I am in the middle of things going on, I will analyze your post and take it apoint at the time, but first of all, I did not even see the second post and the only thing I declared inherently wrong was the supposition that Jean Lafitte simply took the best deal, that is just wrong, he always sided with the American side and was not looking for competing offers.
On another note on something you may be well versed on, someone is constantly flagging and at least temporarily removing my posts in joking exchanges with one of the members, totally innocent, inane posts. It has happened 5 or 6 times now, like harassment.
Take the time. No big difference in our perspective. History is reviewed and interpreted by the reviewer. I follow military engagements, especially the exploits of prestigeous units such as The Black Watch and the 95th Rifles.
I do find it odd, for lack of a better word, that Jackson was impressed by Lafitteās character. It may be choice of words or paraphrasing, but itās hard to comprehend a pirate being praised for his ācharacter.ā Lafitte was a pirste and smuggler, as well as a slave trsder, from what I read. Those terms can be applied to a great many businessmen and traders.
Whether viewed as a hero, mercenary or villain depended on the commision, the bill of laden or a Letter of Marque. I agree that Lafitte has not been lumped in with the likes of Black Beard. Pirates target everyone while privateers attack only the competition. No idea of Lafitteās niche, but didnāt seem to be portrayed as a cutthroat.
It is interesting that you say this because Jean Lafitte gave Strict orders that his captains do not attack American Ships. One captain disobeyed this order and sttacked an American Ship killed somebpeople and looted it. Jean Lafitte found out about it and hung him. After the Battle of New Orleans Jean Lafitte was heralded as a hero. Then the Estate Jewelry of a I believe prominent wonan that was killed by that Captain showed up at one of Jean Lafitteās Bizarres and was recognized. After that Jean Lafitte was totally ostracized and eventually left the New Orleans area.
Thatās interesting, but winthin the character that you described. He apparently had no Letter of Marque. Captain Thomas Boyle made a name for himself as a successful privateer while he commamded the scooner Comet and later the Baltimore Clipper Chassuer. Back then, organized piracy was good if you gave a cut to the government. Wonder why the governor had a bee in his bonnet over Lafitte. I like the story about the governor and Lafitte offering bounties on each other.
While Lafitte provided vital material support and some important assistance in organizing Jacksonās defensive line, he was not physically present at the battle. Thus, while he was important and his assistance was essential to the victory, Jackson and his forces fought and won the battle, and thereās no need to downplay their part in defeating the British.
I have never downplayed Andrew Jacksonās role in the Battle of New Orleans, never will and did not mean to insinuate that by joking around and saying ā Andrew Jackson my ass, Jean Lafitte.ā There would not have been a Battle of New Orleans without Andrew Jackson. He facilitated the entire historical event,including bringing in Jean Lafitte and using his resources and expertise. Without Andrew Jackson, his judgement and recognition of the dire circumstances, Jean Lafitte would not even have been a part of the Battle of New Orleans. The British would have just walked into New Orleans and the entire Mississippi Basin would have been lost, which was there strategic plan discovered in documents, vastly altering the formation of the United States, because the English and its Allie Spain, would have nullified the Louisiana Purchase by this action. There is an entire square in the middle of the French Quarter named after Andrew Jackson, with one of the most iconic sculptures in the world of him on a rearing horse which is an art and engineering masterpiece. As you have noted, there have been songs written about him. Butā¦the role of Jean Lafitte has been downplayed and not even recognized. There were symposiums held on the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans that did not even include him. That is wrong. Jean Lafitte was instrumental, not the key figure, but instrumental, in defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans, with his tactical knowledge, men and especially hardware and supplies, most crucially, flints. His role should be acknowledged and recognized. Lets put it this way, there would not even have been a Battle of New Orleans without Andrew Jackson and Andrew Jackson could not have won the Battle of New Orleans without Jean Lafifitteā¦.give credit where credit is due.
History was not my central focus but Iāve always been fascinated by the past, so I concentrated on the top during studies.
History professors say events donāt get clearer over time, but I donāt fully agree. Too often the wrong people are given credit, contributions are overlooked or exagerated, minor players who had a significant impact slink into the texture of an event to be forgotten, a key action may be disregarded as insignificant because of a personās less than prominent position or social class.
Weāre in a tragic, destructive period where monuments are being torn down. I havenāt lived long enough in other countries to be certain, but I truely believe we have an amazing resilience and even greater tolerance to learn the truth. I found it deceptive and disgraceful that a national politician took the bully-pulpit to have a statue removed from public land because it represented divisive controversies that had been resolve through court action but not in the hearts of everyone. That figures father was the one who dedicated the monument. The person Iāll call a decepticon (to prevent exposing the gender or identity) denegrated the memory of the father, the reason for the monument, and stirred public sentiment to flatter her ego and further political ambition. Dirty, sleezy, underhanded and selfish; fortunstely, that person has fallen from grace, but not before generating much hatred and confusion. The irony to me is that maybe Jackson did see the true character of the āprivateerā Lafitte.
Lafitte didnāt report or claim history, he made it. I think what @mjac is pointing out is that Lafitte took a stance and supported an ideal. When I weigh the incentives, it looks like Lafitte gave up much more than he gained, yet it doesnāt appear that he helped Jackson for grandeur or a spot in a history book. His flints saved the day. No more or less eventful than that, or the effortsnof Molly Pitcher, whether he effort was simply passing out water, or serving the cannon after her husband fell. Her actions, bigger than life to us, whether true or not, left a legacy that guides us to chose between doing great things or stand by and simply observe.
What Lafitte did was a good thing. What the people who followed Jackson did was show the British that we were not a new nation ti be trifled with, even after the battle was over. What we donas individuals adds to the collective. We matter, every one of us, but then maybe I missed something.
Trying to be careful, something funny going on on the forum. i did find sone Emails from the researcher I mentioned, I had forgotten her name, we talked back in 2914, her name is Pam Keyes, no one has done more detailed research on Jean Lafitte then her. The other source about Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans is Rob Chapman, a History Professor at Nunez Community College, in the Community where the Battle took place , who wrote a book about it, ā For A Piece of Wood.ā
As I said previously, I enjoy touring battlefields and putting myself in the position of those who were actually doing the fighting. Jackson and Lafitte and other āgreatā men play important roles in history, but the stories I relate to and find more interesting are the ānobodiesā. For instance, you mentioned the 93rd Scottish Regiment, I find the discipline of the soldiers in that Regiment in the face of withering, concentrated fire from the Americans incredible. Visiting the battlefield and seeing the ground just made that behavior even more real and amazing.
Did you know, talking about messy, after the battle, the battlefield was do bloody, so many British Soldiers had fallen, including their Generals, the American soldiers volunteered to help remove the bodies.
Yes, I did. Another fascinating āsmallā piece of history that gets lost in the discussion of āimportantā history.
I guess I find these types of things interesting because Iāve been nobody in history. No one will mention me or remember me when histories of Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom are written, but I was there and I did my part. Thatās good enough for me, but it makes the ānobodiesā in history relatable and interesting to me.
You were there, you experienced it and know what it meant to you, the National Park Service would not allow an reenactment of any kind at the Chalmette Battlefield for the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, because of a change in policy by the NPSā¦ Makes you want to scream.
