No fictional swashbuckler could ever rival Jean Lafitte’s dramatic life. From his hidden base in the Louisiana swamps at Barataria Bay, Lafitte mounted daring raids on ships in the Gulf of Mexico. His battles with the law were the stuff of legend: when Governor Claiborne of Louisiana offered a reward for the buccaneer’s capture, Lafitte responded with a bigger reward for the governor! But when the British asked for his help in their invasion of Louisiana during the War of 1812, the pirate instead joined forces with Andrew Jackson to win the Battle of New Orleans. Later, the brigand moved his operation to Galveston and harried Mexican vessels in support of the Texans seeking independence.
Lyle Saxon’s superbly written account examines Lafitte’s fascinating career, and frees the truth of the pirate’s life from the web of fantastic myths which grew up around him. Did Lafitte participate in the French Revolution as a lad? What was his role in the plot to rescue Napoleon from his exile on St. Helena? And where is Lafitte’s treasure hidden? Lafitte the Pirate is a classic work which will appeal to both adventure lovers and students of Louisiana history.
About the Author
Lyle Saxon (1891-1946) ranks among Louisiana’s most outstanding writers. During the 1920s and 1930s, he was the central figure in the region’s literary community and was widely known as a raconteur and bon vivant. In addition to Children of Strangers, he also wrote Fabulous New Orleans, Old Louisiana, Father Mississippi: The Story of the Great Flood of 1927, The Friends of Joe Gilmore, (F) and was a coauthor of Gumbo Ya-Ya: Folk Tales of Louisiana with Edward Dreyer and Robert Tallant. During the Depression he directed the state WPA Writers’ Project, which produced the WPA Guide to Louisiana and the WPA Guide to New Orleans.
LAFITTE THE PIRATE
By Lyle Saxon
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical
352 pp. 6 x 9
Illustrations Bibliography
ISBN: 9780882893952 pb