Families with the surname Lafitte have been found in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. even tales that the treasure was not intentionally buried. Catiche became pregnant and gave birth to their son, Jean Pierre, on November 4, 1815. 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. Merchants in New Orleans began to run out of goods to sell. during the Battle of New Orleans. He refused to allow anyone else to see the original documents until 1969, when he sold them to a professional document dealer. 1512. Retired Avenger, current NFL free agent. Lafitte attempted to take what appeared to be two Spanish merchant vessels on the night of February 4. By 1805 he is believed to have been running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street. Over the next few months, the British Navy increased patrols in the Gulf of Mexico, and by August they had established a base at Pensacola. Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. Lafitte may have had as many as 1000 people working for him, including free men of color and runaway slaves. Stories of the buried treasure of Jean Lafitte can be found all over the state of Louisiana. He resurfaced in North Carolina under a different name, an alias. According to one account, published in 1885, The Historical Guide to New Orleans, Jean Lafitte died of sickness on the island of Mugeres, off the Yucatan, in 1826. Jean Lafitte proves to be an aberration as he acted as patriot to the United States during the War of 1812. Founded in 1805 by the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, the legendary Lafitte Trading Company is dedicated to preserving New Orleans' rich pirate history, culture & traditions. He was born in Port-au-Prince on the Caribbean island now known as Haiti, where his father was a tanner who made a comfortable enough living to educate his sons well. The fortune is said to have been stolen from the Spanish by Jean Lafitte. Claiborne took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson as acting governor. The prizes that Lafitte took were slaves, cotton, commodities, etc. 5, 7. Title Smuggler. The park was given the mission of preserving the natural and cultural resources of Louisianas Mississippi River delta region. If you were thoroughly acquainted with the nature of my offenses, I should appear to you much less guilty, and still worthy to discharge the duties of a good citizen. What books would you recommend about this pirate? and the fear of being captured, Lafitte allegedly buried his treasure with the In January 1808, the government began to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807, which barred American ships from docking at any foreign port and imposed an embargo on goods imported into the US. After Jean's reported death in the mid-1820s, the widowed Catiche took up with Feliciano Ramos. By midmorning, 10 armed pirate ships formed a battle line in the bay. 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 . Those looking for Gold, Diamonds, Jewelry etc wont find it. A grand jury indicted Pierre Lafitte after hearing testimony against him by one of the city's leading merchants. . The Baratarians invited the British officers to row to their island. Found bones of mamouth and Indian tools. Many of the Baratarians settled in New Orleans or in the Barataria area and some of their descendants still live there today. [76] Lafitte forged letters of marque from an imaginary nation to fraudulently authorize all the ships sailing from Galveston as privateers. According to historian William C. Davis, Laffite began a public relationship with his mistress in 1815, Catherine (Catiche) Villard, a free woman of color. [48] He had also been told in August that American officials were planning an assault on Barataria with forces under the command of Commodore Daniel Patterson. treasure of Jean Lafitte. By 1806, several "Captain Lafitte"s operated in New Orleans; Jean Lafitte was likely one of them. The expert cannon fire of Jacksons troops, including Lafi ttes Baratarians, contributed to the American victories during the New Orleans campaign that culminated with the Battle of New Orleans on January 8,1815. Look it up. Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. 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. After his three children were grown, Lafitte fell sick in his 50s. Laflin said he himself was a descendant of Jean Lafitte and had found the book in a trunk he had inherited. North of Tatum, in the middle of the woods, lies . I also. [28] The residents of New Orleans were grateful to the Lafittes for providing them with luxuries otherwise prevented from importing by the embargo. I a month there. Theres Even the date and place of his birth and death are unknown. Jean Pierre, her son with Jean Lafitte, died at 17 during a cholera epidemic in New Orleans in October 1832. Tensions were high during this time between the United States and Great Britain, creating the War of 1812 and forcing the United States to be on edge about who they could and could not trust. Louisiana's most well-known buried treasure mystery still to this day is the unfound treasure of Jean Lafitte. The men working for Lafitte were called Baratarians because the waterways they used for smuggling were located in an area called Barataria (the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is located in this area). Jean Lafitte 1417 Harborside Drive. Like a little wooden barrel. Little is known of Laffite's early life, but by 1809 he and his brother Pierre apparently had established in New Orleans a blacksmith shop that reportedly served as . [2] Some sources say that his father was French and his mother's family had come from Spain. The benefits of Jean Lafitte agreement to the British were numerous and well calculated. Lafitte then was supposed to have buried Napoleon in the town of Lafittes Perrin Cemetery; later Jones and Lafitte himself supposedly were buried there. His brother Pierre Lafitte was a blacksmith. He landed ships at Grand Terre and Cheniere, and then brought the merchandise to The Temple to be auctioned. 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. residents of Texas have claimed that the treasure was buried somewhere along The Indians in the Mandeville area helped him escape to the Pearl River. "[55], When General Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, he discovered the city had not created any defenses. I studied it very well and found a hidden marking on a wall beside the stairs and a solid wall pit with a hole in the top. 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. The other went north later over seas where he was killed during WW2. Josh Gates investigates the legends swirling around the storied life and death of French pirate Jean Lafitte who is reputed to have buried treasure at sites in coastal Louisiana. He heads off to a plantation (as a legend says that . both men served under Governor Bernardo de Galvez during the American Revolution and can be found listed on the New Orleans Militia Roster. (In English documents, his last name was often spelled Lafitte, but Laffite was the spelling used by Jean and his brother Pierre.) On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Mystery and legend surround the life of Jean Lafi tte. Jean Lafitte in 1813. . 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. "[100] Given his legendary reputation, there was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had died. goal to once again evade U.S. seizure and to come back to it later. [75] Lafitte interviewed all newcomers and required them to take an oath of loyalty to him. [41] The legislature appointed a committee to study the matter but, as most of their constituents benefitted by the smuggling, they never authorized the militia. Lafitte's ship is called "The Pride," but that's something they've already found. With the threat of imprisonment He fled New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. 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. Small but made like a brick. and its inlets. It's okay, because we're here to bust them! The letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations. he was in his early twenties. The treasure already found was Spanish Silver, not Gold. There were no chests. His men burned the Maison Rouge, fortress, and settlement. According to Ramsay, Lafitte, his elder brother Pierre, and his widowed mother migrated from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans in the 1780s. He found his first Spanish gold coin in the year 2017. In 1978, Congress created Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, combining Chalmette National Historical Park (established in 1938) with the Louisiana state park and authorizing a visitor center in the French Quarter. [81]. In 1812, the United States and the United Kingdom went to war. April 23, 2022. This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. , 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 . Numerous novels and stories refer to Lafitte's exploits. Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) . Governor Claiborne of Louisiana once offered a $500 reward to anyone who captured Jean Laffite; Laffitte offered a counter reward of $5,000 to anyone who captured the governor. He was buried at sea in the Gulf of Honduras. Date of Birth - Death c. 1780-unknown. [5] No samples of his writing survive, except his signature; his surviving letters were always written by a secretary. There are Lafitte was horribly excited by the result of this trial. Rogers was a member of Jean Lafitte's pirate crew in 1812. Lafitte worked with several smugglers, including Jim Bowie, to profit from the poorly written law. Jean Lafitte is said to have cached over 100 treasures on Galveston Island. "I think he realized very quickly in Galveston that it was not going to work, as evidenced by how short lived that . The state of 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. into these uncharted waters, we need to know more about who Lafitte was. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. Let us know in the comments Josh Gates is on a mission to find the hidden treasure of Jean Lafitte, the French pirate and privateer, this week on Expedition Unknown. [32] Because the US Navy did not have enough ships to act against the Baratarian smugglers, the government turned to the courts. According to his 2005 book, Lafitte was born in or near Pauillac, France, the son of Pierre Lafitte and his second wife, Marguerite Desteil. below! It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. Having lived 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?. Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and on May 7, 1821 departed on The Pride. Lafitte possibly took an assumed name, John Lafflin, and may have given that surname to his younger two sons. Actually, his men attacked several American ships but apparently did not kill any crewmen, possibly because they did not fight back. You will see it gets its name from the treasure being buried there. [17], Based in New Orleans, Pierre Lafitte served as a silent partner, looking after their interests in the city. [31], As the smuggling operations reduced the amount of revenue collected by customs offices, American authorities were determined to halt business at Barataria. The ones found their range from the late 1770;s to 1814 or so. The Temple was located just North of what is today Little Lake, in Lafittes time it was Little Lake Barataria, where Bayou Perot and Bayou Rigolets meet. Another account says Lafitte married Christina Levine at the age of seventeen. Although not part of the original proposal from Percy, Lockyer added an extra $30,000 if Lafitte would not only assist in the battle against New Orleans but also against Mobile. Resentful of the raid on Barataria, Lafitte's men refused to serve on their former ships. Jean Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. The city of Cartagena in present-day Colombia had rebelled against Spain and gave permission through letters of marque for privateers, including Lafittes men, to capture Spanish ships and the goods and slaves on board. Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendrick's Lake near Tatum. [87] The congressional delegation in Louisiana began to demand that the federal government do something to halt the smuggling, and more US Navy ships were sent to the Gulf. His reading and writing abilities, therefore, remain unclear. Lafitte visited in March 1817. [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". Jean was sent to Galveston Island, a part of Spanish Texas that served as the home base of Louis-Michel Aury, a French privateer who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary. By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. Jean Lafitte (ca. British forces sought access to the Mississippi River to gain control of the interior of the US. Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to Jean's brother Pierre Lafitte died on the way to Dzilam and he was buried in Dzilam in an old cemetery, which later eroded into the sea. . [50], Lafitte committed himself and his men for any defensive measures needed by New Orleans. In Jean Lafitte's day, silver and gold filled a pirate's treasure chest, but today's treasures are people, places, and memories. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the US but had prepared their vessels to flee. Omoa was the site of the largest Spanish fort in Central America, built to guard the Spanish silver shipments from the mines of Tegucigalpa to overseas destinations. For the town named after him, see. In 1812, several Baratarians including both Pierre and Jean Lafitte were captured but jumped bail. Get monthly email updates and the chance to win a prize. Lafitte named his colony Campeche, after a Mexican outpost further south along the Gulf Coast. Later, in return for a legal pardon, Laffite and his fleet helped General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans to defend the city during the War of 1812. [29], On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. One of the men was found living in east Texas where he had bought a farm. Lafitte conducted most of his business aboard his ship, The Pride, where he also lived. [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. 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. In 1821, the schooner USS Enterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. Although the handbills were made in Lafitte's name, Ramsay believes "it is unlikely [the handbills] originated with him". [21] In January 1813, they took their first prize, a Spanish hermaphrodite brig loaded with 77slaves. The silver that Lafitte accumulated from selling captured slaves, cotton, and other goods was stored in wooden kegs or casks. . . It was specifically intended to prohibit trade with the United Kingdom, as tensions were increasing between the two countries. Jean LaFitte, that colorful character who roamed the Gulf Coast in the early 1800s was said to be many things - smuggler, pirate and patriot. well as the fortunes left on the merchant ships that he captured. Slaves captured in such actions who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits going to the people who turned them in. [5][12] He was known to adopt more aristocratic mannerisms and dress than most of his fellow privateers. Our exclusive brands & quality merchandise are created to inspire a unique & recognizable Joie de vivre~Pirate Lifestyle with worldwide appeal! Most of the people were locals, from Lafourche Parish, the southern part, mainly Cut Off and Larose and the Gheens area, and also from the Des Allemands location. An American ship was boarded near our coast, . Jean Lafitte's fabeled ship, The Pride, sunk well over a hundred years ago. Charles Gayarre wrote the first serious biography of Lafitte. He vowed his intention to make indiscriminate war upon all God . Captain Campbell became a farmer and remained so until his death in 1856. By 1812 Lafitte was the leader of the Baratarians with headquarters on Grand Terre, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. Jean Lafitte. I'm proud of them for digging into it," Tony Hix said. The building was surrounded by a moat and painted red; it became known as Maison Rouge. Lafitte's men identified slave ships and captured them. Smith believes he found a sunken ship on Google Earth in 2006 in Refugio, just north of Corpus Christi. I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. So, where could Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. Back in 1915, a city worker in New Orleans found a chest that was filled with over 1,500 . He was evidently able to speak English reasonably well and most likely had a working knowledge of Spanish. Guides educate the public on wildlife, Cajun culture, and life on the bayou. floor after a shipwreck. [94] For the first time, Lafitte was legally authorized to take Spanish ships. Several times customs officials and soldiers tried to capture Lafi tte in the swamps, but they were usually captured, wounded, or killed by the Baratarians. The Spanish ships were heavily armed privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. They will haunt you in your dreams for making a Lafitte also always insisted that he was a privateer, not a pirate. Lafitte se rvla un alli prcieux pour les tats-Unis lors de la . Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution, in early 1803 Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans. Because of his track record and reputation, Jean Lafitte was still seen as a criminal in the eyes of the United States. [95], Lafitte continued to patrol the shipping lanes around Cuba. Instead, Lafitte told Governor Claiborne of the planned attack and offered his help. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. jean lafitte shipwreck found. In 1958, Laflin self-published an English translation of the journal. [56] It had approximately 1,000 unseasoned troops and two ships for its use. Rosenberg Library, Galveston (Public Domain) Jean Lafitte (galement orthographi Laffite, c. 1780 - c. 1820) tait un meneur franco-amricain de pirates et de corsaires qui captura des navires marchands de diffrents tats dans le golfe du Mexique de 1810 1820. He was chased all over the Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. Navy, all his ships burned except for his flagship, The Pride. However, reports suggest that the anglers had been fishing for . . Widely publicized, the raid was hailed by the Niles' Weekly Register as "a major conquest for the United States". Some speculate it was Jean. Jean Other documents of the period place his birthplace as St. Malo or Brest. He withdrew his battered troops and ended French involvement in North America, selling the US what became known as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803: French-claimed lands west of the Mississippi River. She placed Pierre to be raised by extended family elsewhere in Louisiana. Lafitte was later that the treasure was on board one of Lafittes vessels and sank to the ocean Jean had taken the helm of a band of pirates when the U.S. found itself at war with . In later years, he was described as having "a more accurate knowledge of every inlet from the Gulf than any other man". . The story claimed that American Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones was the uncle of Jean Lafitte and Napoleon Bonaparte and that the two were cousins. Inside a tunnel stylized as pirate's cattacombs would've led to Laffite's old hideout, a capsized ship in Sawyer's island. From there, he raided foreign ships in the Gulf of Mexico. "[64] Jackson named Jean and Pierre Lafitte for having "exhibited the same courage and fidelity". A family in Baytown, Texas tell their story as they believe they found one of Lafittes sunken ships. any leads as to where Lafittes treasure might be? Most of Jean Lafitte's life remains shrouded in mystery, including his name. [48] Lafitte had copies of the letters sent to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. End of Campeche[edit] In 1821, the schooner USS Enterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. (Davis (2005), p. 436). Collectively they were known as "Number thirteen". Its off 435 about 12 miles from where he fled imprisonment to the Pearl River. A representative of the smuggler would purchase the slaves at the ensuing auction, and the smuggler would be given half of the purchase price. On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. [71] Texas was lightly populated at this time, and the base had no significant populations nearby. He was a reserved man and remained largely . ), Nicolas, p. 277. states that he held a local (acting) rank of Captain of Royal Marines, R.L. 419 Decatur St Yes I visited his home the Mason rouge in Campeche Galveston tx. Following Lafitte's departure from the Texas coast in 1821, James and Mary Campbell remained in the region, ultimately settling on a plot of about 1500 acres at Campbell's Bayou (Articles, 1998). [117] Most historians now believe the Lafitte journal to be a forgery. In 1966, Louisiana authorized a state park to be established at the present site of the Barataria Preserve. But the gold and diamond jewl was the confirmation I needed. "[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. Constructed in the 1720s, the structure stands today as possibly the oldest building in the United States housing a bar (Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar).[105][106]. Nice little interesting overview but the bit many accounts say lafitte settled in Galveston casts unnecessary doubt, The settlement in Galveston (Campeche) is firmly established in the history, theres even a museum there about it.