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- "New Orleans was once the home of real live pirates, like the notorious Jean Lafitte."
- ―Marcia Miner
Jean Lafitte was a French pirate who operated in the early 19th century. 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. Gentleman, privateer, pirate, smuggler, and political philosopher aptly describe the many roles of Jean Laffite's life. He was born in France and eventually came into notoriety in New Orleans where he was a successful smuggler. Wealth came quickly for Laffite and helped him defeat the charge of piracy. With his money and prestige, he was able to hire the best lawyers in the area to get him acquitted of the charge. Laffite served against the British under General Andrew Jackson during the battle of New Orleans. He then became a spy for the Spanish in the Caribbean; their shipping harassed by marauders, the Spanish sought to put a stop to piracy and privateering that disrupted trade in the Americas. Laffite's life from this point on is a series of mysterious events and assumed names. His reputation grew around his years of smuggling in Barataria Bay and socializing in New Orleans. In his later years, Laffite spent much of his time in Europe as a political philosopher of some sorts. Yet, there are still many people around Galveston, Texas, who continue to search for Laffite's buried treasure along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Alleged portrait of Jean Laffite.
In New Orleans Square several references to the real-life captain still exist. There is an anchor located in the square which appears beside a plaque reading, "Said to be from a pirate ship commanded by Jean Lafitte in the battle of New Orleans – January 8, 1815 – It is also said that Lafitte’s privateering ships left a wake of blood from the mainland to Barataria Bay – But don’t believe everything you read". There used to be a silver goods and custom engravings shop in the area called, Laffite's Silver Shop (although his name is misspelled).[citation needed]
On Tom Sawyer's Island there are two references to the captain; one in the form of an area called Lafitte's Tavern and the other in the now extinct Fort Wilderness where a display can be seen homaging the final battle of the war of 1812 (which was the battle Lafitte partook in).[citation needed] And most famously, on the Haunted Mansion's sister attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean the loading zone for the ride is a ramshackle boat landing with a sign referring to it as, "Laffite's Landing" although they do misspell the captain's name.>[2]
Disneyland Paris's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction features a portrait of Jean Laffite being held by a villager in the town of Puerto Dorado on the island of Isla Tesoro while it was raided by the pirates of the Wicked Wench. The villager is held captive at an auction where they are to be forced to sell off the portrait to pirates.[citation needed]
Sources[]
- Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Story of the Robust Adventure in Disneyland and Walt Disney World
- Disneyland: From the Pirates of the Caribbean to the World of Tomorrow
