treasure of Jean Lafitte. United States no choice but to pursue his arrest. Legends of the Gulf Coast museum on the Strand. His life and death remain as mysterious as the swamps and bayous of Barataria. [38] Officials tried to break up this auction by force. I have a metal detector. A number of details about Jean Lafitte's early life remain obscure and often sources contradict each other. In the ensuing gunfight, one of the revenue officers [39] was killed and two others were wounded. the naval operations and common routes of port ships in the Mississippi River On September 3, 1814, the British ship HMS Sophie fired on a pirate ship returning to Barataria. Lafitte tried to convince the Americans that they had nothing to fear from him. [4] He notes that still other contemporary accounts claim that Lafitte was born in Ordua, Spain, or in Westchester County, New York, north of Manhattan. [23], The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligente. 1776 - ca. and brother in the early 1800s. I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. 3 and 4. I'm proud of them for digging into it," Tony Hix said. An American ship was boarded near our coast, . [92] By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. [9], Acknowledging that details of Lafitte's first twenty years are sparse, Davis speculates that Lafitte spent much time at sea as a child, probably aboard ships owned by his father, a known trader. They had two children together. Rogers started his own pirate fleet in 1818. . Resentful of the raid on Barataria, Lafitte's men refused to serve on their former ships. and its inlets. Some speculate it was Jean. You can see a small door that was covered. 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 . Yet, Lafitte's strong connections to historical figures suggests that he was the culprit of this incident. Jean Lafitte was also offered a position in the British Royal Navy as a captain. A treasured mystery, Probably inside the hidden stairs that went to the first floor of his mason rouge. [36], Lafitte's continued flouting of the laws angered Governor Claiborne, who, on March 15, issued a proclamation against the Baratarian "banditti who act in contravention of the laws of the United States to the evident prejudice of the revenue of the federal government". scrambling to find answers. Some historians recount that Lafitte went back to a life of crime, leaving the Many of the Baratarians settled in New Orleans or in the Barataria area and some of their descendants still live there today. Lafitte conducted most of his business aboard his ship, The Pride, where he also lived. In September 1814, British military officials sought Lafittes help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. [58] On December 19, the state legislature passed a resolution recommending a full pardon for all of the former residents at Barataria. 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. But remember Lafittes black dogs are still around dont go a hunting unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences. [48] Lafitte had copies of the letters sent to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. There were no chests. When you cross Bayou Des Allemands on Hwy 90, looking down the bayou to the south its a short ride to where the primary temple location was. 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. Retired Avenger, current NFL free agent. Officials released the smugglers after they posted bail, and they disappeared and refused to return for a trial. War & Affiliation War of 1812 / American. Historical Marker. that is. By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. Jackson agreed to do so. Josh Gates is on a mission to find the hidden treasure of Jean Lafitte, the French pirate and privateer, this week on Expedition Unknown. He landed ships at Grand Terre and Cheniere, and then brought the merchandise to The Temple to be auctioned. [4][5] In the late 18th century, adult children of the French planters in Saint-Domingue often resettled along the Mississippi River in La Louisiane, especially in its largest city of New Orleans. He had to take a pirogoe which is a wood boat that would have sank if all the treasure would have been on board. Jean Lafitte: A trial for piracy. Where: 1859 Ashton Villa, 2328 Broadway Ave. J, Galveston. Most of his men had believed that Lafitte had a valid privateering commission although there was confusion as to which country had issued it. (He was actually more of a land based businessman than a privateer or pirate at sea.) 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. It is still 5, 7. These goods were at a high demand and otherwise illegal due to the Embargo Act of 1807. 1512. If they refused the offer, the letters informed Lafitte that the British had orders to capture Barataria to put an end to their smuggling. Jean Lafitte was a Privateer Captain in the early 19th century. Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution, in early 1803 Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans. Forced to leave the city, Lafitte decided to set up shop on a small island in Barataria Bay, about 40 miles south of New Orleans, to continue his smuggling ways. In-between Matagorda Bay and the mouth of the Sabine River, there are dozens of lost treasure tales associated with the infamous 19th Century buccaneer, and over the years there have been countless attempts undergone to recover some of the lost loot that Lafitte supposedly hid. Jean Lafitte (ca. Merchants and planters were eager to buy the goods and slaves Lafitte smuggled into south Louisiana. One of the pirate's captains had attacked an American merchant ship. He and another treasure hunter named Dan Beckingham found 4.5 million dollars worth of gold in the shallow waters of Florida. in south Louisianas bayous for so long, Lafitte had also become an expert with [10], Sources indicate that Lafitte was sharp and resourceful, but also handsome and friendly, enjoying drinking, gambling, and women. Is the image on this article what the actual chest looked like? The ship would sail to the mouth of Bayou Lafourche, load the contraband goods, and sail "legally" back to New Orleans, with goods listed on a certified manifest. into these uncharted waters, we need to know more about who Lafitte was. By 1805 he is believed to have been running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1983.123.8. Quick Facts. Jean Lafitte (1780-1823) was a legendary French privateer and pirate who resided in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the early 19th century and was widely believed to have been born in either the French colony of Saint-Domingue or in Basque-France. 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. (Ramsay (1996), pp. He resurfaced in North Carolina under a different name, an alias. have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. [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. In 1814, the U.S. sent a naval force to invade Lafittes fleet and was mostly successful, seizing many of Lafittes comrades and ships. The Sabin, a ship belonging to Robert Kleberg and Van Roeder, is said to have sunk with valuables off Galveston Island. 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. A grand jury indicted Pierre Lafitte after hearing testimony against him by one of the city's leading merchants. [54] According to Ramsay, Claiborne next wrote to General Andrew Jackson, "implying Patterson had destroyed a potential first line of defense for Louisiana" by his capture of Lafitte and his ships. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "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). "Finding out who Lafitte really was," Cody Hix said. [86][Note 2], Lafitte and his men continued to take Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico and often returned to Galveston or the barrier islands near New Orleans to unload cargo or take on supplies arranged by Pierre. And the ship berry bros found look for gold on land nearby. [89], Over the next few months, Lafitte established a base along the coast of Cuba, where he bribed local officials with a share of the profits. 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. With the [42], Following the charges of November 10, 1812, and subsequent arrest and jailing of his brother Pierre, Jean Lafitte operated the piracy and smuggling business. Dissatisfied with their role as brokers, in October 1812 the Lafitte brothers purchased a schooner and hired Captain Trey Cook to sail it. He fled New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. Researchers say the vessels sit in 25 feet water depth at the north of Big Bradford Island. In 1948, John Andrechyne Laflin approached the Missouri Historical Society with a French-language manuscript he claimed was a journal Lafitte kept from 1845 until 1850. I think yall lying about the finding treasure, Plum bayou look for trees cut down and fake grave at the end. That night his remaining men reboarded the General Victoria and destroyed its masts and spars, crippling the ship, but they left the crew unharmed. Several of Lafitte's men were arrested and convicted of piracy. [57], In mid-December, Jackson met with Lafitte, who offered to serve if the US would pardon those of his men who agreed to defend the city. Located 25 minutes from downtown New Orleans, Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours has been operating daily bayou tours since the 1980s. New Orleans issued six such letters, primarily to smugglers who worked with Lafitte at Barataria. Claiborne took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson as acting governor. From there, he raided foreign ships in the Gulf of Mexico. There are many accounts that say Lafitte settled in Wounded in the battle, Lafitte is believed to have died just after dawn on February 5.



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