of the mouth of Lafourche
, with the profits being split between the Lafitte brothers and the rest of the fleet. He and the others were well-known in New Orleans and openly sold captured prizes and cargo, often English manufactured goods, to friends and acquaintances in the city.
He and the others sided with Lafitte against the British during the War of 1812
and was present with Lafitte, Dominique You
, Rene Beluche and Louis "Cut Nose" Chigizola during the Battle of New Orleans
. After the war, Gambi was granted American citizenship by President James Madison
as were Lafitte and the others who participated in the battle. After Lafitte left Grand Terre for Texas, he settled on Cheniere Caminada, building a large house and raising his family there. The house became a popular hangout for Lafitte, Dominique You, Rene Beluche and others.
In 1815, he was enlisted by General Jean Robert Marie Humbert and Jose Alvarez de Toledo in their conspiracy to invade Texas. Despite the United States and Spain being at peace, they funded his piracy activities against the Spanish. In May, he captured two Spanish ships off the coast of Tampico
and brought them back to Grande Isle
on June 1. While both ships were carrying cocoa and dry goods, one ship was found with silver
ingot
s. The crew and passengers of the two ships were held captive in what was described by one of the captives as a "most cruel situation" for four weeks before sending them back in one of the prizes.
Spanish agents in New Orleans eventually become aware of the intentions of Humbert and Toledo however, especially after Humbert publicly stated his grand plans in a newspaper article, and both Toledo and Gambi were arrested by Commodore Daniel Patterson
for piracy. Neither of the men were convicted, however.
Gambi was one of the hundred or so Baratarians who followed Lafitte after receiving his pardon from President James Madison
. He was going to be given command of the Victoria, however he left almost immediately after due to a falling out between him and the Lafittes when Pierre Lafitte
sued him in a civil suit over a $250 loan on July 2, 1817. During the next four years, he engaged in outright piracy, continuing to loot and sink a number of ships before he himself was apparently killed by his own men who found him asleep on a pile of gold. Catching up to Gambi once more, his schooner was captured in December 1819 by Daniel Patterson in what is thought to have been the last pirate ship active in the western Gulf of Mexico. Patterson learned from the crew that they had killed Gambi after learning that he had kept several thousand dollars owed to them they had taken from their latest victim. As he slept on deck during the night, his head resting on a spar
, one of his men decapitated him using "the very bloody ax which he so often used", according to news reports published around 1819, including a colorful story by the Opelousas Courier.
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
. He was one of the most violent and bloodthirsty men 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...
during the early 19th century and raided shipping in the gulf for well over a decade before his death. Gambi was one of several pirates associated with Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
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...
and later assisted him during the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
along with Dominique You
Dominique You
Dominique You was a privateer, pirate, and soldier.Born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1775, You joined the army of Revolutionary France as an artillerist. He served in the French Republic's artillery corp. In 1802 he accompanied General Victor Leclerc to Santo Domingo to quell...
, Rene Beluche and another fellow Italian-born pirate Louis "Cut Nose" Chigizola. He is briefly mentioned in the 2007 historical novel Strangely Wonderful: Tale of Count Balashazy by Karen Mercury.
Biography
One of Lafitte's most rebellious and unruly partners, Gambi had a long criminal history that preceded him prior to his arrival in New Orleans during the early 19th century. Within several years, he had become of the major pirates active in the Gulf of Mexico and was claimed to have personally killed dozens of his victims with an ax. He was one of the first men to be approached by Jean Lafitte when he first began to organize the warring factions of the pirates of Grand TerreGrand 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...
and the Bay of Barataria
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....
. At one of his earliest conferences, Lafitte asked his fellow pirates to sail as 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...
s with a letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
and limit their attacks only to the Spanish. Gambi openly defied him however, refusing to this request outright and left the conference. Soon after, Lafitte received news that Gambi was encouraging his own men to revolt against him. Lafitte was soon confronted by one of Gambi's officers who, challenging him with a pistol, shouted "The men of Gambi take orders only from Gambi!" Lafitte, in true fashion, drew his own pistol and shot his challenger, killing him. This subsequently ended any talk of rebellion against Lafitte.
Sailing with Lafitte's pirate fleet during the next years, he was later given command of the schooner Petit Milan in May 1813 and captured a Spanish schooner carrying a cargo of dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
soon after. He took the prize to Cat Island, roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) west of the mouth of 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...
, with the profits being split between the Lafitte brothers and the rest of the fleet. He and the others were well-known in New Orleans and openly sold captured prizes and cargo, often English manufactured goods, to friends and acquaintances in the city.
He and the others sided with Lafitte against the British during the War of 1812
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...
and was present with Lafitte, Dominique You
Dominique You
Dominique You was a privateer, pirate, and soldier.Born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1775, You joined the army of Revolutionary France as an artillerist. He served in the French Republic's artillery corp. In 1802 he accompanied General Victor Leclerc to Santo Domingo to quell...
, Rene Beluche and Louis "Cut Nose" Chigizola during the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
. After the war, Gambi was granted American citizenship by President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
as were Lafitte and the others who participated in the battle. After Lafitte left Grand Terre for Texas, he settled on Cheniere Caminada, building a large house and raising his family there. The house became a popular hangout for Lafitte, Dominique You, Rene Beluche and others.
In 1815, he was enlisted by General Jean Robert Marie Humbert and Jose Alvarez de Toledo in their conspiracy to invade Texas. Despite the United States and Spain being at peace, they funded his piracy activities against the Spanish. In May, he captured two Spanish ships off the coast of Tampico
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the third largest city in Tamaulipas, and counts with a population of 309,003. The Metropolitan area of...
and brought them back to 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...
on June 1. While both ships were carrying cocoa and dry goods, one ship was found with silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ingot
Ingot
An ingot is a material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. Non-metallic and semiconductor materials prepared in bulk form may also be referred to as ingots, particularly when cast by mold based methods.-Uses:...
s. The crew and passengers of the two ships were held captive in what was described by one of the captives as a "most cruel situation" for four weeks before sending them back in one of the prizes.
Spanish agents in New Orleans eventually become aware of the intentions of Humbert and Toledo however, especially after Humbert publicly stated his grand plans in a newspaper article, and both Toledo and Gambi were arrested by 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:...
for piracy. Neither of the men were convicted, however.
Gambi was one of the hundred or so Baratarians who followed Lafitte after receiving his pardon from President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
. He was going to be given command of the Victoria, however he left almost immediately after due to a falling out between him and the Lafittes when 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...
sued him in a civil suit over a $250 loan on July 2, 1817. During the next four years, he engaged in outright piracy, continuing to loot and sink a number of ships before he himself was apparently killed by his own men who found him asleep on a pile of gold. Catching up to Gambi once more, his schooner was captured in December 1819 by Daniel Patterson in what is thought to have been the last pirate ship active in the western Gulf of Mexico. Patterson learned from the crew that they had killed Gambi after learning that he had kept several thousand dollars owed to them they had taken from their latest victim. As he slept on deck during the night, his head resting on a spar
Spar
In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a pole of wood, metal or lightweight materials such as carbon fiber used on a sailing vessel. Spars of all types In sailing, a spar is a...
, one of his men decapitated him using "the very bloody ax which he so often used", according to news reports published around 1819, including a colorful story by the Opelousas Courier.
Further reading
- Warren, Harris Gaylord. The Sword Was Their Passport: A History of American Filibustering in the American Revolution. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1943.