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 Rosalie & Mom pick me for my Daddy’s 50th Hatch-Day. Daddy say that I am the best surprise gift that he has every gotten.
MY HatchDay is June 27, 2007.
I got a spot of the BirdChannel on October 17, 2007!. |
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I've had 36897 friends visit me.
I'm the 5,638th member on BirdChannel.com.
5,568 friends have voted for me since I joined Bird eClub!
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Morning Ms Leah from your pal Jen Lynn
I just love your feistiness, I guess I never realized you have a lot of the same spit and fire as I do! I think we could be good friends,but your momma may consider me undesirable,LOL! When I watched you play, I realized that here was a gal that is cut from the same cloth as me, and there is no quit in you, and you would rather have results than lame excuses! We are planning a peaceful stay at home weekend, but dad might go to a school teacher friend's retirement party on Saturday night! For all who drive, beware of drunken drivers this weekend, they seem to come crawling out from under the rocks where they live, on Holidays! TGIF, enjoy the long weekend, give my love to all in your home, see ya tomorrow...
Love from Jenny Lynn & the Dallas familyCome visit me, Mr Ziggy~So proud to be a MLB, gooo Beaks!!!, Coach Jenny~Ready to lead the Raiders to victory, Arthur Alex~Proud catcher for the Greyt Grey Wings, WE ARE THE RAIN FOREST RAIDERS~& very proud of it, ANGEL CHRISTY~I'm the White Hawks Spiritual leader, Ms LaLo~Loving being the Silver Slugger short stop & Mr Flash~1st base bird for the C2 White Hawks.
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05/24/2013 09:05.56 AM
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Heya, Miss Leah! Game tomorrow!
On Wednesday, we have game two of the season against the
Kevlar Keets. Never underestimate the Keets--they are
playing in the stadium that bears their name, and they are
force to be reckoned with!
Of course, both Co-Captain Calico and I know we have a
team that is strong, and coming off our first win--so we
are pretty confident that we can keep things on the
winning side!
Practice will be an hour before the game, so come early.
Get a good night's rest, and eat a great breakfast, too!
Lizzie will be providing snacks for us during the game, as
she does all the time. And afterward we can get together
at the Bar and Grill to kick back and relax!
Go Pois!
Your Co-Captains,
Calico and Kaji
And--everyone is invited over to the Dragon Cave on
Thursday, cuz Lizzie is throwing a birdthday party for me!
23 years ago on Thursday, I chose Mom to go home with, and
I sure am happy I did! You know Lizzie is gonna have some
really fine fixin's, too!Come visit me, Kaji ~ VOTE DJ LUIGI #225307 for BOTM!.
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05/21/2013 07:10.29 PM
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FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON
Hi fellow Pois, It's Capatin Calico.
Tomorrow, Monday, 12th is the first game of the 2013 Birdie Baseball Season and we're playing the first game, against theC-2 White Hawks.
There will be a pre-game show at 2:30pm eastern time and the game will start at 3:00pm eastern time.
I know we have not had a chance to practice as a team. Kaji and I have been swampped. I'm sure all of you have been practicing on your own and Iknow we'll do a great job. Let's try to make a great showing at the first game of the season.
The results of the game will be posted on our team page, 173924.
Let's play ball!
Kaji and CalicoCome visit me, ANGEL SUNNY, ALEX, SAWYER, RIO & SKYE, POPEYE, SAFFRON (SASSY), THE PRETTY ROSE FLOWER SHOP, PEARL, EMERALD (Emmie), LUCKY, BLUE & JEWEL *New baby pictures*, CALICO, THE PROUD BIRD PIE SHOP *Open 24 Hours*, SELF SERVE FLOWER PAGE, CAMELLIA & BOURKE, ANGEL CHILLI & GINGER.
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05/12/2013 02:56.55 PM
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WHOA!!
That was SOME KISS. How'd you do that? What's in that tube anyway? It's for sure not just plain' ol' beakstick. More like beakburner! I like t'never get the sensation of my face bein' on fire t'simmer down. I couldn't decide if I was blushin' from the 'xxxx' level smack-a-roo you laid on me or if it was some residual goop from that tube. Tell ya what I should've done, I should've jumped out the window and hoped t'land face first in a snow drift. That might've toned down the heat. Needless t'say Leah, that kiss, it's not one I'll soon forget. Shoot, I probably never will!
Gotta ask, are there 6 little x's on the tube now??
R ('>Come visit me, RaneBeau ('>.
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03/09/2013 04:47.01 PM
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Leah
just heard you were back aboard.
Were you one of the birds I tried to talk to about hawkheads? A couple years ago mom was offered one. DAD said no more birds. She now lives in ?Pennsylvania. She was another feather plucker and dad saw $$$$, cause how much mom put into me.
PollyCome visit me, Polly; Co Cap't of Dragons & Zippy--BASEBALL; LUIGI #225307 for BOTM.
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02/08/2013 05:48.58 PM
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Spy Leah
Captain Ceasaur here and I am glad to hear that you made it safely aboard the Pearl with all your supplies for our voyage and that the deck hands help load it for you.I only hope you got to taste the good food in the Galley provided by Cook Scion with help from Riley Ann and SAMIAM.Thank yer for postin your Pirate picture so I knows you be an official crew member of the Pearl.
Captain CeasaurCome visit me, Pearl Crew Welcomes Capt.Sam as Pearl's new Capt..
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02/05/2013 11:46.03 PM
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First Mate SamIAm & Polly, QuarterMaster Tooth's
.....faithful assistant fly to Leah's page! Sam & Polly watch as Leah is target shooting. She sees them and takes off her protective ear muffs. Polly advances telling Leah, "Hurry to the Pirate Pearl! Captain Ceasaur & Quartermaster Tooth need you straight away! There's an assignment!" Leah calmly puts away her gun & gathers her personal effects. She notices they are toting another birdson's gear and smirks handing her's over to them too. She shrugs and softly says, "Emergency" Sam & Polly make their way for Maxie's while Leah flies to the Pirate Pearl.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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02/03/2013 03:00.07 PM
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Hi Leah! I Know You Will Keep The Voyage....
.....interesting. I have on my order form for QuarterMaster Tooth some plastic explosives. We will order it but I might have to sneak out and obtain it in unlawful ways. It's only for if ye NEEDS it, mind you!
Did you see anything that interested you in the Pirate Pearl's arsenal? That room has many weapons but maybe not you like to fight with.
Take care & give my regards to everyone at your home.
SamIAmCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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01/21/2013 11:15.59 PM
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Hi Leah
It's Captain Calico.
I'm going over my team roster and would like to know if you will be joining the Pois for the 2013 season? Most of our old team members have signed up so it's bound to be an exciting season.
Let me know.
Let Play Ball!
CalicoCome visit me, ANGEL SUNNY, ALEX, SAWYER, RIO & SKYE, POPEYE, SAFFRON (SASSY), THE PRETTY ROSE FLOWER SHOP, PEARL, EMERALD (Emmie), LUCKY, BLUE & JEWEL *New baby pictures*, CALICO, THE PROUD BIRD PIE SHOP *Open 24 Hours*, SELF SERVE FLOWER PAGE, CAMELLIA & BOURKE, ANGEL CHILLI & GINGER.
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01/19/2013 11:56.46 AM
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Hi Leah
Captain Ceasaur here aboard the Pirate Pearl and it will be a rea lpleasure to have you aboard the Pearl in the upcoming voyage. We could use another Spy aboard. My mom made a picture for you and it is in the picture gallery at the bottom of the Pearl page if you want to post it. Mom and I are really thrilled to meet a hawkheaded parrot and I look forward to having you aboard for some great pirate adventure this year. We will probably set sail the first week in Feburary after we have a full crew and provisions.
Captain CeasaurCome visit me, Pearl Crew Welcomes Capt.Sam as Pearl's new Capt..
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01/17/2013 05:43.29 AM
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It Would Be An Honor To Have You Aboard!
...Captain Ceasaur of the Wallops Island Flock is our captain, of course, and he will need to you to sign up at the Pirate Pearl's page which I rightly don't quite understand exactly WHERE that is right now. She's been docked usually at Captain Ceasaur's page but it has its own page now and I noticed that it was off of Miss B.B.'s page. I would go to Cesaur's page and give notice of your decisions & intent. We do have an extensive arsenal but every bird has a favorite weapon of choice. As myself, I have several that I use all at once. I'm rather a skinny sort of bird but puffing up my feathers and stuffing the weapons here & there, out of sight, gives me a bit more bulk. Sometimes a pirate has to look a bit insane & intimidating to ward off any that are thinking of retaliation. Bring your favorites & check out our arsenal. We welcomes any blood thirsty sorts! Arrrgghh!!! So says I, SamIAmCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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01/14/2013 10:31.29 PM
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Hi Leah
The football game was just awesome. Everybirdy played so well on both sides, it is no wonder it ended in a tie. I have already told RaneBeau it should be an annual event. (I don't think our moms could survive more often than that.) I think everybirdy had a great time too, whether they were on the field, leading the cheers or watching from the stands.
And then finishing the day off with our usual milonga was terrific. Except I was too sore from the game to dance! SweetPepper and I just ate and sat quietly listening to the music of Sam and the Scruffy Birds. Chyna and Sam both really sing like birds. (hee hee)
Well, I got two nice days with sunbaths, but we are back to not quite warm enough again. However it is supposed to hit 71 tomorrow and Tuesday, so maybe it will work out for a little outdoor time for me. Sure hope so. I love getting out there for a look at what is going on in the neighborhood.
KiddoCome visit me, BOTM CALENDAR PAGE, BOTM Founding Feathers, Wedding photos & Kiddo says Baseball Season is here!!!.
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11/25/2012 04:35.49 PM
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Hi Leah
You are playing Middle Linebacker which is the anchor of the defensive line. If you are willing, I am really eager to also have you play guard on the offensive line. What do you think?
Kiddo
P.S. Unfortunately the horns are a no no.Come visit me, BOTM CALENDAR PAGE, BOTM Founding Feathers, Wedding photos & Kiddo says Baseball Season is here!!!.
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11/23/2012 03:59.22 PM
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Hi Leah
The rain has stopped and there are big, beautiful, puffy white clouds up there. The weather freaks are saying it will be clear and sunny thru Turkey Day. Cool for us, but then mid 60s are not bad. I hear we might see some low 70s soon too, which is normal here. How nice to be back to not too hot and not too cold. Still getting my UV from the lamp though.
Mom and Dad picked up a duck at the store yesterday, and he is in the fridge thawing. Now last year we missed out on T-day completely because an ambulance came and took dad to the hospital that day, and he didn't come home for 11 days. This year the duck is going in the oven instead of the trash, and I have been promised a thigh bone! Dad looked at geese too, but they are soooo expensive: average price $80!! Geesh!
Kiddo
Special Notice: Working on getting a practice set up for the Braves team including cheerleaders. How does either Monday evening @8PM EST work for everybirdy? Please let me know, and hopefully we can find a time that suits everybirdy. If Monday doesn't work, we will look at Tuesday-same time.Come visit me, BOTM CALENDAR PAGE, BOTM Founding Feathers, Wedding photos & Kiddo says Baseball Season is here!!!.
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11/18/2012 05:05.35 PM
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Hi Leah
Ummmm....You are definitely on the roster, and to be honest I am seriously hoping I get you on my team. However the stilettos would be a serious violation of the rules. I am thinking you just need to flair your head feathers at the other team to have them shaking in their boots or football shoes or whatever we will be wearing out there.
KiddoCome visit me, BOTM CALENDAR PAGE, BOTM Founding Feathers, Wedding photos & Kiddo says Baseball Season is here!!!.
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11/12/2012 06:57.41 PM
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Hi Leah
I'm surprised mom hasn't gotten a pic of you with your 'crest' up.
My mom birdsat a hawk head, the owner offered to let us keep her, but our dad said NO. I'm kinda glad about that. Mom was spending too much time with her.
Do you get LOTS of the attention.
PollyCome visit me, Polly; Co Cap't of Dragons & Zippy--BASEBALL; LUIGI #225307 for BOTM.
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10/19/2012 06:30.28 PM
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GARRRR!! Can's ye believe it! I MADE IT!!!
I made it into the Castle! FOR A WHOLE MONTH!! I wants to thank each and everybirdy fer votin' a scoundrel, which is me, into the CASTLE! And the pirate code being such as it is, that means we all partake of this magical place's mysteries and perks! Aunt Denise, ye McFlocksters, a great big Thank You fer allowin' yer good Momma to helps with me fine pictures! I think ye created some wonderful likenesses of what pirates looked like from all around the world. And Mr. Kiddo, thank ye & your good Momma, Aunt Pam for all yer guidance! Now, me Frotherhood of Pirates, if ye wants to paddle around a swan boat, ye paddles around a swan boat!! Arrrgghh....I will ask ye not to mess with the "MESS HALL"! That's where the grub is fixed & nobirdy's suppose to mess with our grub! The barrels of rum are bein' stocked up right now & of course, we have some greyt rootbeer too! So, come one & come all, it's time to get our "party" on! AARRRGGHHH!!! So Says I, The Pirate King, SamIAm!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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08/01/2012 08:28.13 AM
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Bibliography
Jean Lafitte.
New Orleans.
The Battle of New Orleans.
The study of these three elements overlap, interweave and fuse as one historical continuum. One cannot successfully tell their singular story without the inlayed presence of the other two. Jean Lafitte was a cornerstone of early New Orleans as surely as the personality that was early New Orleans was a genetic to Jean Lafitte. And what happened on the battlefield of Chalmette, where New Orleans was saved, was the binding element that brings both man and place together in historical time and balances the value of both in American history.
A biography of Jean Lafitte, therefore, expressively demands as "vital statistics:" a comparative study of the city he helped create and the battle he helped win.
To help me demonstrate the trinity of these elements I am thankful for the following sources.
BOOKS:
Albright, Harry New Orleans The Battle of the Bayous. NY: Hippocrene Books,
1990
Arthur Stanley Clisby Old New Orleans. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1990.
Davis, Edwin Adams Louisiana: A Narratiive History. Baton Rouge: Clantor's
Publishers, 1971.
Huber, Leonard V. New Orleans - A Pictorial History. NY: American Legacy Press,
1981.
Huber, Leonard V, New Orleans As It Was In 1814-15. Louisiana Landmarks Society,
Samuel Wilson Jr. Publication Fund, 1989.
Landry, Stuart O. Dueling in Old New Orleans. New Orleans: Harmonson Publisher 1950,
Ramsay, Jr., Jack C. Jean Laffite, Prince of Pirates. Austin: Eakin Press, 1996.
Rogers, Dale P. Cheniere Caminada: Buried at Sea. Thibodaux, LA: Copyright Dale P. Rogers, 1981.
Saxon, Lyle Lafitte the Pirate. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co.,. 1989.
Saxon, Lyle; Tallant, Robert; Dryer, Edward Gumbo Ya-Ya - A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales. NY: Bonanza Books, 1975.
Stanforth, Deirdre & Reens, Louis Romantic New Orleans. NY: The Viking Press, 1977.
Tallant, Robert The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1998.
PAMPHLET:
Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve. National Historical Park and Preserve, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1999Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/31/2012 08:24.36 AM
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And as always, Sam happens to know a song
from long ago that will sing about this war. I will print for you the total words & then give a link to hear & see it performed by the original artist (of course, he's just mouthing the words) as he performed it on the Ed Sullivan Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsRK3DNoa_Q
The Battle of New Orleans
(sung by Johnny Horton)
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.
[Chorus:]
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We looked down the river and we see'd the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well.
Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em ... well
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.**
We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls, and powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.
We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
Hut, hut, three, four,
Sound off, three, four
Hut, hut, three, four
Sound off, three fourCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/31/2012 08:24.04 AM
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From the lower decks of the Pirate Pearl
loud clanging & chains rattling are heard on topside. Then the heavy sound of boots stomping up the stairway. Sam comes into the daylight to find YOU waiting for him on the extra perch! Aye! Here are some blueberry muffins I just took from the oven. Have one while I tells ye the tale!
Celebration rose from the city of New Orleans as riders went up & down every street crying "Victory is ours! The city has been saved!" The bells of St. Louis Cathedral rang out a victorious song, siege guns around the town roared out a thunderous amen. The women & children who huddled together through the night, listening to the distant sounds of cannon fire trembling at the thoughts of invasion & the loss of their fathers & husbands with each crackle of gunfire now came out into the dawn shouting, cheering & crying! From the ironed balconies they waved their American flags over their streets. Wives of the soldiers were given transport to the battlefield to see if their husbands still breathed. The nuns in the Ursuline Convent, who had prayed all night before Our Lady of Prompt Succor, lifted their voices in the "Te Deum," the hymn of jubilation. Mrs. Claiborne & Mrs. Grymes headed a committee of women who brought medicines, gauze, blankets & food.
British casualties were enormous 2,600 corpses lay on the narrow field. Jackson, who had lost only thirteen men, begged the British to allow his troops to assist in the removal of the bodies, a favor that was gratefully accepted. Jean Lafitte, who had returned from the battlefield across the river by early evening, helped tend to two of his own privateers who had caught English shrapnel.
The next several days saw sporadic gunfire, but the British Army had its heart cut out of it. "The English soldiers had met a type of fighting that was different from anything they had ever seen before," writes Robert Tallant, "and they had no defenses against it." (guerilla warfare) By the morning of the 19th, scouts reported that the Redcoats had completely disappeared from the area & were heading back to the bay. Jackson pursued, but after capturing only eight straggling soldiers, decided to call it quits. The British sailed away never to bother American shores again.
A curious footnote to this episode in history: The Battle of New Orleans was actually fought after an armistice had been signed overseas; virtually, the War of 1812 had been over nearly a month, but means of communication lacking in those days, the players in Louisiana's southern bayous had not yet been informed. Still, this fact doesn't diminish the bravery of the Americans who saved New Orleans. Had the British broken through that day, they would have burned the city to the ground. Nor does it take away from the fact that many Englishmen died in vain.
A Grand Celebration & Ball was held on January 23 to honor the victors. A mammoth flag hung over the ballroom read JACKSON AND VICTORY! THEY ARE BUT ONE!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/29/2012 07:21.42 AM
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On the dance floor were many curious sights that night, among them Andy Jackson reeling with his wife Rachel (she had been brought in from their home in Tennessee) to the popular "Possum Up a Gum Tree" & Dominique Youx, drunk, tantalizing & in his pirate's garb, demonstrating a mazurka. Jean Lafitte, as usual, was a "lion among the ladies," to quote Lyle Saxon. One uncomfortable moment came when Governor Claiborne introduced his wife to Lafitte. She blinked her eyes, thought a moment, & blurted, "But you're Monsieur Clement!" remembering the time he had used the alias at the dinner party. But, the strangest scene was that of the King of Corsairs & the governor laughing together in a corner about the respective warrants they had issued on each other's heads.
For their heroism, Jackson had delightedly fulfilled his promise to see that the Lafittes & their brigands were exonerated of all criminal charges. Of Jean's & Pierre's efforts, he wrote Washington of their "courage & fidelity," praising as well the "gallantry" of Dominique Youx & Beluche. Due to Jackson's support, President Madison soon issued a proclamation granting a full pardon to Lafitte & his Baratarians, restoring to them the full rights of citizenship.
Before Jackson departed New Orleans, he wrote Lafitte a personal letter: "I do an act of justice, and at the same time one very agreeable to my feelings to state the services you have rendered during the late invasion of your country...Sir, to one of those to whom the country is most indebted, I feel great pleasure in giving this testimony of your worth, and to add the sincere promise of my private friendship and high esteem." It was a testimony Lafitte would always cherish.
Throughout the year 1815, Lafitte came & went at will much as he had done before but now without a price on his head. He was even seen dining with Claiborne. Citizens clamored around him wherever he went, pointing him out & applauding him when he entered a public place. Children told their parents they wanted to be a hero like Jean Lafitte when they grew up. He continued to attend the quadroon balls & was often seen in the arms of a lovely at the theatre & emporiums. But civil life was not for him. Most of his commrads had returned to Barataria as simple fishermen. Very few remained in town that he could drink with man-to-man, cheering the good old days & relive the salt of the sea, the tropical nights, even in memory. The gentility of society proved far too tame. He grew bored.
Lafitte wanted his ships and provisions restored. Attorney Grymes, acting on his behalf, insisted to the government that it open its warehouse doors and return the "private property" to the Hero of New Orleans.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/29/2012 07:21.03 AM
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While the government agreed, yes, it was grateful for Lafitte's devotion, it contended that the contraband had been taken from Barataria when Lafitte was still a pirate. Lafitte felt rejected by a country he served, bitterness seeded. When eight of his ships were put on the auction block, he was forced to buy them back.
Now the public began wondering: WHY? Why did he want the ships? Why did he make many trips down to Barataria? Why was he beginning to invest large amounts of money to re-fit his vessels? Why was he acting like he wanted so badly to return to sea? Upper-crust New Orleans began turning its back; maybe he was nothing but a pirate after all. What hurt him most of all was discovering how many people really felt that perhaps he fought the Battle of New Orleans just so to get his ships & booty back.
Rumors grew ugly. When a government auction was held to sell off some of the trinkets & wares taken from his Grande Terre warehouse, a set of jewelry of a unique kind was found among the stock. The pieces seemed to match those of a wealthy & popular Creole woman who had taken a voyage to France several years back, was supposed to return, but completely disappeared. Lafitte grew angry at the gossip. He had never touched a ship belonging to the United States!
Then he remembered. There was that one time that one time! One of his lieutenants had disobeyed him & sunk an American ship. He had hanged the transgressor as a stark warning to others, but had kept the plunder concealed in his island warehouse.
"How do I defend myself now?" he asked. He loved America had fought for it chanced dying for it but these latest whisperings had penetrated his shell to even make him begin to wonder. Maybe he was, after all, nothing more than a pirate. In 1817, Jean Lafitte left New Orleans for the last time.
Aye, lads & lassies! Soon people forget what the heroes of our country have sacrificed for them. Any 1st year law student could tells the authorities that Lafitte was under contract & Columbia said he could keep all the contraband that he had. It were contracts that they honored time & time again! They even used them, themselves when the time seemed "convenient". I thinks politics were still in play & Jean Lafitte is now just another John Q. Public to the government. It was a hard burden to bear & that siren song was luring him back to the sea where he was Master. Come tomorrow & find out where he has sailed off for! Thank ye ever so much for your time & your votes! So says I, SamIAmCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/29/2012 07:20.32 AM
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Sam perches as he sharpens a cutlass with
a whetstone. Aye, come take ye perch. It's time fer preparin' fer war. As them Vikings would say " Today looks like a good day fer dyin'" Arrrggg!
It wasn't long those rumors of the British Fleet heading for New Orleans were now fact as the first British masts were sighted in the waters of Lake Borgne about mid-December. All unit commanders convened at Jackson's headquarters above Maspero's to review & finalize their battle plan. Commodore Patterson & all the others were surprised when Jean Lafitte entered wearing his leather cape & donning his rapier at his side. What was even more amazin' was how General Jackson doted on this "pirate" soliciting his advice on many subjects, including the strategic lay of the land & where to best set points of defense. Lafitte was afire, his powers of command very evident in that room.
Even with the arrival of the expected long rifles of Kentuckey, General Jackson's forces remained outnumbered. At the most he had 3800 militia, some townsmen, & Lafitte's corps, in all about 4600 men. Only one third of the amount of soldiers that were marching & sailing to attack them. The British were fighting machines comprised of the Royal North Britain Fusiliers, the Old Fighting Third, the Royal Highlanders & other noted British units which had fought under the Iron Duke of Wellington.
As couriers rode into New Orleans hourly, reporting the size of the Redcoat army & their ever-nearness, the city began to panic. Certain members of the government (not Claiborne) started screaming surrender, but Jackson wouldn't hear it. Sensing a growing hysteria, he installed martial law & established a curfew. When a judge protested, Jackson threw him out of town!
Recruiting officers continued to sign up volunteers throughout the hours; any manjack over the age of 15 came forward butchers, bakers, candle stick makers, the black slaves & freed men; laborers & gentlemen; John Blanque signed on, so did John Randolph Grymes & Mayor Girod & Governor Claiborne. Each man was given a spare of flints & gunpowder (now in abundance thanks to Lafitte). But, still the Americans were extremely undersized. Lafitte's privateers began to pour from the bayous, loaded for bear.
Activity began on December 23 with a lake battle between Patterson & the British ships. Patterson was forced to retreat. On the Villiere Plantation that same evening, Jackson's ragtag crew surprised & drove back a company of British regulars. Urging his men on, Jackson discovered the Baratarians to be excellent fighters & afraid of nothing.
Throughout the ensuing days & over the turn of the new year, Jackson dug in seven miles south of the city on the Plains of Chalmette, a narrow strip of land between the Mississippi River & the swamps, an area through which the enemy's regiments of foot soldiers would have to march to reach New Orleans.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/28/2012 10:14.57 AM
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While his men constructed barricades of earth & pickets, Jackson's cannon batteries exchanged artillery fire with British vanguard gunners. Dominique Youx's cannons never missed a target to play havoc with several British emplacements, driving them many yards back.
Because he knew the swamps, Lafitte commanded a brigade of sharpshooters in & around The Temple. There were some night skirmishes as the defenders drove back bands of surprised British into the marshlands.
But, what became known as the Battle New Orleans occurred when the main body of British General Pakenham's army appeared on the Plains of Chalmette the evening of January 7, 1815. By morning, they were 7,000 strong. Through the fog they faced to where they knew the Americans crouched, their muzzles loaded, behind their man-made ramparts. Rockets burst through the pea soup to land hissing & sizzling among Jackson's forces, a strategy meant to unnerve them. "They're only rockets!" Jackson called out. "Keep your heads low & they won't part your hair!"
The Baratarians present at Chalmette were totally undisturbed by the menace. Much so that they attracted the attention of "Old Hickory." While his own men shuddered in the gloom & loathing of what was to come, there were Pierre Lafitte, Dominique Youx, Chighizola, Gambi & a dozen others making coffee! Legend claims that Jackson approached them, complimenting the aroma of the coffee bean, where upon Dominique Youx instantly offered him some in a tin cup. "It's hickory flavored, mon generale!" he saluted. Jackson roared.
The men could hear the steady sounds of gunfire from the woods on the other side of the Mississippi where American marksmen, Jean Lafitte leading a detachment of them, were holding back a regiment of Redcoats determined to cross the river to join the main attack.
Suddenly, through the fog over Chalmette, the unearthly shrill of bagpipes tuned up. Jackson leaped on the ramparts, saber in hand, ready to give the command to fire.
"A slight breeze moved the fog away before him," Harry Albright states in New Orleans - The Battle of the Bayous. "There were the British Redcoats heading straight for the point he had determined would be their objective...The red-coated infantry with their white cross belts and glittering bayonets, and the Scottish regiment with its tartan plaided trousers, created an unforgettable picture of war."
The British advanced, their bagpipes blaring. They came...within 150 yards (steady boys)... American muskets readied...one-hundred yards..(let'um get a little closer)....American muskets aimed into the fog...fifty yards(Jackson gives the command to FIRE) And so American muskets fired. Three-thousand squirrel guns & long rifles exploded at once, & the first line of British folded.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/28/2012 10:14.23 AM
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The spot where Jackson had built his defenses was a natural bottle-neck between the river & the Rodriguez Canal & if the British were determined to pass they would have to charge the bottleneck. In one brilliant move, "Old Hickory" had taken the advantage away from an overwhelming army & forced it into a death charge. As the forthcoming lines of British fell, they created literal stumbling blocks for the men behind them. Tripping over their fallen comrades in the obscurity, face-on into a swarm of bullets, British gallantry waned.
Dominique Youx's & other American artillery pieces boomed & tore large swatches in whatever order still existed in the enemy ranks. General Pakenham, seeing the discombobulation, tried vainly to restore confidence. "Onward!' he cried, "onward, lads!" until a bullet silenced him forever. The few Highlanders & Dragoons who reached the American ramparts had their chests blown in by the ferocious return of a dozen Yankee pistoleers.
After an hour of hell, these Englishmen who had charged so gallantly against Napoleon's forces at Waterloo, turned tail and ran.
Arrrgghh....the sights, sounds, & smells of war are not a good thing. The only time it is a "good" thing is when it happens not to be yer loved ones, neighbors, & town folk layin' there. Garrr....comes back tomorrow to see if the deal between General Jackson & Jean Lafitte is honored....thank ye fer yer time & vote fer this ole' pirate parrot! So says I, SamIAmCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/28/2012 10:14.05 AM
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Sam is swabbin' the deck of the Pirate Pearl &
he has worked his way of finishing up right at his perch. Sam leans the mop against the railings & takes his place. With all seriousness he starts his tale once again.
Aye, it was a dark day, a very dark day but Lafitte wasn't a naive dreamer. He always knew the day the walls were first erected at Barataria that an escape plan needed to be in place. And so it was & so it was shared with ALL Baratarians where to go to & how to get there. If ever that day came they knew to re-group on Last Island on Bayou Lafourche, 60 miles west of the Temple. Within a few days the entire community reassembled, hungry, wet, dirty, some bleeding, but alive. And they HATED America.
Jean Lafitte advised them to curb their feelings & with a raised finger reminded them, this was Claiborne's doin' & he weren't the whole nation. There was STILL General Jackson.
Lafitte heard through his friend, Blanque, that Jackson was in Mobile Bay squelching an uprising of Native Americans there most likely encouraged by the British. Jackson was expected any day to show up to comandeer the defense of New Orleans. The general was a long lanky fella, bone thin. They called him "Old Hickory" because he was hard & tough like a hickory tree. Though he was a gruff character to go toe to toe with, he was known for his straightforwardness & fair play. Lafitte sent word to John Grymes to seek an audience for him when he arrived in New Orleans.
Being very bitter over the country's deceit, Lafitte was determined not to show his feelings in front of his men. He had preached too long about the sanctity of the American ideal to back down now. He was still expecting it to show itself in all its glory. With Barataria smoking in ruins, he knew he could always rebuild. It was not the end of the world. But he needed to prove to his men, & more so, to himself, that there was still a place for them on American shores.
Jackson's arrival on December 2, 1814 brought a sigh of relief to the good people of New Orleans. The army & navy that had been in place at that time, even though was strong enough to rouse out 1,000 pirates, they were not strong enough for the tens of thousands that the British would have sent for a major invasion. (Well-substantiated rumors claimed that a fleet of fifty British warships & 12,000 troops under the command of General Sir Edward Pakenham had left Jamaica & were nearing the Gulf.)
Jackson brought with him only 1,800 men, but he had already contacted other militia units based around Louisiana to expediently join him. An army of 2,000 Kentucky Rifles were hurrying south to meet him.
Immediately, things began to happen. Jackson blockaded all bayous between New Orleans & the Gulf, reassigned customs agents to battle divisions, relayed scouts to check on British movements & established artillery batteries on the outskirts of the city.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/27/2012 06:57.54 AM
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At a town session in the Cabildo, Jackson demanded that the city fathers appropriate funds & materials for defense. He also insisted that the French Creoles, as well as other non-unionists living within the city, be convinced that this is their war, too. Those flames that the English vowed they would subject New Orleans to knew no distinction of race, creed or color.
Jackson deliberated. He could not & would not put up with dissenters. In essence, "Old Hickory" was taking over. That was the way he was used to & that was the way it was to be. Suffering from a bout of malaria contracted in the swamps of Alabama, he was jaundiced, gaunt & haggard, but his determination was as strong as the "old hickory" tree that weathered so many storms it no longer feared the gales.
Mayor Nicholas Girod, who because he was a Frenchman himself, maintained he could convince the French citizens to lend support where needed.
This brought up the subject of Lafitte. Jackson scoffed. Admitting that he had already received a request from Lafitte imploring his attention, he went on to say that he had declined the offer from "that hellish banditti." The soldier was his 40s, had seen war & devastation; had served his State of Tennessee as representative in peace & his country as warrior in times of conflict. He had seen heroes & cowards, he had experienced victory & defeat. But, he refused to pander the whims of a pirate seeking absolution from crimes he should have known better not to commit. "We don't need nor want Lafitte," Jackson summarized. Subject closed.
The corsair, having heard this response from lawyer Grymes, decided to take action into his own hands. Jackson's opinion of him was, no doubt, based on only one source of information. That no good Claiborne. The general needed to hear the truth for himself & for the good of the country. History doesn't know for sure how Lafitte made contact with him; the most colorful story is that he simply barged into the general's headquarters one day at Maspero's warehouse. But made contact he did, sometime around December 17, according to Edwin Adams Davis in Louisiana - A Narrative History. By the time their meeting adjourned, Jackson had completely reshaped his opinion of the buccaneer.
Jackson needed men & he needed ammunition. His army was a frayed militia straight from months of fighting Indians at Mobile &, without pause, were yanked to New Orleans. Tired & without time to re-provision, their powder horns were dry & their flint boxes empty. And no matter how good the musket man, their weapons were useless without flint chip & gunpowder. Twelve thousand British troops were disembarking at Barataria Bay & would not recoil from slingshot. Jackson required firepower of the deadliest kind.
Lafitte had what the general needed. Even though his warehouses had been dissipated at Barataria, he had storehouses-full of both materials as well as armament of all kinds in warehouses hidden throughout the swamps.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/27/2012 06:56.55 AM
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To the general he was frank, the way he knew the general wanted to hear it. "You want flints? I have 7,500 flints available at a snap of my fingers. You want powder? I have kegs-full. You want rifles, axes, men? They're yours. I have a thousand fighting men, eighty of which are now rotting in the Cabildo. Jackson," he raised that commanding finger, "I & my followers want to fight for America, but as free men, not as indentured servants. For a pardon for me & my Baratarians, we will help you send the enemy to hell. That is my promise."
It didn't take Andy Jackson long to consider. He liked Lafitte's manners, his honesty, his guts. "Friend," he extended his palm, "I give you my word." According to many, the two men became, from that moment, mutual admirers.
Arrr....It's time for arming the men! Can ye see ole fancy knickers lettin' out them pirates from the Cabildo! Claiborne's face probably turned all shades of red & purple! And General Jackson probably didn't have a high opinion about a weasel like that! Garrrr...ye will have to come back tomorrow to finds out! Thank ye fer any donation of a vote that ye can muster!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/27/2012 06:56.29 AM
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Sam Comes Topside After Chores Down Below Deck
are done. Well, there seems to be quite a lot more of ye today! Aarrrgghh...ye's come just in time, too! Pulls up a perch & gives a listen....
It t'were early mornin' on September of 1814, a big ruckus goes up from the lookout of Lafitte's colony! He's ringin' the warning bell & whoopin' & a hollerin' to wake folks up! All the peoples wake & run out from their huts an make for the gulf side of the beach. There the lookout is pointing towards the horizon as all the folks run out there, women, children, & of course, all the men. Their 'bos' who had been relaxin' in his hammock stringin' his mandolin before breakfast, rolls to his feet & he peers out to sea. He wonders if it's the British? "Aye-aye!", the lookout hollers back, "She's flyin' the Union Jack, bos!" He takes another gander into his telescope, & confirms the name of the ship as the Sophia. As the ship comes closer where the whole hull is in view, she fires a signal gun which reveberates the massive sound between the 3 islands.
Lafitte watches as 4 to 5 men enter a dinghy & as it is lowered down, they raise up a white flag heading for Grande Terre. Lafitte chose to meet them halfway to inquire of their business here. He orders a pirogue & motioned Dominique Youx & a couple of other lieutenants to accompany him. "Just give the word, bos, & we will blow them out of the water, " he hears Louis Chighizola mumble behind him.
The British emissaries were five in number & represented both the Royal Navy & Army. The ranking officers of the group were an elderly gentleman, who introduced himself as Captain Lockyer of His Majesty's Fleet, & a young officer in the familiar red tail-coat of the army, a Captain McWilliams. They wanted to speak, said Lockyer, to "the commandant of Barataria." Nodding, Lafitte invited them to his residence for breakfast.
Sam gives a laugh, 'cause, when they reach the beach, Lafitte leads the British guests through the crowd of Baratarians who are scowling, cussin', hissin' & not hiding their feelings of contempt. Most of them were French, & even though France & England were at "peace" they were still arch rivals. Also, the British Fleet had been of late, harassing privateers as regularly as they harassed the American ships! This well known historian says it best, "Breakfast lasted for hours," Robert Tallant tells us. "(The) stiff and formal Englishmen found it hard to believe that this was the Lafitte they had heard so much about. He was an educated man, they discovered...His table was set with fine linens and silver and china..."
Tallant goes on. "Lafitte would talk no business until after breakfast. That was not done in Louisiana...Soon it was midday. Lafitte passed around cigars. Now he asked quietly the purpose of the gentlemen's visit."Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/26/2012 12:43.08 AM
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They present to him a stack of letters to read. They're all addressed to him by various members of the Royal Command, even the senior officer of the entire Gulf of Mexico. He reads them slowly goin' over each one completely & thoroughly. His first read urges all Louisianans to either join England's war with the Americans or remain neutral. Those who didn't would face penalties & maybe death. The next series of letters offered Lafitte himself a commission in the Royal Navy plus lands & money untold if he & his colony of buccaneers would lead the English forces through the swamps & assist in their attack on New Orleans.(and we already knows how they likes payin' what they promise a man who joins the Royal Navy!) The final letter, the one most directly written, promised to destroy Barataria if he declined the offer.
These authorized representatives of Great Britain watched his facial expressions intently as he read the letters, especially that last one. They were so relieved when he faced them with a smile. "I will consider this," Lafitte said, "But I demand a little time. Two weeks." The elder Lockyer tried to explain that it was too long. But Lafitte just repeated more firmly, "Two weeks." Captain Lockyer agreed.
"Please help yourself to more wine while I excuse myself" & Jean Lafitte left the room abruptly. Shocked, the others watched as he walked out of the room. While they waited for an explanation for this abrupt departure, several assigned Baratarians came into the room. In their best piratical mood, they led the emissaries back to their dinghy, loathing & cussing & threatening the entire distance.
From his veranda, Jean Lafitte watched his company leave. He turned to Dominique Youx beside him. "They think we are pirates, friend Dominique, who will do anything for a reward. They are so wrong."
Then he went inside & sat at his writing desk to pen a letter to Governor Claiborne.
After the exit of the British entourage from his island, Jean Lafitte penned two communiques one to Governor Claiborne & another to a personal friend, John Blanque, a Creole member of the Louisiana State Legislature warning of the British bargain & ensuring them of his allegiance to the United States.
To Claiborne, he wrote: "This point of Louisiana, which I occupy, is of great importance in the present crisis. I tender my services to defend it; the only reward I ask is that a stop be put to the proscription against me and my adherents...If you were thoroughly acquainted with the nature of my offenses, I should appear to you much less guilty and still worthy to discharge the duties of a good citizen." In promising his loyalty to the country, he also avowed to leave it "instantly" should Claiborne not accept his assistance.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/26/2012 12:42.03 AM
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The letter to Blanque described the terms of the British offer in more detail. As he did with Claiborne, he again underscored his zeal to fight for the United States, which he considered his adopted country. To this correspondence, he attached the documents given him by the British. "In short, sir," he communicated, "I make you the depository of the secret on which perhaps depends the tranquillity of our country."
Both letters were delivered the following morning by a member of his colony via pirogue through the fastest route through the swamps. While Lafitte waited for an answer, he gathered his men together to explain his latest actions. He truly believed, he told them, that his offer for help would be accepted. And he urged them to load their muskets, sharpen their cutlasses, & prepare to fight for America. They have found, he told them, a country to fight for at last. The pirates, ever the ones for a good fight, cheered!
.In the meantime, Claiborne's pleas to Washington for more defense-power were answered through official channels. A small fleet under the command of Commodore Daniel Patterson sailed into New Orleans in early Fall, and a body of troops led by Army Colonel J.Y. Ross appeared to repair and reinforce some of the already-existing forts along the Mississippi up from which the British were expected to sail.
When he received Lafitte's letter, and after counseling with Blanque on his opinion of the Lafitte proposal, Claiborne called together members of his defense council for advice. (Even though legislator Blanque vouched for Lafitte's sincerity, Claiborne remained very reluctant.) This group included, among others, Naval Commodore Patterson, Col. Ross of the Regular Army, Major General Jacques Villieres, the senior officer representing the New Orleans Militia, & Customs Collector Dubourg. In question were two items: 1) the authenticity of the Briitsh documents presented by Lafitte and 2) the sense of dealing with a known pirate.
The biased outcome of the committee's central players is deliberated on by Lyle Saxon in Lafitte the Pirate. "Both Patterson & Ross voted no. Villiere voted a vehement yes (saying) that he believed the letters were genuine, & that Lafitte & his men were needed in case of invasion; but he was outvoted. Collector Dubourg...was particularly insistent that this pirates' stronghold, or smugglers' retreat, be done away with at once...Patterson & Ross were anxious to attack the stronghold at Barataria,...There were rich prizes to be had there."
Sam leans down for a moment to pull out a big box of tissues. Tears trickle from his eyes & he blows his nares & begins to tell the dreaded part. Within days, Claiborne's answer to Jean Lafitte's offer for assistance left New Orleans. It came in the form of three barges crammed with men & ammunition, six gunboats & the warship Carolina a flotilla more than adequate to devastate Grande Terre.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/26/2012 12:40.45 AM
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When the vessels sailed into the Gulf on the morning of September 16, & within range of the island's guns, Lafitte nor his men expected trouble. Seeing the American flag flying over the masts, many of the colony rushed to the beaches waving & cheering.The Carolina opened fire. And the gunboats opened fire. And the mortars on the barges opened fire.
Lafitte could not believe his senses. Even as the walls of his home fell around him under cannon blast, he wondered how this mistake could have been made. From what was left of his porch, stunned, he watched his men scramble from the white sands of the shore, many of them never making it alive to the safety of the swamps. He watched as the skeleton of the watch tower broke asunder before cannon ball, the bell that he never thought would be used as a warning against America clanging on the ground below. He watched as the barges of blue tunics beached &, with torch in hand, fan out from hut to hut lighting the dry palmetto thatch. His legs, smarter than his brain at the moment, carried him toward the swamp but he kept looking back at what he just could not believe. Only one thing remained constant: to this very moment, he had never fired on an American ship.
Except for a few smaller boats that had made their way to safety, most of the thirteen vessels currently docked in Baratarian port were captured by the American troops. Of the hundreds of men on the island that morning, most made their way to safety in the recesses of the marshes. Fifty of them were apprehended, including Dominique Youx. Destruction & looting of the island went on for days.
Claiborne was disappointed that Lafitte was not among the prisoners. Still, he viewed the campaign as a rousing success. His long-time enemy had been broken. His treasure troves estimated at $50,000 worth of contraband were emptied, his ships were taken, his legions were scattered. By all appearances, Jean Lafitte would never be heard from again.
Aye, they destroyed Barataria! Of all the peoples of the world, it would be America! Such betrayal. Sniff sniff HONK snort sniff sniff. Here, have a tissue....please hits the votey button when ye leave. A whimper of a "thank you" is squeaked out. Sam buries his beak into a huge amount of tissue...Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/26/2012 12:40.10 AM
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Sam is repairing some old sails as he sees you
coming up the ramp. Nice to see ye today, aaarrrgghh, I'll be down in a jiffy! Sam grabs a ring on the rigging & zooooms down the rope to where his perch is! Avast now & hears me story!
What does it take for countries to go to war with one another? Most of the time, it revolves around economy. The brunt of this conflict was maritime & territorial related. During the first of the 19th century, the United States & England argued over the rights of way to shipping channels. And these weren't just name callin' & harsh words! No! They both began blockading the commercial sea lanes. These rifts injured the import & export trade of both countries. In retaliation to America's severing of supplies to the United Kingdom, England began attacking American vessels & kidnapping anyone into service for England if they so much had an English, Irish, or Scottish accent! Now, many of these men DID because they were newly immigrated to the colonies that are now independent from the UK. They took these American citizens & impressed them into galley slaves on their ships. They were never heard from again. Equally important for helping start this war was that Great Britain & the United States had constant dissension over who owned the trading routes north of the Great Lakes. Skirmishes erupted between British-Canada & the U.S. on the northern peninsular regions above the lakes. When Congress learned that British Tories were using regional Native Americans against United States shippers & settlers, an alarm sounded. President James Madison declared war on June 18, 1812.
Almost immediately, the English invaded Illinois & Michigan territories that were woefully unprepared for such an attack.
The American forts at Michilimacinac, Detroit & Chekagou (Chicago) fell to overwhelming forces of British Redcoats & Native Americans. The Great Lakes were a scene of constant naval fire as British frigates & men-of-war invaded the country through the St. Lawrence Seaway & from Canada.
For many months the everyday New Orleanian thought of this war as being very far away & not involving them or the life there in New Orleans. Even though Louisiana had become a state at the start of the New Year, Washington D.C. & Illinois' problems were no matter for New Orleanians to worry about.
In February, the still-predominantly French cultures residing there continued to shun an American connection. In that same vein, the nation remained lethargic to what was happening down South.
Except for one important element. The British had strategically overtaken the Upper Mississippi Valley in an obvious first move to control that river & the western frontier itself. To finalize this maneuver, they would have to conquer the lower half of the continent-long river & an invasion from the south through the Gulf of Mexico & New Orleans seemed almost imminent.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/25/2012 10:20.20 AM
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This was playing right into the hands of Governor Claiborne. He was just itching to have a reason to clap into irons the Lafitte brothers, both Jean & Pierre along with the pirates at Barataria despite the overwhelming public opinion. He was longing to snub those gentry who had always supported the Lafitte's in one fashion or another. Governor Claiborne believed that with the Lafitte's controling the mouth of the Mississippi, all it would take was for the British to offer a price for their support. They were proud privateers & proudly had made that claim over & over again. Now Governor Claiborne used it against them with the people. He issued up warrants for smuggling & assigned the task of arresting the Lafitte's by U.S. Customs agents quartered on the banks of the Mississippi. Captain Andrew Holmes of the division was ordered to scour the bayous in hopes that he & his small band of dragoons might encounter the pirate during one of his many excursions to & from New Orleans
Lafitte managed to evade them for months, laughing at their mission. The forty troopers under Capt. Holmes were forced to endure a summer of heat & pestilence in the jungle wetlands, naively following a succession of bad leads set by the pirates & often gettin' dizzily lost. Summer changed to fall & nothin' occurred. Somehow the elusive Lafitte & his vessels of contraband were still slipping through, like ghost ships, into New Orleans. Then it happened. Purely by chance, on a mid-November morning, their small boats stumbled into a hidden cove where Jean & Pierre Lafitte had just entered. Bowing to their pursuers' luck, the brothers surrendered without a fight & were brought back in irons to the city where they spent an evening in the Cabildo's jail.
Bond was presented first thing in the morning by the Lafitte's personal banker, Baptiste Sauvinet. Governor Claiborne's triumph was very brief! On the appointed day of trial, only 2 weeks after being released, both Lafitte's failed to show up. They were busy at the auctions at the Temple.
This sent Governor Claiborne into a huge rant. Over the next few months more troops were sent into the swamps to capture the Lafitte's. All the while that their Yankee Doodles were doodling in the swamps, Jean Lafitte was back at his normal visits to New Orleans where he boldly strolled the streets, conducting business & pleasure as usual. What jacked the jaw of the governor even more was that HIS very own citizens were fratinizing with the enemy! Some of the best of them & close personal friends of his having drinks at the taverns, dining in the finest of restaurants, & laughing with him on street corners! He was determined to have this stopped!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/25/2012 10:19.35 AM
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A proclamation was declared that Jean Lafitte was a fugitive from the law. Governor Claiborne made clear that anyone that did business with him at the Temple, or in town, on the island of Barataria or elsewhere would also be held liable for committing a crime. Whether or not this angered the public is not known, but turnout for the Temple DOUBLED in size!
The cat & mouse game continued until one day in November of 1813, musket fire was exchanged when revenuers had come close to trapping the buccaneer. Lafitte & a few men escaped leaving one administrator slightly wounded. Governor Claiborne used this latest infraction of Lafitte firing against government authorities as reason to go before the city council & distribute wanted posters for Jean Lafitte offering $500 for his capture. With letters ablaze, these were posted in all the pedestrian places thoughout the city. Claiborne was hoping for one of Lafitte's own to betray him & was smuggly waiting for just that. His plans to put Jean Lafitte to death would soon come to fruition.
But the next morning the early risers of the city starting their day's morning were treated with a big belly laugh from their favorite corsair. To their surprise, all the posters for Jean Lafitte were gone! Not one remained but instead were replaced with wanted posters to capture Governor William Charles Cole Claiborne for $1500 reward. And it was signed Jean Lafitte!
Regardless of this little bit of whimsy to lighten the situation, what Jean Lafitte did next was going to knock Claiborne back a step or two. At the urging of the governor, the region's Collector of Customs, Monsieur Dubourg, sent an envoy & a dozen armed soldiers to pay a visit to Barataria bearing a firm message from the U.S. government that until the proper taxes were forthwith paid on goods sold at The Temple, there would be no more sales taking place there. Days passed & the representatives didn't return. Claiborne was certain that Lafitte's men had killed them. But, soon the envoy & his protectors returned, bearing large smiles & larger bags of food & gifts as well as nothing but compliments about the gentleman pirate who had wined & dined them, & didn't seem a bad sort after all.
Jean Lafitte had one more play to work out concerning Claiborne. It came in early 1814. Lafitte had tired of havin' to hide out, havin' his bayous trespassed by militia, having his name blistered by Claiborne. He took the governor's distrust of his loyalty to America as great insult...after all, he, Jean Lafitte, who never attacked an American ship! So, he called on the last person anyone in New Orleans, especially Claiborne, would have expected him to go to for help. The city's district attorney, John Randolph Grymes, the man who was supposed to be spearheading the prosecution against him is who he approached! Grymes & Lafitte had known each other for years & despite the governor's opinions, respected each other.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/25/2012 10:19.08 AM
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Lafitte approached him one night offering $10,000 for his services as his emissary to the U.S. government of his undying loyalty & with all the laws of the Constitution to stop the harrassment by the governor. Grymes resigned the next day & took the case of Jean Lafitte! Jean Lafitte was successful in obtaining one of the most powerful men in the state to defend him!This kept New Orleans howling for months on end.
But the laughter was short lived as a great cloud came over the city. For the first time all the factions were united in concern, although they didn't realize it yet. The news came & suddenly the conflict that was so far away hit home. New Orleans could no longer avoid it. Washington, D.C. had fallen, the White House had been torched, & the President was on the run & in hiding. Making matters worse were the reports that the English were in the Gulf of Mexico. The lion of Great Britain had been spotted in the Gulf and they were sailing for New Orleans!
GARRRR!! AVAST! Bird yer stations! Bird yer stations! And as ye past that votey button there, swat it one good lick like ye was swattin' a RedCoat! Thanks ever so much!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/25/2012 10:18.36 AM
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Hello Leah! I'm So Sorry!
Mom's been havin' some long late nights just about since this campaign started. Are you sure it's not camp pain? It feels liking campin' out. Campin' out at the computer for 12 to 13 hrs a day! I'm glad I have her on a short leash or she'd take off & watch tv or something else to fill her time instead of it filled with ME!!! I still have to watch her because she'll up and open another window and go to her email or that dumb FB stuff! Then I have to start squawkin' about that! I need water or time for a treat, ANYTHING to remind her, it's all about me! Sorry I got carried away & made her forget to do Miss Leah. Your the prettiest birdie I've ever seen! Good night Miss Leah. Hugs, SamIAmCome visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/24/2012 08:08.52 PM
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Aye! Good Day to Ye Lads & Lassies!
Have ye been wondering about this rogue? What did he look like? Was he just playin' a part? Was he really a murderer? I will give ye yer answers as soon as we all take a perch...arrrrghh, it goes like this....
General descriptions of Jean Lafitte never came closer than from a little lad who has written about meeting him when he & his father went to acquire some slaves to help with their crops. He wrote, ""I have just seen the notorious Captain Lafitte. He is tall, with pale skin, and he has large black eyes. He is clean shaven except for a beard extending part-way down his cheeks." There were other descriptions, of course, that he was "remarkably handsome" with Gallic features & possessed a "brilliancy of teeth". Says author Jack C. Ramsay, Jr., "When he walked the streets of the city, he exhibited an aire of gentlemanly self-confidence."
It was his temper that could turn on a dime when continually pushed, in which he went into panther mode! Rather frightening from someone who was viewed, at most times, a kindly serene man. It was often talked about that when a small boisterous & loud armed group of Baratarians gathered outside his home talking of mutiny, Lafitte appeared on his porch & with a pistol shot the leader dead at point blank range. So much for the mutiny.
But, this need for violence to maintain order was rare. To lead, he depended on & honed his innate flexibility. He knew how to adjust to the moment to be the gentleman, the rascal, the radical, entrepreneur, the patron of the arts, the lover or the pirate to fit the situation at hand.
His chivalry is what endeared him to the people. A testament from a family named Martin who had been caught by a sudden storm in the Gulf were hangin' on by a thread in their tattered rowboat. It was a vessel manned by Lafitte himself that came to their rescue. Mrs. Martin's diary reads: "Lafitte the Pirate...treated us with all kindness possible (providing us with) a bountiful breakfast (and) even supplying a hat for my husband who had lost his own." Even to his own Baratarians he was mostly a generous benefactor. Once after he & his lieutenants divvied up their treasure evenly, two gold coins remained on Lafitte's desk unclaimed. He turned to the wife of Louis Chighizola & motioned, "Those are for you." But, her husband's quick hands claimed them. "I'll hold them for her," Chighizola said. Lafitte's eyes darkened as he rose from his chair & shot a hand forward, palm up. "Louis," he replied, "Give them to me." His subordinate knew better than to argue. Lafitte then turned to his blacksmith, Thiac. "From these coins, create a thimble of gold and give it the misses." That thimble still exists in the Chighizola family that has remained in Barataria.Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/24/2012 08:03.21 PM
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continued
Another charming story from a fisherman's family, relates the night that the pirates were playing cards in Lafitte's den. An argument had broken out between Lafitte's crew & Gambi's, the latter blaming the others for cheating. "We shall have a third party cut the cards," Lafitte announced & sent Thiac to summon one of the fishermen from the coast up to his house. When the fisherman arrived he looked nervous. He had brought with him his little daughter in hopes that these pirates wouldn't harm him in front of his child.
Lafitte smiled when he saw the child, & so asked her to cut the deck. He explained, in a calm voice, what she was suppose to do. She did as instructed, & Lafitte went on to win the play! Gambi left the game in a huff. Before the fisherman & his child left the house, Lafitte reportedly took the child to his lap, thanking her for her help & dropped into her hand, a $20 gold piece. She grew up never forgetting the dashing pirate who had been so kind to her.
Women love Jean Lafitte. That he was aware of this seductive quality was evident in the manner of which he sought after & won female company. He was a regular at the balls in town, usually a guest of a merchant or landowner. He tantalized the belles in the room with his courtly demeanor & fine cut figure. He dressed himself in the finest cloths & silks of the day. He could waltz as well as any high society crowd. But it seemed he preferred the company of the quadroons, beautiful women who were 1/4 black with their beautiful dark eyes. These women were usually set aside for the wealthy southern gentlemen as mistresses. Lafitte had several & would provide for them well-furnished apartments in town. One of these was a lady named Madeleine Rigaud. Another, whom he visited regularly was Catherine Villars, whose sister Marie lived with & gave children to Pierre Lafitte. Church records indicate that "an illegitimate child" named Pierre was born to Jean & Catherine in 1816.
The second wife of Governor Claiborne seems even to have been attracted to him. By chance, both she & the privateer showed up at the same time at the home of a mutual friend, a plantation owner who lived along the Mississippi River. Afraid that his friendship with Lafitte would harm his professional association with the governor, the planter created an alias for his male guest, introducing him as "Monsieur Clement". During dinner, legend has it, Lafitte's charms oozed to totally captivate the attentions of the governmental wife. Unfounded rumors suggest a tryst afterward.
In no other field of activity was early New Orleans indentified with was that of dueling. Any old excuse would do if the man was out for revenge, or thought his character had been insulted, or just wanted to impress a lady. It could take a mere accidental nudge or spilled drink that a drop flipped onto a lacy cuff that a fellow could find himself called out for these delinquencies on the field of honor!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/24/2012 08:02.50 PM
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continued
Both Creoles & Americans practiced this "sport" to avenge their names with regularity. Even Governor Claiborne was insulted by a visiting Congressman & was compelled to cross swords with him. Many of the "gentry" found themselves havin' to do so & there were two places they would duel. In the gardens behind St. Louis Cathedral after Mass on Sundays or under the weeping willows of a park near Bayou St. John outside of town.
One frequent practitioner of dueling was Jean Lafitte. This added the term "swashbuckler" to his romantic image. He excelled in the art of the rapier & never lost a bout, although he was "called out" many times by men testing his skill. One evening, legend has it that, while dining with his lady at what later became the famous restaurant Courtyard of Two Sisters, he fought three separate unrelated duels beneath the magnificent oak that centered the open air inn. Unscathed & unflustered, he finally sat down to eat his dinner.
But, a much bigger battle remained to be fought than a "code duello". One that involved thousands of men & would result in thousands of deaths. The War of 1812 had begun with England & Jean Lafitte, never before considering himself a man with a country, would be forced to choose sides.
Arrrghh! That is it of all the findings about the personal side of Jean Lafitte that I could squeeze out of them history books. But I will let ye wonder about what he's goin' to do? Does he really love this city of New Orleans? Or is he just use'n it fer a good place to front his contraband? That means "stolen stuff" to ye young'ns sittin' here. Is he gonna high tail it out of there & leave these poor folk to fend fer themselves? Come back tomorrow to hears about it! Would ye please cast a vote fer this mighty tired pirate? Thanky kindly!Come visit me, The Silver Sluggers & Sam says. LET'S PLAY BAZBOL!!!.
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07/24/2012 08:02.26 PM
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