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The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World Of The Corsairs Of The Gulf
Jean and Pierre Laffite's lives were intertwined with the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, the era from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812. Labeled as corsairs and buccaneers for methods that bordered on piracy, the brothers ran a privateering cooperative that provided contraband goods to a hungry market and made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Later they became important members of a syndicate in New Orleans that included lawyers, bankers, merchants, and corrupt U.S. officials. But this allegiance didn't stop them from becoming paid Spanish spies, handing over information about the syndicate's plans and selling out their own associates.
In 1820 the Laffites disappeared into the fog of history from which they had emerged, but not before becoming folk heroes in French Louisiana and making their names synonymous with piracy and intrigue on the Gulf.
In 1820 the Laffites disappeared into the fog of history from which they had emerged, but not before becoming folk heroes in French Louisiana and making their names synonymous with piracy and intrigue on the Gulf.
706 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
183 people are currently reading
1060 people want to read
About the author
William C. Davis
318 books94 followersCurrently professor of history at Virginia Tech, William C. Davis has written over fifty books, most about the American Civil War. He has won the Jefferson Davis Prize for southern history three times, the Jules F. Landry Award for Southern history once, and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
For several years, he was the editor of the magazine Civil War Times Illustrated. He has also served as a consultant on the A&E television series Civil War Journal.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
For several years, he was the editor of the magazine Civil War Times Illustrated. He has also served as a consultant on the A&E television series Civil War Journal.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 27, 2014
History books are tricky beasts. You want them to be well-researched, by someone with impressive scholarly credentials who knows what they're talking about, but you also don't want a droning lecture. The people who write popular history books are dismissed in the scholarly community because they are not "real" historians (like my favorite, Alison Weir, who apparently is not a historian, but merely a writer with an interest in history), and the real scholars who write history books often have no idea how to present their information in a way that is interesting and engaging to the general population. Obviously it's better to read a history book written by someone like William C. Davis, who is a history professor and has clearly devoted years to researching the Laffites and is probably the most knowledgeable source on the infamous pirate brothers. Anyone wanting to learn about Jean and Pierre Laffite, who smuggled goods and raided ships on the Gulf coast in the waning days of piracy, would naturally turn to Davis's book for the best information. It has almost 200 pages of notes alone, that must mean it's the best source, right?
Yes, probably. Unfortunately, William C. Davis suffers the same affliction plaguing his contemporaries, the "real" historians: his writing is boring. Guys, this is why people like Alison Weir better.
There is no earthly reason a book about pirates should be as boring as Davis makes it. And the Laffites weren't just pirates. Jean and Pierre Laffite were born in France (although maybe Spain? Davis has an extensive footnote about it, rest assured) but emigrated to New Orleans in the early 1800's. They quickly started a shipping business that was actually mostly smuggling, and eventually they moved up to owning their own fleet of ships that would prey on primarily Spanish ships - the Laffite brothers would capture ships, take whatever goods were onboard, and re-sell them for a profit. They often did this with the permission of the US government, because in the early 1800's America's view towards international relations essentially boiled down to "fuck Spain, steal all their shit." Both men had longtime mistresses with whom they raised large families - both women were mixed-race, and one of the most interesting parts of the book is when Davis discusses the diverse population of New Orleans at the time, and how Pierre Laffite's descendents were able to pass for white after three generations, despite their mixed-race blood. Pierre and Jean founded two different pirate communities, first on the New Orleans island of Barataria, and then in Galveston, Texas. They worked as double agents, spying on Spanish activity while passing information on to the US government. Even when the government disavowed them and started cracking down on piracy, the brother continued smuggling, working with a vast web of allies to continue preying on foreign ships.
It's a really interesting story, and the Laffites are great characters, but Davis absolutely refuses to have any fun with his subject. I suspect he wrote this book with the specific goal of destroying every romantic notion about pirates that has ever existed. This book is 600 pages of, "Oh, you think pirates are really interesting? Well actually..." and it's dumb. I want my dramatic pirate stories, dammit! But even the most exciting sea battles are rendered dull and plodding thanks to Davis's scholarly, no-nonsense tone. It might be accurate, well-researched, and extensive, but The Pirates Laffite is boring, which is something a book about pirates has no business being.
But despite Davis's best efforts to suck all the fun out of their story, Jean and Pierre Laffite remain interesting and complex characters. Davis is clearly an expert, but the Laffites deserved a more passionate biographer. Still, a boring book about pirates is still better than no book about pirates.
"One thing is certain. The brothers were emblems of their time and place. Throughout the settlement of North America, there always appeared at the latest fringe of civilization a species of entrepreneur daring, resourceful, uninhibited by the restrictions of the scanty law available, and imaginative in devising means to get around even those. Once Americans established independence and pursued their inexorable spread westward, the numbers of such men exploded with the dramatically expanding opportunity. Wherever there was a population with a need not adequately supplied by conventional means of commerce, they flourished. And once the vacuum of laws and regulation was filled, they disappeared and moved on, unable and unwilling to adapt to existence in the new environment. ...They could not have appeared at any other time or place in America's story, and when the conjunctions of history that created them disappeared, so did they."
Yes, probably. Unfortunately, William C. Davis suffers the same affliction plaguing his contemporaries, the "real" historians: his writing is boring. Guys, this is why people like Alison Weir better.
There is no earthly reason a book about pirates should be as boring as Davis makes it. And the Laffites weren't just pirates. Jean and Pierre Laffite were born in France (although maybe Spain? Davis has an extensive footnote about it, rest assured) but emigrated to New Orleans in the early 1800's. They quickly started a shipping business that was actually mostly smuggling, and eventually they moved up to owning their own fleet of ships that would prey on primarily Spanish ships - the Laffite brothers would capture ships, take whatever goods were onboard, and re-sell them for a profit. They often did this with the permission of the US government, because in the early 1800's America's view towards international relations essentially boiled down to "fuck Spain, steal all their shit." Both men had longtime mistresses with whom they raised large families - both women were mixed-race, and one of the most interesting parts of the book is when Davis discusses the diverse population of New Orleans at the time, and how Pierre Laffite's descendents were able to pass for white after three generations, despite their mixed-race blood. Pierre and Jean founded two different pirate communities, first on the New Orleans island of Barataria, and then in Galveston, Texas. They worked as double agents, spying on Spanish activity while passing information on to the US government. Even when the government disavowed them and started cracking down on piracy, the brother continued smuggling, working with a vast web of allies to continue preying on foreign ships.
It's a really interesting story, and the Laffites are great characters, but Davis absolutely refuses to have any fun with his subject. I suspect he wrote this book with the specific goal of destroying every romantic notion about pirates that has ever existed. This book is 600 pages of, "Oh, you think pirates are really interesting? Well actually..." and it's dumb. I want my dramatic pirate stories, dammit! But even the most exciting sea battles are rendered dull and plodding thanks to Davis's scholarly, no-nonsense tone. It might be accurate, well-researched, and extensive, but The Pirates Laffite is boring, which is something a book about pirates has no business being.
But despite Davis's best efforts to suck all the fun out of their story, Jean and Pierre Laffite remain interesting and complex characters. Davis is clearly an expert, but the Laffites deserved a more passionate biographer. Still, a boring book about pirates is still better than no book about pirates.
"One thing is certain. The brothers were emblems of their time and place. Throughout the settlement of North America, there always appeared at the latest fringe of civilization a species of entrepreneur daring, resourceful, uninhibited by the restrictions of the scanty law available, and imaginative in devising means to get around even those. Once Americans established independence and pursued their inexorable spread westward, the numbers of such men exploded with the dramatically expanding opportunity. Wherever there was a population with a need not adequately supplied by conventional means of commerce, they flourished. And once the vacuum of laws and regulation was filled, they disappeared and moved on, unable and unwilling to adapt to existence in the new environment. ...They could not have appeared at any other time or place in America's story, and when the conjunctions of history that created them disappeared, so did they."
August 7, 2008
What I learned from this book is that most academics make horrible authors and that this was painful to read. Beyond that unless you have a fetish for the Laffites, wanting to read about customs and revenue officers or just have a general interest in the history of the us gulf in the early 1800s, this book is probably not for you. The treacherous world was more I think due to boredom and the hard lives most privateers lived and even the cover misleads since it seems rarely were there any true encounters AND there is very little discussion of shipboard life, which leads me to believe it was even more boring than what was in this book and was removed so as not to make it impossible to finish this book. I finally finished this after months of hoping to get to the good part. I shall stay unfulfilled.
March 30, 2017
Davis should be applauded for the superb research and at times overwhelming attention to detail. It is as if he had to discuss every little thing Pierre and Jean Laffite ever did. Trouble is, the forest is lost for the trees, as the book lacks analysis and fails to properly explain the context of the times. I found it at times confusing; those without a working knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars will be lost. Nor does one get the feeling, until the end, that the Laffite brothers were the last great pirates of the age of sail to prowl the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The prose is oddly dry compared to Davis' usual Civil War fare. All in all, not a page turner, but the only reliable book on two outlaw brothers who have been covered in myth ever since they died.
October 9, 2024
The subject is fascinating. This book, not so much. Davis has clearly done a lot of research, but he's not the most engaging of writers and someone ought to have reigned in his apparently overpowering urge to pour every last (tedious and unnecessary) detail he came across into this text.
November 23, 2014
It took me three years to read this book. This was not a series of attempts, starting over again and again, having forgotten what I read before, but a single attempt, in which I laid the book down for months at a time and, taking it up again, resumed where I had left off.
This book was extraordinarily detailed. With those familiar with my progress in the book, I have joked that I would have found less information had I read the primary sources myself. Mr. Davis put such great effort into researching this subject, and presenting the truthful information he found, that I found it very easy to become bogged down in the minutia. The book also had a tendency to follow rabbit-trails, pursuing avenues of historical data that seemed largely irrelevant to the story of the Laffites.
On that account, the book became most exciting near the end, when documents became scarce and historical accuracy fell away, in favor of a few spare reports and a host of romantic fiction. While the details of tangentially related admiralty courts and Mexican independence movements had some bearing on the story of the Laffites, the real character of the brothers--and the adventures of their lives--seemed an afterthought. The relation of their deaths, in the next-to-last chapter, occurred mid-paragraph without any fanfare. The final chapter focused, in part, on the death of piracy in the Gulf; the remainder was about race relations in Louisiana, where Pierre Laffite's descendants sought to deny non-white ancestry and forgot about the infamous brothers (except that they were pirates).
The summation of the brothers' lives was both telling and, in a way, disappointing. The pirates Laffite were so careless with their money, so self-interested, and so unsuccessful (in spite of their many talents) that, according to the author, they had almost no bearing on the politics of the Gulf and, ultimately, died in poverty and failure. On the one hand, this is a reasonable warning against a life of self-interest and piracy, but on the other, it begs the question of why I should have spent three years reading about these men. (The real answer, of course, is that I should have buckled down and read through the book in a sensible amount of time, but I digress.)
If your interest in the corsairs of the Gulf is that of an academic historian, seeking more details on the politics, economics, and complexities of life in the early 19th century, then this may very well be your favorite book. For me, I appreciated the look at the realities of the last age of piracy, and I found much of the book informative, and even entertaining, there was far too much detail to keep me engaged as a reader. (Perhaps you will say that I should read a romanticized fiction of piracy that focuses on tall tales rather than real history, and perhaps you would be right, but I'm still glad to have read this book--I only wish it hadn't taken so long.)
This book was extraordinarily detailed. With those familiar with my progress in the book, I have joked that I would have found less information had I read the primary sources myself. Mr. Davis put such great effort into researching this subject, and presenting the truthful information he found, that I found it very easy to become bogged down in the minutia. The book also had a tendency to follow rabbit-trails, pursuing avenues of historical data that seemed largely irrelevant to the story of the Laffites.
On that account, the book became most exciting near the end, when documents became scarce and historical accuracy fell away, in favor of a few spare reports and a host of romantic fiction. While the details of tangentially related admiralty courts and Mexican independence movements had some bearing on the story of the Laffites, the real character of the brothers--and the adventures of their lives--seemed an afterthought. The relation of their deaths, in the next-to-last chapter, occurred mid-paragraph without any fanfare. The final chapter focused, in part, on the death of piracy in the Gulf; the remainder was about race relations in Louisiana, where Pierre Laffite's descendants sought to deny non-white ancestry and forgot about the infamous brothers (except that they were pirates).
The summation of the brothers' lives was both telling and, in a way, disappointing. The pirates Laffite were so careless with their money, so self-interested, and so unsuccessful (in spite of their many talents) that, according to the author, they had almost no bearing on the politics of the Gulf and, ultimately, died in poverty and failure. On the one hand, this is a reasonable warning against a life of self-interest and piracy, but on the other, it begs the question of why I should have spent three years reading about these men. (The real answer, of course, is that I should have buckled down and read through the book in a sensible amount of time, but I digress.)
If your interest in the corsairs of the Gulf is that of an academic historian, seeking more details on the politics, economics, and complexities of life in the early 19th century, then this may very well be your favorite book. For me, I appreciated the look at the realities of the last age of piracy, and I found much of the book informative, and even entertaining, there was far too much detail to keep me engaged as a reader. (Perhaps you will say that I should read a romanticized fiction of piracy that focuses on tall tales rather than real history, and perhaps you would be right, but I'm still glad to have read this book--I only wish it hadn't taken so long.)
February 1, 2024
If nothing else, it's a great reference book, and the final chapters were then a pretty good read. I have something against any book, article, or visual entertainment that allows a visible monotony. This one did in the pre-Battle of New Orleans chapters, when the brothers Pierre and Jean were mostly smuggling into New Orleans from Barataria, using various bayous and methods. It was difficult to manage, but a good, energetic developmental editor should have taken over there.
Author William C. Davis had a four-page acknowledgement section, crediting the research army help he had to take on this giant task. The Pirates Lafitte left no doubt that older brother Pierre has been cheated out of his share of the attention usually given to his younger brother Jean. Pierre managed most of the non-sea action, and there was plenty of that, too.
Davis did a good job addressing the Jean Lafitte mystique, legends, and myths. But he published too early for the latest story from Lincolnton, North Carolina that Jean Lafitte did not die in Mexico, but he changed his name, and lived out his years in Lincolnton. That story says he's buried under the assumed name of Lorenzo Ferrer. I haven't read the locally written related book, yet.
Personally, I was hoping for more information on their possible accomplices. I strongly suspect that the Manila men (Filipino) community, located right across the bayou from Grand Isle could've supplied some help, and there's a former Greek pirate who was a Lafitte crewman at one time. I would like to learn more there, as well.
I'm glad I read it, but it was a heavy book to be lifting over my face, too.
4/5 stars.
Author William C. Davis had a four-page acknowledgement section, crediting the research army help he had to take on this giant task. The Pirates Lafitte left no doubt that older brother Pierre has been cheated out of his share of the attention usually given to his younger brother Jean. Pierre managed most of the non-sea action, and there was plenty of that, too.
Davis did a good job addressing the Jean Lafitte mystique, legends, and myths. But he published too early for the latest story from Lincolnton, North Carolina that Jean Lafitte did not die in Mexico, but he changed his name, and lived out his years in Lincolnton. That story says he's buried under the assumed name of Lorenzo Ferrer. I haven't read the locally written related book, yet.
Personally, I was hoping for more information on their possible accomplices. I strongly suspect that the Manila men (Filipino) community, located right across the bayou from Grand Isle could've supplied some help, and there's a former Greek pirate who was a Lafitte crewman at one time. I would like to learn more there, as well.
I'm glad I read it, but it was a heavy book to be lifting over my face, too.
4/5 stars.
March 8, 2011
Incredibly researched. The footnotes are almost a fourth of the book. This is a great study of the origin of maritime law or, rather, the need for the development of maritime law. Debunks so many myths about the brothers Laffite. In particular, why Jackson really wanted to stoop to the help of a pirate. It wasn't because Jackson needed guidance in the terrain of the lower Louisiana coast as we have been lead to believe. It had to do with a very practical need. I won't spoil it for you. Read the book. You will be glad you did.
October 16, 2017
Probably not Davis’ best work, but interesting story of pirate activity around New Orleans and the Caribbean in the early 1800s. The book could have used more illustrations and diagrams of various types of ships.
October 17, 2022
I did not realize that the Lafittes had travelled to the extents they did. Very informative!
September 16, 2014
I was drawn to this book based on an interest in New Orleans history. The book was well researched and had a great bibliography for further reading. I was fascinated by some of the facts the author was able to dig up on the Brothers Laffite and I was amazed at the scale of the operation they ran.
Perhaps the author could have situated the book better within the larger context of the history of colonial Louisiana and colonial New Orleans, or perhaps more importantly within the context of the French Revolution and the revolution in Saint-Domingue, or within the context of French and British naval warfare. An understanding of the French point of view was somewhat lacking, though the sections on the filibustering in Texas were absolutely fascinating. I would be interested in the author's other books on this subject. Despite the lack of empathy for the French colonists' perspective, I enjoyed reading the book, and it certainly added to my knowledge of the period.
Perhaps the author could have situated the book better within the larger context of the history of colonial Louisiana and colonial New Orleans, or perhaps more importantly within the context of the French Revolution and the revolution in Saint-Domingue, or within the context of French and British naval warfare. An understanding of the French point of view was somewhat lacking, though the sections on the filibustering in Texas were absolutely fascinating. I would be interested in the author's other books on this subject. Despite the lack of empathy for the French colonists' perspective, I enjoyed reading the book, and it certainly added to my knowledge of the period.
June 8, 2015
Davis turns the potentially exciting story of "treacherous" pirates into a story as dull as an annual report written by lawyers and accountants, because he relies too much on raw reporting of legal and accounting records.
Davis is in love with this research, and spends too much time pointing out the faults of the sources and and not enough summarizing them to a higher level. Like many non-fiction books I have read in the last couple of years, Davis seems bound to justify the purchase price by the pound. There is a truly exciting 300-page book about the treacherous world of the Pirates Lafitte in here, but unfortunately it takes Davis 490 pages to finish it.
My advice for the condensation-minded: read chapters 5 through 11 and 18 through 22, where the history is the must interesting and the narrative flows like a narrative should.
Davis is in love with this research, and spends too much time pointing out the faults of the sources and and not enough summarizing them to a higher level. Like many non-fiction books I have read in the last couple of years, Davis seems bound to justify the purchase price by the pound. There is a truly exciting 300-page book about the treacherous world of the Pirates Lafitte in here, but unfortunately it takes Davis 490 pages to finish it.
My advice for the condensation-minded: read chapters 5 through 11 and 18 through 22, where the history is the must interesting and the narrative flows like a narrative should.
July 30, 2015
I don't often review, but...
I just finished reading this. It started out intriguing, but quickly became a miasma of facts, figures, and dates. VERY dry reading, and finishing it was a tough haul. One would think that from the cover art and the subtitle, that it would be a rousing romp, but one would be very wrong. I do not recommend it (unless you are the kind of person who enjoys reading cargo manifests, series of dates and times, as well as seemingly endless lists of names involved to the Nth degree in anything that happend in the Gulf of Mexico between 1800 and 1830). EXHAUSTING. I finished to say I finished it. I'm going to scan some insurance actuarial tables now just to enjoy something interesting...
I just finished reading this. It started out intriguing, but quickly became a miasma of facts, figures, and dates. VERY dry reading, and finishing it was a tough haul. One would think that from the cover art and the subtitle, that it would be a rousing romp, but one would be very wrong. I do not recommend it (unless you are the kind of person who enjoys reading cargo manifests, series of dates and times, as well as seemingly endless lists of names involved to the Nth degree in anything that happend in the Gulf of Mexico between 1800 and 1830). EXHAUSTING. I finished to say I finished it. I'm going to scan some insurance actuarial tables now just to enjoy something interesting...
Read
March 24, 2015There have been many biographies of Jean Laffite, mostly they are romanticized evocations of an era when New Orleans dripped with Spanish Moss and scoundrels. Hot-blooded Creole gentlemen met with swords under the Dueling Oaks to determine who would win the favors of languid octaroon mistresses.
While octaroon mistresses do figure prominently in William Davis’ tale of the Big Easy’s best-known outlaws, Davis takes a flinty eye to the antics of the last great corsair.
http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2006...
While octaroon mistresses do figure prominently in William Davis’ tale of the Big Easy’s best-known outlaws, Davis takes a flinty eye to the antics of the last great corsair.
http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2006...
May 3, 2019
Not just a history of the Lafittes, but also a history of the Gulf of Mexico and beyond during the early 1800s. A little dry reading at times, but this is a well researched book. Much is covered in this time period in New Orleans and early Louisiana, as well as Galveston--really before there was a Galveston as we know it. Also of the early freebooters striving for a free Mexico in the pre-Alamo days.
January 9, 2018
I picked up this book after reading about the War of 1812 and how the pirate Laffite helped Jackson defeat Great Britain in New Orleans, I thought it was great. I would also recommend the book "Ships of Oak Guns of Iron" regarding the War of 1812 by Ronald D Utt.
March 7, 2020
Good History of the Pirate Era
Listed as 704 pages, it is 486 pages of actual reading pages, the rest are the footnote references. The book itself is a good fascinating read of this era just before the railroads. The material at times can be dense and boring.
Listed as 704 pages, it is 486 pages of actual reading pages, the rest are the footnote references. The book itself is a good fascinating read of this era just before the railroads. The material at times can be dense and boring.
May 22, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
January 30, 2019
Best leadership book I’ve ever read
November 26, 2019
Not good at all.
First, I’ll give high marks for effort to anyone who has the commitment to write a book, good or bad, particularly a historical book which by necessity requires a lot of research. That being said, Davis gets an “A” for effort but an “F” for the finished product.
I picked up this title with high hopes, as Jean Laffite is synonymous with and infamous in New Orleans oral history, but there seems to be very little substantive record of his history. This book suffers from that challenge, compounded by the author’s inability to pick a path: either write a historical biography where prose connects the facts, or write historical fiction where hard fact reinforces and bolsters a compelling tale. Davis fails to deliver either one.
Based solely on this book, a biography of Jean Laffite would be best delivered as a 100-page work, properly focused on Laffite.
The Pirates Laffite is not a book about the Pirates Laffite, but rather an over-researched chronicle of piracy and smuggling along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast in the early 1800’s. Davis’ footnotes pages take up 200+ of the overall 706 pages. Davis delivers a painstakingly researched, but badly written pile of referential footnotes cobbled together in (roughly) chronological order, and connected by confusing, rambling and speculative filler, damaging factual legitimacy and amplifying a difficult read.
The frequency of Davis’ use of “may well have”, “very well could have”, “quite possibly”, and similar filler is a painful attempt to connect random documented facts with actions or intent that are entirely speculations by the author. This book told me very little about what Laffite did, where he went, who he was or what real role he played in history. Rather it was a compilation of fractured and incomplete factoids about the smuggling and privateering activities across the Gulf Coast following the Louisiana Purchase, but completely lacking any quality storytelling. Davis’ seemingly random hops across characters, geographies and timeline creates a confusing narrative and a disappointing read.
On page 30 this book started at 3 stars. By the time I finished, the 1 star is a courtesy respecting the effort, if not the output.
First, I’ll give high marks for effort to anyone who has the commitment to write a book, good or bad, particularly a historical book which by necessity requires a lot of research. That being said, Davis gets an “A” for effort but an “F” for the finished product.
I picked up this title with high hopes, as Jean Laffite is synonymous with and infamous in New Orleans oral history, but there seems to be very little substantive record of his history. This book suffers from that challenge, compounded by the author’s inability to pick a path: either write a historical biography where prose connects the facts, or write historical fiction where hard fact reinforces and bolsters a compelling tale. Davis fails to deliver either one.
Based solely on this book, a biography of Jean Laffite would be best delivered as a 100-page work, properly focused on Laffite.
The Pirates Laffite is not a book about the Pirates Laffite, but rather an over-researched chronicle of piracy and smuggling along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast in the early 1800’s. Davis’ footnotes pages take up 200+ of the overall 706 pages. Davis delivers a painstakingly researched, but badly written pile of referential footnotes cobbled together in (roughly) chronological order, and connected by confusing, rambling and speculative filler, damaging factual legitimacy and amplifying a difficult read.
The frequency of Davis’ use of “may well have”, “very well could have”, “quite possibly”, and similar filler is a painful attempt to connect random documented facts with actions or intent that are entirely speculations by the author. This book told me very little about what Laffite did, where he went, who he was or what real role he played in history. Rather it was a compilation of fractured and incomplete factoids about the smuggling and privateering activities across the Gulf Coast following the Louisiana Purchase, but completely lacking any quality storytelling. Davis’ seemingly random hops across characters, geographies and timeline creates a confusing narrative and a disappointing read.
On page 30 this book started at 3 stars. By the time I finished, the 1 star is a courtesy respecting the effort, if not the output.
September 5, 2022
It’s not fair to accuse a veteran historian of being boring. William C. Davis, long-time editor of The Civil War Times, seems to have obtained the Daytimer schedules of Laffite and associates to report their daily activities with a monotonous beat. As far as the pirate business goes, the narrative is beyond thorough. Many reader/reviewers seem to have expected “swashbuckling” and didn’t get it.
It is fair to accuse Davis of writing a white man’s history book, glossing over the fact that the Laffite brothers stole enslaved people from slavers, warehoused them in barracks and then resold them. Jean LaFitte proudly sold his slaves for $1 per pound. They prolonged the international slave trade by smuggling enslaved peoples after 1803 when it became illegal.
Today we demand and deserve a history of All of Us. Davis writes of enslaved people as slaves, simple commodities. He doesn’t acknowledge them or include their experiences as relevant to the story. He commends the brothers for being bloodthirsty as they could have been. In Chapter 22, “The Legends of the Laffite,” Davis assesses the legacy of the Pirates Lafitte:
“Of course the Laffites represented a special case among their brethren. If their first loyalty was to themselves, still as smugglers and privateers they proved more principled than the rest, solicitous of life, loyal to friends, and operating according to ethical values that often seemed out of place amid a thicket of thieves.” Gulp.
My complaint about the narrow historical vision of William C. Davis is not an indictment of him alone. I’m just saying---New history tellers widen the lens to include All of Us.
It is fair to accuse Davis of writing a white man’s history book, glossing over the fact that the Laffite brothers stole enslaved people from slavers, warehoused them in barracks and then resold them. Jean LaFitte proudly sold his slaves for $1 per pound. They prolonged the international slave trade by smuggling enslaved peoples after 1803 when it became illegal.
Today we demand and deserve a history of All of Us. Davis writes of enslaved people as slaves, simple commodities. He doesn’t acknowledge them or include their experiences as relevant to the story. He commends the brothers for being bloodthirsty as they could have been. In Chapter 22, “The Legends of the Laffite,” Davis assesses the legacy of the Pirates Lafitte:
“Of course the Laffites represented a special case among their brethren. If their first loyalty was to themselves, still as smugglers and privateers they proved more principled than the rest, solicitous of life, loyal to friends, and operating according to ethical values that often seemed out of place amid a thicket of thieves.” Gulp.
My complaint about the narrow historical vision of William C. Davis is not an indictment of him alone. I’m just saying---New history tellers widen the lens to include All of Us.
July 5, 2020
The pirate/privateer Jean Laffite lived large in legend, but the truth about his life, conjoined as it was with his brother, Pierre, is devilishly difficult to extract from extant records. This book is meticulously researched and occasional dips into the notes reveal the challenges of sorting fact from fiction about these lives. As fine a work of scholarship as this is, it plods along, revealing only occasional flashes of what the brothers may have been like and how they appeared to their associates. Exposes some seamy facts about how the slave trade persisted in spite of superficial efforts to stop the importation of enslaved black Africans. Also explores the role of wealthy entrepreneurs in both supply and squelching the independence movement in Mexico and Texas. I’m glad to have read the book, but it would be very low on my list of books to reread.
October 26, 2020
This isn't the book I thought I was getting. I expected to learn more about the famous pirates I had heard about in eighth grade Louisiana History class, especially their involvement in the Battle of New Orleans. Instead, it's a detailed history of America's southern and westward expansion along the Gulf coast and the new nation's dance with Spain and her former colonies.
Jean and Pierre aren't the subjects of the story as much as they are lenses though which we observe the political climate of New Orleans, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mexico, South America in the early 19th century. Though minutiae and endless shipping manifests obscure much of the storytelling, by the end I came away with a better idea of how New Orleans came to be the unique Southern city that it is.
Jean and Pierre aren't the subjects of the story as much as they are lenses though which we observe the political climate of New Orleans, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mexico, South America in the early 19th century. Though minutiae and endless shipping manifests obscure much of the storytelling, by the end I came away with a better idea of how New Orleans came to be the unique Southern city that it is.
August 18, 2024
This book should have been a home run for me. Larger than life historical people who carved out a life during the age of sail? Yes! History that touches on New Orleans and Greater Louisiana? Yes!! Actual honest to goodness real life PIRATES? YES!!!
I have tried to read this book no less than 8 times. I have yet to finish it. Maybe it is historically accurate, but it reads like a wiring diagram for a stereo receiver from 1986. I have read many historical accounts of subjects in which I was significantly less interested and was more engaged than I was with this book.
I still have it in my collection. I hope that I can force myself to finish it one day, if only for the love of the subject matter, if not for the book itself.
I have tried to read this book no less than 8 times. I have yet to finish it. Maybe it is historically accurate, but it reads like a wiring diagram for a stereo receiver from 1986. I have read many historical accounts of subjects in which I was significantly less interested and was more engaged than I was with this book.
I still have it in my collection. I hope that I can force myself to finish it one day, if only for the love of the subject matter, if not for the book itself.
January 2, 2024
Boring, entirely dedicated to tedious minutiae, and weirdly racist. Davis repeatedly refers to people as "mulatto". And not in quotes from historical sources! Just right out there, in the narrative! For one randomly selected example (a quick search suggests Davis uses it 39 times, along with several instances of "quadroon"), "Sedella passed the information along to Apodaca in Cuba using as a secret courier the merchant Francisco Brunetti, whose three-year-old mulatto daughter Silvania Catherina would fourteen years hence marry Pierre Laffite’s son Martin." This is a book published in 2005!!! We do not write this way!!!
October 5, 2017
Davis does a superb job building an at times tenuous narrative around two men who have proven as slippery in the source material as they ever were in life. This is an outstanding example of how history is done even where there isn't a lot of stuff reliably written about the subject. While the narrative suffers from somewhat disjointed timeline shifts, with no notice, it doesn't much detract from the quality of the work.
January 22, 2023
The Truth about Two Notorious Smugglers
We all think we know about the Laffites, how they were famous smugglers and pirates who helped General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. The truth was way more complicated and nuanced. The author did a great job exploring their origins and how they were fixtures in the New Orleans scene and how they played all sides. Great book to learn more about the history of the Gulf in 1800 to 1825.
We all think we know about the Laffites, how they were famous smugglers and pirates who helped General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. The truth was way more complicated and nuanced. The author did a great job exploring their origins and how they were fixtures in the New Orleans scene and how they played all sides. Great book to learn more about the history of the Gulf in 1800 to 1825.
May 20, 2020
I include this as Western Non-Fiction as I consider Laffite's life to include his Texas time. Good historical non-fiction, well documented and appears to be balanced. Laffite (and his brother) appear to be portrayed in a balanced manner. Pretty thick book so don't start it if you want your history short.
January 19, 2022
My American history knowledge is basics at best so while this could be an interesting part of history, I just got too confused with the politics and the numerous names that flew back and forth throughout. A little frustrated but I persevered. What amazed me is that these 2 brothers stuck together - there didn't seem to be any backstabbing or cheating one each other.
February 10, 2022
Very interesting story of the Lafitte brothers, though somewhat unreadable at times. In light of the new work out on Jean’s “death,” I’m surprised his death was covered as assured as it was here, especially given the flimsy citations on it. Overall I enjoyed learning more about the Lafittes and this book gave me exactly what I was hoping for.
November 17, 2022
Found it very interesting to compare the reality with the myth I learn over the years. My previous knowledge of the Laffite brothers was based on Hollywood and stories that were mostly based on fanciful myth created long after their deaths, so this was very interesting to read. Doubt I’ll be looking for any buried treasure any time soon.
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