Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans

The Historical Investigation: Pirate Jean Lafitte in New Orleans

A. Plan of the Investigation

How did the pirate Jean Lafitte control trade through Louisiana during the 1800s and thus became involved in the Battle of New Orleans?

During the War of 1812, the British were occupied with fighting Napoleon in Europe. However, when Napoleon Bonaparte gave up power, the British were free to focus on war with America again. Thousands of British troops then invaded New Orleans and overwhelmed the flaccid American army located there. Nonetheless, through General Andrew Jackson’s military brilliance and Jean Lafitte’s geographical knowledge the United States were able to drive out the British army, despite being outnumbered three to one. This investigation aims to educate on how an American war hero was able to put aside the fact that Jean Lafitte was a smuggler and allow him to ambitiously fight for America. Included will be the background of the pirate Jean Lafitte, the process in which Jackson admitted Lafitte into the army, and how victory was ultimately achieved. Research will be gathered from a variety of scholarly works and biographies, as well as primary sources in the format of first hand letters.

B. Summary of Evidence

While Great Britain was at war with France’s Napoleon in Europe, the United States eagerly looked to their neighbors to the North; The British ruled Canada, and the opportunity arose to possess more land with an abundance of resources. The young USA was already seeking to raise its worldly status. Due to the persistence of the Republicans who controlled the House of Representatives, in particular the ‘war hawks’, the path towards seizing Canada commenced. American nationalism also played a major role in the steps towards battle. Great Britain’s Royal Navy began to stop US shipping through blockades (Forrest, 146). At such a young stage, many Americans believed that Britain was merely exercising their powers on the grounds of humiliating the United States, limit it’s growth, and maybe even re-colonize their beloved country (Remini, 73). The British had repeatedly violated the maritime rights of neutral nations, harassing sailors and interfering with trade. These events would evolve into the Battle of 1812, or at the time ‘Madison’s War,’ or even known as the United States’s Second War of Independence. This War was concluded at the Battle of New Orleans, where pirate Jean Lafitte and his mates aided in defeating the British (Remini, 77).

Jean Lafitte and his men began operating in 1810 off the Baratarian coast South of . He was referred to as “the younger” of the brothers. He excercised greater overall command of the men and personally supervised the auction sales and the collection of money from the buyers (Davis, 110). His ships, commissioned by several of the Latin American nations in revolt against , preyed on Spanish commerce. The booty (including slaves) was brought from Barataria Bay through bayous to New Orleans, where it was disposed of chiefly through the agency of Pierre Lafitte, his half brother. Here at Barataria Pierre Lafitte would put on bazaars to sell the stolen goods, which became well known throughout the Mississippi Valley (Forrest, 200) The brothers were feared and hated by those of Louisiana. One citizen wrote that the “pirates, at and near the island of Barataria have received strong reinforcements, and if not soon dislodged, will do serious injury to any little trade that may be opened to this city” (Groom, 3). Lafitte’s key targets were the Spanish slave ships, which they captured in order to sell the slaves in the Louisiana market. They would hold the slaves in Barataria and sell them to Americans throughout the Mississippi (Saxon, 220). All in all, the Lafitte’s crew established a government system (a piratic one of course) in Barataria and dominated the trade through Louisiana.

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In Sept., 1814, a U.S. naval force raided their establishment at Barataria and their ships. A few days before, Jean Laffite, had refused a British offer of money and land and a commission in the royal navy as an inducement to aid the British in their attempt on New Orleans (Davis, 128). Initially Jean and Pierre Lafitte planned to take their land back from the U.S. In the meantime, a committee was formed to suggest means of defense against the British. This committee consisted of Edward Livingson, Pierre Fouchen, Dussau de LaCroix, B. Morgan, G.M. Ogden, D. Bouligny, J.N. Destrehan, John Blanque, and A. McCarty (Saxon, 280).The Lafittes, Grymes, and Edward Livingson held secret meetings from the time after their loss of Barataria. (Saxon, 283) Here Grymes and Livingson suggested that the two pirate brothers should aid the U.S. rather than fight them. Thus instead, Jean Laffite turned his information over to the Americans and offered his services to them in return for the pardon of his men. At first the Americans refused the pirate’s proposal. However, the Lafittes had a reputation as being “monsters of the hidden backways of Louisiana” (Davis, 215). Lafitte’s men from Grande Terre and Grande Isle gathered at Last Island and built shelters and boats, ready to obey his command. Here Lafitte realized the dangerousness the waterways from the Gulf of Mexico proposed to New Orleans. Eventually General Andrew Jackson made Edward Livingson his own military secretary. Letters from Livingson to Jackson reveal his friendship to Lafitte, causing him to persuade Jackson to accepted the Lafittes’ help (Saxon, 321)

C. Evaluation of Sources

Saxon, Lyle. Lafitte the Pirate. Post Falls, ID:Century Co. 1930

The first source to be considered is Lyle Saxon’s “Lafitte the Pirate.” Lyle Saxon was a well respected journalist out of New Orleans who reported for The Times-Picayune. He wrote several books about the history of New Orleans, this being one of them. Being a journalist, Saxon holds access to many articles regarding Louisiana. Thus, information throughout this novel is backed by primary sources from Lafitte or Jackson themselves.

The book itself has a very valuable in depth look into the details of the Lafittes’ trading system. The text exposes how they took advantage of the citizens of Louisiana financially, and how these people reacted to their situation. By being from New Orleans itself, Saxon has a bias to this perspective. He, although justifiably, favors the side of the towns people. Therefore he portrays Lafiitte as a pirate nonetheless. It is unfortunate that a book or journal from the Lafitte’s perspective was not available.

Remini, Robert V. The Battle of New Orleans. New York, NY: Penguin (non-classics) 2001

The next source to be considered is Robert V. Remini’s “The Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson and America’s First Military Victory.” Remini is a historian and a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He specializes in history during the Jacksonian Era, and has written numerous works about this and President Andrew Jackson. This source is valuable because Remini is obviously well educated about Andrew Jackson and his background. He also holds a bias in favor of Jackson, which aids in portraying his military success. With the Battle of New Orleans being Jackson’s and America’s first victory, this book is very detailed and informative. The limitation of this source is that Remini focuses strictly on Andrew Jackson, and pays little attention to Lafitte and his aid in the Battle.

Analysis

Without the aid of the Lafittes, Andrew Jackson would not have succeeded in winning the Battle of New Orleans. Jean Lafitte, Pierre Lafitte, and their Baratarians controlled trade throughout the Mississippi by first establishing themselves off the coast of Louisiana on the island of Grande Terre in the bay of Barataria (Saxon, 180). These pirates would stop Spanish slave ships coming from Mexico, take the slaves back to Barataria, in particular Grande Terre, and sell them to the thriving economy of Louisiana (Saxon, 220). For the American citizens around Louisiana, this became a cheap and easy mean to acquire much needed slaves (Davis, 212). According to historian William C. Davis, it is greatly attributed to this that the economy of Louisiana was able to grow at such a quick pace. Citizens such as farmers were able to utilize and profit from these slaves through means of speeding up production (Davis, 215). However, these same shipments of trade coming out of Louisiana were stopped by the British blockade during the War of 1812 (Forrest, 146). On the other hand, historian Winston Groom demonstrates how this piracy is doing nothing but hurting the economy and will create nothing but a corrupt system in the bright future of the United States (Groom, 53).

In 1812, the American’s greed caused a war with the British. With talk of the British invading the US through Louisiana, General Andrew Jackson and his troops set up to fend them off (Remini, 83). Upon realizing they were greatly outnumbered, the Americans looked elsewhere for help. Lafitte wanted his land back, Jackson wanted to keep his land – it was meant to be (Davis, 129). On January 8, 1812 Andrew Jackson send a letter to the Headquareters, 7th Military District declaring that he is sending Lafitte to aid in the battle due to his trustworthiness and his knowledge regarding the “canals and passes by which the enemy may attempt to penetrate” (Groom, 97). Another essential problem the Lafittes helped to solve was the lack of troops and supplies. On this same day, January 8, the British launched an attack and faced “exhausted and ill-armed Kentucky volunteers” (Davis, 245). Pierre Lafitte brought reinforcements of 400 men, and this became the turning point of the war. On the other hand, some historians such as Charles B. Brooks questions the brothers’ involvement in the war. He claims that their greatest contribution was the bringing of French Loisianans over to the American side. Brooks even goes as far to question whether Jean was actually present during battle. It is also shown that Jackson faced much disagreement when fighting for the smugglers’ pardons, but eventually succeeded and was praised by them (Brooks, 178). All in all, the Lafitte brothers became involved in the Battle of 1812 due to their generous and courageous offer to aid in battle, knowledge of the confusing waterways of the Mississippi, and military supplies.

E. Conclusion

Pirate Jean Lafitte realized the potential of the wealth and resources coming from what was known as the ‘New World.’ He and his brothers, Pierre in particular, set up shop in Barataria and found a way to intercept the Spanish slave ships and steal their goods and slaves. The pirates then sold these stolen goods to Americans from around the Mississippi. Through this trade and piracy process the Lafitte brothers gained a distinct knowledge of the waterways of the river, along with wealth and an abundance of supplies. When the United States went to war with Great Britain, the British invaded New Orleans with an overwhelming amount of troops. General Andrew Jackson looked to Lafitte and his pirates of Barataria to aid in the battle. Due to their maps and knowledge, along with the keen battle sense of Jackson, the US Army was able to force the British out of bayou and out of New Orleans.

After the war, the pirates received nothing but praise. Many claimed that “the amnestied rebels of Barataria in truth, performed miracles” (Davis, 293). Jackson renewed his promise to inform the government of their conduct and lend his support to appeal for pardon. The Lafittes and fellow Baratarians were granted pardon form Louisiana legislature and the president for all violations of any acts of Congress touching on commerce or intercourse with foreign nations prior to January 8, 1815 (Saxon, 245). On February 6, President Madison showed his support in a proclamation which referred to the Baratarians as citizens who had formerly forgotten their duty to the law (Davis, 313). The Lafitte brothers went on to lead a public life, often seen in coffee houses and taverns.

F. List of Sources

Works Cited:

Brooks, Charles B. The Siege of New Orleans. Seattle, WA: U of Washington Press 1961
Davis, William C. The Pirates Lafitte: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf. Fort Washington, PA: Harvest Books 2006
Forrest, Charles Ramus. The Battle of New Orleans. New York, NY: Penguin, 1963.
Groom, Winston. Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte at the Battle of New Orleans. New York, NY: Vintage, 8 May, 2007.
Remini, Robert V. The Battle of New Orleans. New York, NY: Penguin (non-classics) 2001
Saxon, Lyle. Lafitte the Pirate. Post Falls, ID:Century Co. 1930
Primary Sources:

Jackson, Andrew. Letter to Headquarters, 7th Military District. 8 Jan 1815.

Works Consulted:

Arthur, Stanley Clisby. The Story of the Battle of New Orleans. New York, NY: Aladdin books 1954.
Charnley, Mitchell V. Jean Lafitte, Gentleman Smuggler. New York, NY: The Viking Press 1934.
Rankin, Hugh F. The Battle of New Orleans: A British View. London, England: Hauser Press 1961
Primary Sources:
Claiborne, William C.C. Letter to Attourney-General Rush. 30 Oct 1815.
Jackson, Andrew. Letter to unknown. Date unknown.
Livingston, Edward. Letter to Andrew Jackson. Date unknown.