Jean Laffite - or - Will the Real Pirate Please Stand Up

When British vessels approached Louisiana during the war of 1812, the commodore of the invading fleet attempted to enlist the aid of Jean Laffite and his band of over a thousand smugglers and privateers against the American forces.

The British realized that with Laffite’s help, they could be led right through the bayous from the Laffite establishment of Barateria at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, and march, literally right into the back door of New Orleans. Captain Lockyer, of the British Navy, offered Laffite $30,000, much property and a Royal Navy Commission.

Captain Laffite, known as “The Bos” of Barataria, told Captain Lockyer that he would need some time to think about the offer. Actually, Laffite was stalling for time. He sent a messenger to New Orleans to tell Governor Claiborne of the huge threat of a British invasion just right off the coast of Louisiana, and their plans to attack soon.

Jean Laffite hated the Spanish and the British. He had letters of marque from the Republic of France and Carthegena to attack any British or French ship. He never allowed any of his men to attack an American ship. Jean Laffite loved the new country of America. He greatly respected the ideals and principals that it was founded upon.

Governor Claiborne lost his chance at greatness, instead of listening to Laffite’s warning and offer of assistance in aiding the American cause, Claiborne listened instead to three members of his defense committee: Commodore Patterson, Colonel Ross Colonel Duborg, who insisted on attacking the Baratarians to gain notoriety and hopefully, great wealth.

On September 11th, 1814, Commodore Patterson’s squadron attacked. Eighty Baratarians were taken prisoner, 26 vessels were seized, and loot from some discovered warehouses was taken. The next day Patterson filed a suit claiming for himself the ships and contraband.

Eventually, with Andrew Jackson in charge of defending New Orleans, Laffite was finally listened to. Jackson had little in the way of flints and gunpowder. Laffite had plenty of both, plus he had a large force of hard-fighting men, some of the best cannoneers in the country, and his men knew the swamps and bayous better than anyone.

Soon the British attacked, and with the help of a loyal and patriotic Jean Laffite and his group of Baratarians, New Orleans was saved and the British were badly beaten.

After victory, Andrew Jackson, as well as President Madison granted pardons for Laffite and his men. Without Laffite, the British would’ve been victorious and Andrew Jackson would never have been heard of again... Now, About those “pirates.”

Patterson and Ross auctioned off Laffite’s captured ships, and kept in their possession a certain amount of gold and silver which they did not put up for sale, neither did they send it to the Treasury in Washington. They kept it for themselves to spend lavishly.

Jackson and the General Staff left with their sacks well filled, and without authorization took away several of Laffite’s cannon and a large quantity of flints and gunpowder. Madison and Jackson failed to enter into a specific accounting for all that Laffite had supplied: 366 cannon, 6,400 kilos of gunpowder, 1720 kilos of gun flints, (approximately 300,000 flints) 315 men at their posts along the cost of Louisiana, and over 400 battle-tried artillerymen southeast of New Orleans. Laffite was never recompensed for his supplies.

With politicians and greedy military leaders around, Laffite wasn’t the only “pirate.” •

Ron “Red” Paul


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