Jean Lafitte - Barrataria Corsair, by Badger Bart

[Badger Bart]

Jean Lafitte - Barrataria Corsair

Between 1803 and 1814 Lafitte owned and operated a tremendous business which transported merchandise of all kinds from a number of markets within the city and to and from various designated spots south of it. Gold, jewels, slaves, beef, commodities of all sorts. During much of that period he operated from the Neutral Strip. This "Neutral Ground Agreement" was a treaty negotiated in 1806 between Spanish General Simon Herrera and American General James Wilkinson, and remained in effect until 1821.The strip was unoccupied by military troops or law enforcement from either nation, so naturally it soon became a notorious refuge for the lawless desparados of both nations. Be it corsair, buccaneer, freebooter, sea dog or picaroon, piracy is still the game, and such could ask for no better haven to practice their trade than this Strip in southwest Louisiana. Although a few legitimate land hunters had settled there, including some small bands of Attakapas Indians, the majority of inhabitants were undoubtedly pirates.

Bound on the west by the Sabine River, and on the east by the Calcasieu, or Arroyo Hondo, this region holds as many or more legends of buried treasure than anywhere else in the world. While some treasure has unquestionably been recovered by Lafitte's pirates or their descendants, I have no doubt that some substantial caches remain undiscovered to this day. One particular legend regarding Lafitte was his secret mission to remove Napoleon Bonaparte and his personal fortune from Europe before his capture and confinement to Elba. This legend insists that Lafitte waited off the coast for the deposed Emperor, after his personal fortune had been loaded onto Lafitte's ship, until the appointed time time for Napolean himself to appear and board had long past. Forced to sail to save himself, his ship and crew, he is said to have made straight for the Strip in Louisiana. If that were the end of this particular legend, one could easily write it off as romantic imaginings by old men with nothing better to do than spin campfire yarns. I believe otherwise.

It is known that several of Lafitte's crew became settlers in the Strip and surrounding areas. Old pirates don't all just sail off into the sunset never to be heard from again. Many of their stories have been recorded and re-told, the stuff of today's legends. Naming some of them is easy, Pierre Guilotte, Charles Conea, Henry perry, Henri Nunoz, and Captain Arsene LeBleu had all sailed on Lafitte's ships before becoming settlers. LeBleu became a rancher and cattle buyer at the point where the Calcasieu intersected with the Old Spanish Trail, building a cabin there as early as 1815.

One of the oldest legends is told by descendants of Charles Sallier, a French aristocrat who escaped to Spain, from whence he paid Lafitte an outrageous sum to resettle him in Louisiana. Sallier is said to have bartered trinkets to the Indians for land, building his home on Barb Shellbank, today known as Money Hill. This home was later moved to Lake Charles.

It is said that a score of sea chests was loaded aboard Lafitte's ship one night, Napoleon's personal fortune. Napoleon hoped to escape his fate in Europe after Waterloo by relocating to Louisiana, but when he failed to board the ship at the appointed time, Lafitte was forced to sail without him. Some reliable historical figures proclaim this to be true. So what became of this score of sea chests you ask? It promptly arrived at Barb Shellbank in front of Sallier where the ship dropped anchor. Lafitte and crew enjoyed a week- long riotous spree of food, wine, and good American beef.

The ever unpredictable Lafitte then sailed off during the night, anchored downstream, and buried Napoleon's sea chests in the marsh. No doubt searched for countless times, it apparently has never been found. Certainly one can surmise that had this treasure been found, some of it could easily be linked directly to Napleon, identifiable, and possibly recorded before it left Europe. Hope remains as eternal as the legends, and fuels the treasure hunter's heart to find this or other caches of the famed Lafitte.

 

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[grizzly bare]

Once again drooling at the thought of all that treasure awaiting for me to come get it.

Thanks Bart, a great story.

grizzly bare

 

[BayouHunter]

Excellent, have heard that story and many others several times. The Napoleon house in the French Quarter is named for that event, but Napoleon never made it, and the name stuck.

The "Neutral Strip" is a very desolate area. Just mostly open marsh. Rough terrain.

Lafitte also is said to have inhabited Grande Terre island at the foot of Barataria Bay, where Katrina directly passed. On Grande Terre there is Fort Livingston (not used by Lafitte). This fort was to be used during the Civil War, but it never saw action. I have read on this board in the past of people finding coins on Grande Terre island. Supposedly it was a haven for prostitution, slave trading, gambling etc... So one must think that it is still worth hunting. I grew up in this area (about 40 miles away) in southern Louisiana. I am very fascinated with the Lafitte legacy, and took my ventures to the Galveston area finding his old house (Maison Rouge). Fenced in, you cannot get on the grounds, but would think there are remnants left behind. All around the Galveston & southeast Houston area, Lafitte lingered, and there are a few old cemetaries in the area rumored to have some of his "mates". I myself have been saying I'll go down to Grande Terre again before this coming storm season to search. Out of all pirates, there is very little "exact" information on Jean Lafitte.

 

[Badger Bart]

Bayou Hunter, you are correct, there is vey little 'exact' info on Lafitte. What is known is passed down from his associates of the day, and Lafitte's own journal. Men such as Charles Sallier, and their descendants. Sallier supplied beef and vegetables for Lafitte's ships, besides shipping cattle to markets via the old Opalousas Trail. You would think sattelite photos would show parts of that trail that could be searched today.

Hackberry Island in Lake Calcasieu is said to have been Lafitte's naval depot. Contraband Bayou is still said to have been a depot for goods brought into the country

It was obviously well known that Napoleon was to exile there if a house was named for him. One of Nalpoleon's military staff, Michel Pithon, did escape on Lafitte's ship and settled in Lake Charles.He had fought for France in every battle from Austerlitz in 1805 to Paris in 1814. In 1836 he fought in the Texas Army, reared a large family, anddied at age 97. He was a walking history book of Lafitte's voyages and visits to Calcasieu Parish.

Lafitte and his crew encamped for several weeks on a high bluff above Lake Charles, where the H.C. Drew Lumber Co. swamill was later built. If it is possible to detect this area today, I am sure some interesting items of historical value could be found.

 

[BayouHunter]

Came across this earlier:

Most historians agree that, had it not been for Lafitte's powder and flints and some extraordinary bombardeering by Dominique You, Great Britain might have won the Battle of New Orleans that foggy morning of January 8, 1815. Jackson was true to his word. All Baratarians were granted citizenship. Many settled down on Grand Terre to fish and trap. But the restless Jean Lafitte moved on to another island fortress off what is now Galveston, Texas. His privateer haven was soon overrun by criminals and fugitives. His own men disregarded orders and resorted to flagrant acts of piracy. In September of 1819, the United States Navy captured eighteen of his cutthroats looting a Spanish ship. They were tried, convicted, and publicly hanged in New Orleans.
On May 11, 1821, Jean Lafitte put the torch to his island commune and sailed away. Remains of Jean Lafitte?s occupation, bits of pottery and such, are still occasionally washed up around Grand Terre. It would be a tragedy if the island is allowed to continue to erode away. Descendents of some men Lafitte enlisted from Grand Isle, such as the Rigaud?s and Chighizola?s , are still on the island today. Norman Rigaud, owner of Sarah?s Restaurant, is one of the descendants, and can be a wealth of information. If he?s not too busy, he might just fill you in with some first hand knowledge.

I personally know of the Chighizola family, as there was a descendant living near my parents. It is also said on a local television program here, that Lafitte also used Elmer's Island also. This is located just to the west of Grand Isle. I've heard about that saw mill that you referenced. One thing I've never came across was the remains of any of his ships. Once I read it is believed that somewhere in the Sabine pass, one of his ships lays, but no one has "confirmed" this. I'd love to get a hold of someone with some concrete information. Also have read that the Dickinson & Armand bayou area southeast of Houston have had some interesting finds in the area. Thanks for your reply. I'm always searching but again, nothing to concrete. If you know of any good websites, let me know.

 

[Badger Bart]

Lafitte was known for his sudden impulses to just up and leave form where he was at the moment. It mattered not if it were the middle of the day, or middle of the night. One morning he did just that, broke camp and sailed away so suddenly that his favorite cook, the young slave Catalon was left sleeping on shore. Sallier took charge of the young man for several months, and when Lafitte returned, he bought Catalon in exchange for two sides of beef. Catalon was emancipated in 1865, and lived to a ripe old age. He was noted for his silence on Lafitte's activities because of a number of murders he witnessed over the search for and division of Lafitte's gold.

Another ex-slave by the name of Wash, born in Africa, emancipated in 1865, live to age 104, and died at Lake Charles in 1880. Wash's accounts of Lafitte's activities agreed with those of Sallier and Pithon. One such tale form these sources relates how a large American frigate had once chased Lafitte up the Calcasieu. Just returning from successful raids on Spanish ships, Lafitte posted sentries near the mouth of the river to watch the frigate's movements, then put half of his crew to work burying the loot in the vicinity of Barb Shellbank. The rest of his men built a clamshell fort, moved the guns ashore, and sank the ship. Time passed, the frigate sailed away, and Lafitte and company returned to Galveston on a new schooner.

Part of the deck of the sunken ship could be seen in the river for several years after, prompting two old Acadian scavengers to search the hulk, where they found two chests of silver plate and bars that had been overlooked in the hasty scuttling. They were said to have quickly moved them downriver to the vicinity of Cidony's Shipyard, and buried them on a marsh ridge. Old-timers believe these men returned in subsequent years and recovered the chests, basing that belief on a fresh excavation that was found, the bottom of which showed rust and the imprints of the chests.

Even into the 1890's, remains of Lafitte's fort at the Barb place could still be seen. Known as Dead Man's Lake, this small depression of about fifty by one hundred feet trapped rainwater, and was separated from the main stream by a clamshell levee. Sattelite photos may help in pinpointing this particular spot, and it would be a must place to search today, if possible.

Most tales of Lafitte are 'true' to the extent that they originated from people who knew Lafitte or his men, or said they did. The tales all have two things in common, buried treasure, and some sort of "patron" to guard it. A big rattlesnake, and eerie light to lead gold seekers astray, a cutlass wielding skeleton, or some othe apparition whose job was to guard the buried loot.

The former slave Wash did have a lot to say, some quotes and stories are attributed to him directly, and I will realte those in another post... soon I hope.

 

[BayouHunter]

BadgerBart,

Have read that story also. I wonder if there are "good"remnants of the fort on Barb Shellbank. I've been researching the Old Opelousas trail, and found that it connected with Hwy 20 & Hwy 182 which neither are very far from here. There is a railroad that basically runs parallel to these highways, and I bet that the rail system was actually the old trail. Thanks again for the info, as I'll keep searching.

 

[Badger Bart]

BEST FACTUAL INFO ON LAFITTE

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/cops_others/lafitte/1.html

This is the best I have found on Lafitte, a complete history in an online book. Least hype, well written.

I would like to find a free online copy of his journal, translated into English of course, or hear a treasure hunters perspective on it. Everyone has their own certain perspective, but most serious treausre hunters have a unique way of viewing this sort of info.

 

[Badger Bart]

LAFITTE sOCIETY

http://thelaffitesociety.com/

"The primary goal of the Laffite Society is education and proliferation of information concerning the Laffites and their historical times. Although established in Galveston, Texas, the Society is not simply a group of connoisseurs and history buffs with a focus on Galveston Island. Active participation of members from various locales is encouraged. Special events are held in other locations and members whose location does not encourage attendance at monthly meetings may join us at special events. Others may participate by contributing to the Chronicles, or simply by advising us of their study interest. "

 

[treasureseeker51]

hi badger bart, i live in the larose la area and plan to visit grand terre this fall if i can get my boat ready. if you would like to come ,let me know. later treasureseeker51
[email protected]

 

[Badger Bart]

Thank you sir, I truly appreciate the offer, I have always believed that most THers are as kind and generous as you and many other folks here. I must decline at this point in time however, due to my health. If things change perhaps we could make an attempt in the future. It would be an awesome adventure for me I know.

While I believe that not all of Lafitte's caches have been found, I am concerned that finding one would be rather difficult due to the number of metal objects blown all over creation down there by hurricanes. Not impossible, just more difficult. I have several locations pinointed for on-site searching, but am not sure if they are on land or water at this time. When you do go, will you be doing any detecting? If so, I would be interested in how folks there detect from/ with a boat.

 

[silky0313]

I'm new to this forum, and found it by googling Louis Chighizola. I have Giovanni Giacomo Chighizola in my family lines and he was also born in Genoa, Italy about 1789, the same time period as Louis "Nez Coupe" Chighizola who settled in Grand Isle, La. Giovonni married Louisa Baptiste in Mobile's Catholic catherdral in 1814. He became a merchant and exported out of Mobile, and imported marble on returning ships from Europe. Fsmily members have speculated as to what Louisa's father, Pierre Baptiste, b. 1746 and a french man, did for a living. Historical records show Pierre Baptiste owned the entire east side of Bayou La Batre River & on the Mississippi Sound, 1,200 acres, and 623 acres on west Mobile Bay. Giovanni married Louisa after her father died and they got the 623 acre Belle Fontaine plantation on the waterfront. Does anyone know if Pierre and later his son-in-law, Giovanni Chighizola could have been in some sort of pirating business?

 

[Rebel - KGC]

This is of interest to me, also; War of 1812, Gen. Jackson, Lafitte Bros...