The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis

From the preface of his book The Pirates Laffite, William C. Davis seems determined to diminish the role privateer/pirate jean Lafitte played in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 against the British.

In my research of pirates, I never found anything to suggest that his role was pivotal. What makes him noteworthy is that he demonstrated uncharacteristic politicism and cast his lot with the United States. He, his brother and some of their men joined General Andrew Jackson’s army in repelling the British front advancing on New Orleans from the Gulf of Mexico. But as Davis points out, Jean and his brother Pierre had loyalty to no one but themselves. They were both opportunists and decided that an American victory would be most advantageous to them as opposed to a British one.

He does show the important the Brothers Lafitte were to General Jackson’s army as they battled the British forces in the fields between New Orleans and the Gulf. For several years, the Lafittes had been smuggling goods, mainly slaves, into the city by way of the numerous bayous to circumvent inspectors and customs. They knew the area very well due to their creative methods to bypass the rules.

Everyone knew about it but no one was complaining except Governor Claiborne. Smuggled goods could be bought at much cheaper prices than on the open market. Sometimes that meant making a trip to Barataria, the Lafittes’ pirate cove on the southern Louisiana coast.

After the war, the pirates who signed with the American forces received pardons but Jean and Pierre were ill-suited for the domestic life. It wasn’t long before they established a base of operations on Galveston Island from which they re-launched their privateering and smuggling activities.

For a time, Pierre and Jean were spies for Spain, keeping an eye on and reporting the movements of insurgents in Spanish settlements in the New World. Again, the Lafittes felt their role was much more important than it actually was. Spain realized their intelligence wasn’t worth the trouble and the brothers loyalty was rather fluid. They clearly demonstrated their own self-promotion, meaning they followed the money. Pierre was notoriously poor at handling money and was constantly in debt. Although, Jean’s debts weren’t as substantial, he liked to live the high life whenever possible in New Orleans.

Despite the little importance the Lafittes played in America’s pre-Civil War expansion, they are colorful characters and although legend has eclipsed fact over the past 200 years, they are interesting men to get to know. Davis’ book, exhaustively researched, gets tedious to read at times, based on the sheer volume of information he relays. Still it’s a fascinating work on two of New Orleans’ more (in)famous sons.

Jean Lafitte: Prince of Pirates by Jack C. Ramsay, Jr.

In all the pirate books I’ve read, Jean Lafitte is mentioned mainly in reference to his helping the U.S. and future President Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 against the British. The one event, although heroic, does not begin to attest to the person of Jean Lafitte.

Ramsay’s biography of the famed pirate is an easy read and chronicles Lafitte’s achievements before and after the famed battle. Lafitte and his older brother Pierre played large roles in the history of early New Orleans and her politics during the transition of Louisiana from territory to statehood.

The Lafittes had a base on Barataria, between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, from where they operated a very successful smuggling business. Jean Lafitte’s knowledge of the marshes and bayous surrounding the island and New Orleans gave him a strategic advantage in confounding would-be officials or enemies from ruining his paradise. The British had hoped to woo Lafitte to their side against the U.S., but being loyal to his French roots, he sided with the Americans.

His support in the decisive battle helped the Americans from allowing the enemy to gain a foothold on their continent.

Sometime afterward, the United States began cracking down on pirates and privateers operating in her waters and the Lafittes retreated to Galveston Island which was under Spanish control at that time. They meddled in the affairs of Mexican insurgents while giving the façade of cooperating and giving intelligence to the government of Spain. Lafitte also issued letters of marquee from his ‘country’, making Galveston a nest of privateers the world hadn’t seen since the pirate colony on Madagascar.

A loophole in U.S. law allowed Jean Lafitte to turn a huge profit by smuggling slaves into Louisiana. Ramsay mentions that future Alamo hero Jim Bowie and his brother were up to their necks in the illegal slave trade. Apparently many unfortunate souls met their death at the wrong end of the knife Bowie crafted and bears his name.

Although there is mystery shrouding Lafitte’s death as well as his origin, Ramsay’s sources all agree that Jean was charming, friendly and very handsome. He had an easy-going disposition that even disarmed his enemies.

Ramsay also paints the picture of a gentleman pirate, where other historians depict Lafitte as one of the most bloodthirsty sea-rovers, worse than Blackbeard. Ramsay disputes those claims with historical records, journals and an extensive library of research on the man.

My only criticism of the book is that Ramsay threw in a few sentences here and there that only illustrate the extent of his research but did not reflect on the subject of Lafitte.

These are just hiccups in a great read about one of the most mysterious anti-heroes in American history. Ramsay writes a wonderful piece of work, giving Lafitte an unbiased and deserved portrayal.