Jean Lafitte

:See also Jean Lafitte, Louisiana, United States.

Related Topics:
Jean Lafitte, Louisiana - United States

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Jean Lafitte or Laffite (ca1780 - ca1826?), was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. Lafitte was a colorful character, said to have been born in either France or Hispaniola in what is current day Haiti. Though well known in history and folklore, both the pirate's origins and his demise are unknown.

Related Topics:
Pirate - Gulf of Mexico - 19th century - France - Haiti

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Lafitte established his own "kingdom" of Barataria in the swamps and bayous near New Orleans after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. He claimed to command more than 1,000 men and provided them as troops for the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, assisting Andrew Jackson in repulsing the British attack. Lafitte reportedly conducted his operations in the historic New Orleans French Quarter. His name is commonly associated with a building in the quarter that is known today as Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and operates as a tavern.

Related Topics:
Barataria - New Orleans - Louisiana Purchase - 1803 - Battle of New Orleans - War of 1812 - Andrew Jackson - French Quarter - Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

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After being run out of New Orleans around 1817 Lafitte relocated to the island of Galveston, Texas establishing another "kingdom" of "Campeche." In Galveston Lafitte either purchased or set his claim to a lavishly furnished mansion used by French pirate Louis-Michel Aury, which he named "Maison Rouge." The building's upper level was converted into a fortress where cannon commanding Galveston harbor were placed. 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 brig-of-war USS Enterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte's presence 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. Currently the remains of Maison Rouge sit under the ruins of a later 19th century structure near downtown Galveston.

Related Topics:
Galveston, Texas - Louis-Michel Aury

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After his departure from Galveston, Lafitte was never heard from again. Rumors have long circulated that Lafitte died in a hurricane in the Gulf or in the Yucatan around 1826. A controversial manuscript, known as the 'Journal' of Jean Laffite, relates how, after his announced death in the 1820s, he lived in several states in the United States, and raised a family until his death in St. Louis in the 1840's. Reportedly at his request, the publication of the journal was delayed for 107 years and surfaced in the 1950's in the hands of a man claiming to be the pirate's descendant.

Related Topics:
Yucatan - United States

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