Jean Lafitte was the most famous French pirate who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He left a vivid trace in the history of New Orleans.
In 1803, Jean Lafitte and his older brother Pierre outfitted the brig "Sweet Sister" in Haiti, acquired a privateer's certificate from the governor of the island of Martinique to attack British ships and launched corsair operations in the Caribbean Sea. They combined corsairing with outright piracy, slave trade and smuggling. In the Strait of Yucatan brothers captured the English ship "Ektiv", renamed "Ector", and in March 1804 intercepted the American sailing ship "Mary", headed from Havana to Charleston. Their prizes Lafitte in April of the same year brought to New Orleans, showing them false documents ("Mary" was presented as a Spanish merchant ship "Santa Maria"). In early 1805, the Lafitte brothers opened their blacksmith shop on Bourbon Street in downtown New Orleans, which served as a front for their smuggling operations. The following year, they acquired a patent for the slave trade, but did not stop smuggling black slaves.
In the following years, Jean Lafitte established a secret pirate hideout in the Mississippi Delta, on the islands of Barataria Bay. In 1811, he already had a fleet of pirate ships fishing in the waters of the West Indies. Elected boss, i.e. master, he immediately provided all the captains of Barataria caper letters from the anti-Spanish authorities of Cartagena (Colombia), thus legalizing the community of adventurers. The pirate fleet included the Miser and Dorada, commanded by Jean Lafitte himself; the Petit Milano, captained by Gambi; the Spy, captained by René Beluche, Lafitte's uncle; the Sensi Jack, captained by Pierre Sicard; and the Victory, captained by François Sapia.
In November 1812, the authorities of New Orleans organized a raid in Barataria, Jean and Pierre Lafitte and 24 flibusters were arrested and thrown into the walls of the fortress Calabus. But after a few weeks, the Lafittes were released on bail. No charges were brought against them.
In the spring of 1813, at the urging of District Attorney John Randolph Grimes, Louisiana Governor William Claiborne agreed to indict the Lafitte brothers in state court, but they failed to appear in the courtroom, taking refuge at their base in Barataria. Then on November 24 of that year, the governor announced a $500 reward for anyone who would deliver Jean Lafitte into the hands of the sheriff of New Orleans or any other county. Two days later, a flyer appeared in town that read, "Jean Lafitte offers a reward of $5,000 to whoever delivers Governor William S. S. Claiborne to him. Barataria, November 26, 1813." The pirate's reply to the governor amused New Orleanians quite a bit.
On January 15, 1814, there was a large sale of slaves and looted goods in Barataria. The Customs Department sent 12 soldiers, led by Lieutenant Stout, to seize the illegal goods, but on arrival the detachment was attacked, Stout was killed, two soldiers were badly wounded, and the rest were captured and released a few days later.
Two months later, District Attorney Grimes reported to the state governor that in six months the pirates had brought $1 million dollars worth of goods into Barataria. At least one-tenth of New Orleans residents were involved in the illegal trade, and on some days up to 500 New Orleans buyers of stolen goods gathered in the pirate den.
In June 1814, a Federal police vessel apprehended the ship of a Baratarian nicknamed Gianni Firebeard, who had robbed 2 Spanish ships. On July 18, Judge Hall notified Pierre Lafitte, arrested on the street, that Firebeard had named him, Lafitte, as his accomplice.
On September 3 of the same year, a British brig under the command of Captain Lockyer arrived in Barataria. The latter gave Jean Lafitte a letter from General Nichols, commander of the British forces in Florida.
There was a war between Britain and the United States, and the British wanted to use Barataria's flibusters as pilots. Lafitte was offered the rank of captain 1st rank and 30 thousand dollars, but he refused to cooperate with the British, and notified the governor of Louisiana. The latter forgave the pirate his past transgressions and turned a blind eye to the "unexpected" escape of Pierre Lafitte from the city prison. At the same time, located in New Orleans Commodore of the American Navy Daniel T. Patterson and the commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment, Colonel T. Ross, with instructions from the Minister of Marine to attack the pirate base in Barataria, September 11, prepared a punitive expedition against the flibusters. On September 16, American soldiers attacked Barataria, seized the ships with cargoes standing there and captured about 80 pirates, including Lafitte's older brother Dominic, nicknamed Captain Domingo, as well as René Belusha. The fortifications of Barataria were razed and the houses destroyed.
On December 17, 1814, due to the threat of a British invasion of Louisiana, the commander of the military district, General Andrew Jackson, ordered the release from prison of the Baratarians who had expressed a desire to fight against the British, and promised to submit a petition for pardon of the former pirates to the President of the United States. On December 20, Jean Lafitte was personally presented to General Jackson and during the conversation confirmed the desire of his men to help the American troops.
On December 23, the battle for New Orleans began. All attempts by the British to capture the city were repulsed, the Baratarians guarding Fort St. John on the northern outskirts, showed incredible fortitude and skill in firing cannon. In the early days of January, 1815, the British retreated. General Jackson formally congratulated Captain Domingo and René Beluche, who commanded the 3rd and 4th batteries, and noted the "courage and loyalty" of the Lafitte brothers. In mid-March of that year, a decree of full pardon for the Baratarians was delivered to New Orleans from Washington, D.C.; the document was signed by U.S. President James Madison and the Secretary of State. Although the Lafitte brothers received amnesty, all their property was confiscated. In order to improve their fortunes, they decided to reenter the illicit trades of smuggling and piracy.
In early 1817, the Lafitte brothers agreed to become secret agents of Spanish intelligence.
In the summer of 1818, the American Secretary of State presented President Monroe with a memorandum stating, "...since the territory between the Sabine and Rio Bravo Rivers is Louisiana, Galveston belongs to us. An excellent opportunity to reassert our sovereignty would be to send an expedition against the Lafitte's." Monroe scribbled in the margin of the memorandum, "Agreed, but proceed without agitation. Notify the Lafitte's that they must clear out." The order to clear Galveston Bay and Galveston Island was given to Jean Lafitte in late summer by Colonel Graham. Lafitte pretended to be willing to obey, but in reality continued to use Galveston as his main base. In the spring of 1819, the Republican government of Mexico formally appointed him governor of the island.
On January 3, 1821, the American naval schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Kearney, arrived in Galveston. The latter conveyed to Jean Lafitte the U.S. government's demand to liquidate the Galveston base. On March 2 of the same year, this ultimatum was fulfilled.
Commanding a black schooner, Jean Lafitte continued to prowl the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. His brother Pierre died off the coast of the Yucatan in November 1821. Jean, combining the smuggling trade in Negro slaves with maritime robbery, fidgeted in Cuban waters until January 1822, when his ship was shot from cannons by a British warship. He swam to the Cuban shore, where he was captured by Spanish guards in the vicinity of Santa Cruz del Sur. Jean Lafitte spent several weeks in prison in Puerto Prinsiggi (present-day Camagüey), then he was transferred to the hospital in San Juan de Dios, from where he escaped on February 13 of the same year. The governor of Puerto Príncipe wrote on March 19 that Jean Lafitte was with a band of pirates at the anchorage of Rincon Grande, one league from Viaro (on the north coast of Cuba). Apparently, he continued to engage in the illegal slave trade for several years, then lost track of him.
Lafitte died on May 5, 1854 - after catching a cold on the Mississippi River, where he met a secret transport with runaway slaves in bad weather.
