But did his good traits cancel out his bad traits?
On three separate occasions, U.S. presidents condemned and then exonerated and again condemned his actions. Some considered him a hero others considered him a rogue. Either way he was one of the most colorful characters in history.
Lafitte hated being called a pirate.
Louisiana became a United States territory in 1804 with the Louisiana Purchase. In 1805 Jean and his elder brother Pierre operated a warehouse in New Orleans—they used it to dispense the goods Pierre smuggled.
When the U.S. government passed the Embargo Act of 1807 the brothers moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay.
By 1810 this new port was a success and the bothers continued smuggling and started to engage in piracy. Through this activity Jean Lafitte gained a fleet of ships.
Madison wanted to prevent the appearance that the Americans were favoring one country over the other. This put a great hardship upon American merchants and the economy especially in the south.
The embargo didn’t work and in fact it was the reason we became involved in the War of 1812 with Britain.
From the ships they plundered off the Caribbean Coast and the Atlantic he and his crews kept a constant flow of black-market provisions—including negro slaves which were a very important commodity to the south– moving through the Mississippi Delta to help feed and clothe Louisiana.
As a result, he won the praise of the local rich and poor alike and for a time the authorities even turned a blind eye.
Boldly Lafitte advertised his market days on billboards and posters throughout New Orleans:
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Barataria Bay |
He was a man without a country and he hoped that one day his Barataria island kingdom would become a part of these same ideals.
Despite Lafitte’s shifty methods his steady supply of clothes, spices and, furniture etc.—all sold at discount prices—while avoiding high tariffs–helped New Orleans survive and thrive.
He then imprisoned Lafitte. But Lafitte proved that America meant more to him than his own personal wealth. With the War of 1812 underway, Americans needed ships and men. Lafitte and his men back at sea in 1815 helped Andrew Jackson protect New Orleans and the entire Mississippi river from the British.
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Lafitte National Historical Park and Reserve |
Yet this was the man who was often described as the “ferocious head of desperadoes.” Unfortunately, the nation that he trusted did not trust him.
When he sailed away from American shores for the last time he felt betrayed by a country that didn’t understand him. Whether he was pirate, thief, businessman, or savior—Jean Lafitte lives on as a hero.
Workers on oil platforms throughout the Gulf state they have seen a billow of sails on the horizon before sunset, always heading east.
Crews of offshore supply vessels describe hearing the flapping of sail riggings and the cry of phantom voices, calling out commands to their ghostly crews in the Creole patois once spoken in Barataria.
Small boats have felt the passage of an entire ghostly fleet that is unseen but produces visible white foam where their bows break the waves—finished passing they leave a tremendous wake in the dark waters.
They stated the apparition looked at them forlornly then turned his head in the direction of Louisiana and disappeared before their eyes.
While alive, Lafitte and his brother where said to plan their raids in this shop.
Today this structure is a bar. Several witnesses have seen Lafitte sitting in the dark at a table in the rear. He holds a brandy in one hand and the smell of cigar smoke surrounds him. When they look again his figure is gone.
Others state that they have encountered him in the bar’s ladies room.