For the Hix boys, the legend of Jean Lafitte was always their family's little secret. [53], Likely inspired by Lafitte's offer to help defend Louisiana, Governor Claiborne wrote the US Attorney General, Richard Rush requesting a pardon for the Baratarians, saying that for generations, smugglers were "esteemed honest [and] sympathy for these offenders is certainly more or less felt by many of the Louisianans". knowledge (or educated guess) of Lafitte being the best privateer around, United Was it buried underground or lost under water? that is. During this time in New Orleans, Lafitte became a very rich man, acquiring extraordinary amounts of money, ships, and weapons. Louisiana is not exclusive to rumors of the treasures whereabouts too, as Within two days of Lafitte's notes, Pierre "escaped" from jail. In late 1815 and early 1816, the Lafitte brothers agreed to act as spies for Spain, which was embroiled in the Mexican War of Independence. On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. locations along the Gulf Coast. He suggested that the line be extended to a nearby swamp, and Jackson ordered it done. [62], Patterson praised the Barataria men who served on one of the US Navy ships, and whose skill with artillery was greater than their British counterparts. 3 and 4. "[33] Three days later, 40 soldiers were sent to ambush the Baratarians and captured Lafitte, his brother Pierre, and 25 unarmed smugglers on November 16, and confiscated several thousand dollars of contraband. 1776 - ca. In the 1950s, a man claiming to be a descendant of Lafitte published The Journal of Jean Laffite. The journal was republished in the 1990s as The Memoirs of Jean Laffite. A major theme in the memoir/journal is Lafittes change of heart from slave trader to anti-slavery activist. (Davis (2005), p. 436). Before we dive He was given a burial at sea in the Gulf Of Honduras and speculation about the whereabouts of his treasure hoard has . He is considered something of a historic anti-hero in Louisiana and around the Gulf of Mexico, having engaged in smuggling and piracy for a number of years yet - during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 - helped defend the city from the . My grandfathers mother lived next to his mother and we were told of the storys on where some was at. Jean Lafitte was a Privateer Captain in the early 19th century. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. . there were treasure legends, and the most common story is that Lafitte stranded a ship, a Spanish ship with gold, in Matagorda Bay in Corpus and was taking it to St. Louis on some wagon trains over roads that don . He was buried at sea in the Gulf of Honduras. This area had been famous for smuggling even before privateers arrived in 1810 to use the deep water harbor of Barataria Bay. His brother Pierre Lafitte was a blacksmith. Researchers say the vessels sit in 25 feet water depth at the north of Big Bradford Island. Lafitte's fate has remained a mystery for 183 years. By 1806, several "Captain Lafitte"s operated in New Orleans; Jean Lafitte was likely one of them. Lafitte always insisted that if he committed any crime, it was smuggling, and he blamed American laws for forcing him into illegal activities. One story even Actually, his men attacked several American ships but apparently did not kill any crewmen, possibly because they did not fight back. Around the same time it became illegal to bring slaves from Africa into Louisiana; it later became illegal to import slaves into the rest of the United States. The brothers adapted the captured ship for use in piracy and named it Dorada. [5], Lafitte's native language was clearly French, though the specific dialect is a matter of some debate. I have no doubt that the Historians will decry what Ive said here, and Im cool with that, I know what I saw and found, and I know what others saw and found. Although General Andrew Jackson, commander of the American troops, originally described Lafitte as a hellish banditti, he finally accepted Lafittes help because of the ammunition, cannoneers, and knowledge of the area Lafi tte could supply. The headquarters consisted of a two-storey building facing the inland harbor, where landings were made. In her children's story, Victor and the Pirate: A Story of New Orleans During the War of 1812 (1947), Ruby Lorraine Radford features a fictional child who encourages Lafitte to defend New Orleans. [52], a man who, for about two years past, has been famous for crimes that the civilized world wars against. Inside a tunnel stylized as pirate's cattacombs would've led to Laffite's old hideout, a capsized ship in Sawyer's island. The story may have begun because Pierre Lafittes mistress owned a building on St. Phillip Street across from todays Blacksmith Shop. residents of Texas have claimed that the treasure was buried somewhere along That was problematic for New Orleans merchants, who had relied heavily on trade with Caribbean colonies of other nations. Only six houses survived as habitable.[80]. He fled New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1983.123.8. A statue dedicated to the pirate Jean Lafitte can be found next to the water by the fishing boats In February 1823, the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, severely wounded from an encounter with Spanish warships, sailed his schooner General Santander westward from the coast of Cuba into oblivion. Workers would reload goods into smaller batches onto pirogues or barges, for transport through the many bayous to New Orleans. Theres LA [83] Two weeks after setting sail, they captured a Spanish ship, which they sent to Galveston, hoping the Longs would smuggle the goods to New Orleans. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places named for him. They will haunt you in your dreams for making a [7] His elder brother Pierre became a privateer; he may have operated from Saint-Domingue, which frequently issued letters of marque. There were also those who considered him a hero. Because of his track record and reputation, Jean Lafitte was still seen as a criminal in the eyes of the United States. Britain and the United States declared war in June 1812, but until 1814, most of the fighting took place on the east coast or northern border of the United States. 5, 7. [5] No samples of his writing survive, except his signature; his surviving letters were always written by a secretary. . He could have stashed some treasure somewhere along the Eastern shore. Lafitte proved an invaluable ally for the United States in the War of 1812 and the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, assisting General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) to victory against the British. [82] Lafitte reportedly took immense amounts of treasure with him, and was accompanied by his mulatta mistress[who?] To this day, Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. Annual income reached more than $2 million ($35.4million in today's terms) in stolen currency and goods. SS Jean Lafitte (1942) (MC hull number 475), transferred to the United States Navy as Sumter-class attack transport USS Warren (APA-53); sold for commercial use in 1947; converted to container ship in 1965; scrapped in 1977 SS Jean Lafitte (1943) (MC hull number . This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him.[1]. Watch an alligator bask on a bayou's bank. 419 Decatur St I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. Lafitte decided to warn American authorities and offered to help defend New Orleans in exchange for a pardon for his men. After Napoleons exile to St. Helena by the English in 1815, the story says Lafitte put a double in his place and smuggled him into the United States, but that Napoleon died on the trip. Jean However, reports suggest that the anglers had been fishing for . Lafitte tried to convince the Americans that they had nothing to fear from him. The smugglers often held letters of marque from multiple countries, authorizing them to capture booty from differing nations. (Ramsay (1996), pp. By 1810, their new port had become very successful; the Laffites had a profitable smuggling operation and also started to engage in piracy. With the threat of imprisonment While his fleet took a hit, Lafitte himself managed to evade capture. Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. By 1810, the island had become a booming port. The law left several loopholes, giving permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country of origin. Lafitte was granted a commission and given a new ship, a 43-ton schooner named General Santander in honor to Vice-President General Francisco de Paula Santander. [24] They outfitted it with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. [93], In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in the Great Colombia, whose government under General Simn Bolvar had begun commissioning former privateers as officers in its new navy. They submitted booty from captured British ships to the American authorities at New Orleans, and booty from all other ships was often channeled for sale on the markets through Lafitte's operation. Catiche had given birth to a daughter named Marie on November 10, 1813. This information begs the question, though, How did Jean Lafitte have treasure in the first place, and if he did, why would he leave it behind?. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte . But why? 1417 Harborside Drive, Galveston, TX ( Directions) One of over 200 historical markers on the island, this marker is located at the former house Maison Rouge of notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. These questions Most who plied that area back then kept what they found close to the vest, and today that area is all open water, though many locals can still point out to you exactly where the Temple was. Guests could've been able to enter Laffite's crypt near the Haunted Mansion. [6] According to Ramsay, Lafitte's widowed mother migrated with her two sons, the elder Pierre and Jean, from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans in the 1780s. He and another treasure hunter named Dan Beckingham found 4.5 million dollars worth of gold in the shallow waters of Florida. Many of the Baratarians settled in New Orleans or in the Barataria area and some of their descendants still live there today. Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution, in early 1803 Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans. Lafitte conducted most of his business aboard his ship, The Pride, where he also lived. I also. There is no . Switching gears back to Louisiana, this Jean Lafitte tale quotes a former student of Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans stating that the treasure is buried near an oak tree on the schools campus. says that a swamp in the Natalbany River in Springfield, Louisiana, was drained In Jean Lafitte's day, silver and gold filled a pirate's treasure chest, but today's treasures are people, places, and memories. . Thankful for their help with the American victory, in February 1815 President James Madison offered pardons to the Baratarians for any crimes committed against the United States. Yet, Lafitte's strong connections to historical figures suggests that he was the culprit of this incident. Louisiana State University alumnus (Geaux Tigers), fanatic of all things sports, pugs, and Star Wars, and teller of the occasional dad joke. The smugglers wounded one of the officers and safely escaped with the contraband. The benefits of Jean Lafitte agreement to the British were numerous and well calculated. The second item was a personal note to Lafitte from McWilliam's superior, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nicolls, urging him to accept the offer.[47]. This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. Learn Cajun traditions from people who live them. His men burned the Maison Rouge, fortress, and settlement. It reads that a cache of ancient gold coins was found near Jefferson island. A representative of the smuggler would purchase the slaves at the ensuing auction, and the smuggler would be given half of the purchase price. From there, he raided foreign ships in the Gulf of Mexico. Rogers was a member of Jean Lafitte's pirate crew in 1812. Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway. According to HendricksLake.com, created by author and independent researcher Gary L. Pinkerton, this is where six wagons of silver stolen by Jean Lafitte from a ship called the Santa Rosa were allegedly washed up. . [67] By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. With his business carrying on and continuing to grow, so did his wealth. "[26] For several months, the Lafittes would send the ships directly to New Orleans with legal cargo and would take on outgoing provisions in the city. He requested approval to raise a militia company to "disperse those desperate men on Lake Barataria whose piracies have rendered our shores a terror to neutral flags". 2. Their patrols and interventions reduced the number of active pirates in the region. Collectively they were known as "Number thirteen". I think yall lying about the finding treasure, Plum bayou look for trees cut down and fake grave at the end. You'll need to arrive by 5:30pm and bring your ID plus there is a $3.00 USD boarding fee. . [73] Aury returned to Galveston several months later, but he left in July when he realized that the men were unwilling to revolt. and the fear of being captured, Lafitte allegedly buried his treasure with the that the treasure is in a different location now than where it was buried? [84][Note 1], The remainder of the crew rejoined Lafitte, who finally acknowledged that he did not have a valid commission. He seemed to think the whole world was against him, and he determined to be against the world. Ramsay believes that Lafitte died of a fever in 1826 or 1827 on, Ramsay believes the documents were written by Laflin's ancestor, Matthew Laflin (18031854), who may have convinced his descendants that he was Jean Lafitte. There are many stories about famed pirate Jean Lafitte, but one places his lost buried treasure at the bottom of a lake right here in East Texas. Jean lists his age as 32 and his birthplace as . Lafitte essentially developed Galveston Island as another smuggling base. What books would you recommend about this pirate? But remember Lafittes black dogs are still around dont go a hunting unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences. Lafitte's ship grounded in shallow water where the larger British . Wounded in the battle, Lafitte is believed to have died just after dawn on February 5. Jean Lafitte was a French pirate and privateer who operated from New Orleans, Louisiana. The park was given the mission of preserving the natural and cultural resources of Louisianas Mississippi River delta region. scrambling to find answers. The buccaneer Jean Lafitte and other pirates sailed the Gulf to . ), privateer and smuggler who interrupted his illicit adventures to fight heroically for the United States in defense of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The Laffites moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. This story was told to me several years ago by a man in his 80 s Back in 1940 or 41 two men hired to clean up around what is said to be Lafittes red house disapeared after a few days. In September 1814, British military officials sought Lafittes help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. The business was so profitable because Lafitte was selling smuggled, foreign goods to the people of New Orleans. The bay was located beyond a narrow passage between the barrier islands of Grand Terre and Grande Isle. Lafitte for a time lived a lavish lifestyle, complete with servants and the finest housewares and other accoutrements.[78]. In exchange, the king asked for Lafitte and his forces to promise to assist in the naval fight against the United States and to return any recent property that had been captured from Spanish ships. [50], Lafitte committed himself and his men for any defensive measures needed by New Orleans. [79] It was being developed for cotton culture, as invention of the cotton gin had made short-staple cotton profitable. A mysterious shipwreck is capturing imaginations as a team of researchers sift through the remnants of an early 19th-century vessel located 150 miles off the Galveston Island coast.. any leads as to where Lafittes treasure might be? Campbell's Legacy. Other variations of the mystery say Lafitte buried the treasure in . After his three children were grown, Lafitte fell sick in his 50s. [11] This was the last year that Napoleon failed to regain control of Saint-Domingue. Jean Lafitte. [114][115] When the historical society could not authenticate the claim, Laflin approached Louisiana author Stanley Arthur. [38] Following the reward offer, Lafitte wrote Claiborne a note denying the charges of piracy. Jean LaFitte, that colorful character who roamed the Gulf Coast in the early 1800s was said to be many things - smuggler, pirate and patriot.