Historia Obscura

Tag: W.C.C. Claiborne

The British Visit to Laffite: A Study of Events 200 Years Later

Aug 25, 2014

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Pam Keyes

in American History, general history, History, Louisiana History, Nautical History

When Commander Nicholas Lockyer sailed in HMS Sophie from Pensacola towards Jean Laffite’s Grande Terre encampment on Sept. 1, 1814, he already knew that the Baratarian privateer base might soon be blown to bits, and that the Sophie would not be the instrument of that destruction, despite his written orders to that effect from his…
Commemoration of a Hero: Jean Laffite and the Battle of New Orleans

Mar 6, 2014

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by

Pam Keyes

in American History, Caribbean History, general history, History, Louisiana History

Almost 200 years ago, privateer-smuggler Jean Laffite became a hero because he did something most people wouldn’t have done: in the face of extreme adversity, he had helped save New Orleans for the Americans, even though United States officers had destroyed his home base and seized his property a few months earlier. Sometimes incorrectly regarded…