I had no idea that today was International Talk Like a Pirate day, but it's thematically appropriate since I will hopefully watch The Buccaneer (1958) tonight! Yul Brynner stars as the French pirate (and patriotic American hero?) Jean Lafitte. It's about the Battle of New Orleans and Charlton Heston was cast as Andrew Jackson (who didn't have white hair in 1814, although America's Most Unkillable President was already 47 years old).

The movie looks more than a little bit hokey, but I am desperate for War of 1812 movies and it's not like I have many alternatives.

Today You Learned about Jean Lafitte! Specifically, his death. Or not.

The pirate Jean Lafitte was rather infamous in his time, but in the War of 1812 he helped the US fight the British in the Battle of New Orleans. Also, my dad had a cousin that claimed we were descended from him, but my dad had some serious doubts about that claim.

And he guest stars for a bit in Isabelle Allende's Zorro novel?

Anyhow, he was wounded in battle with the Spanish fleet off the coast of Honduras and died a day later on February 5, 1823.

OR DID HE?!

So, these two guys in Lincolnton, North Carolina made the assertion that ACTUALLY, Jean Lafitte faked his death to keep the Law off of his tail, and changed his name to Lorenzo Ferrer. After bouncing around a bit, Ferrer ended up in Lincolnton, North Carolina, and died in 1875. And so Ferrer's grave in Lincolnton has a sign mentioning that this might be the famous pirate's grave.

I want it said, though, that despite the place having its own Atlas Obscura article, it's hard to find through the website's own search engine, and Wikipedia claims that outside of the two guys in Lincolnton who wrote the book making this claim, who are not professional historians, no professional really buys into this theory.

Deposition of Andrew Hunter Holmes filed in case of United States v. Jean Lafitte

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United StatesSeries: Case FilesFile Unit: 573: United States v. Jean Lafitte

The year was 1814, and Gen. Andrew Jackson had a problem. He and his American forces were engaged in a pitched fight for New Orleans against the might of the British Empire. The city’s defenses were severely lacking, as was the supply of men who could engage with the legendary British Navy in these waters. He needed someone who really knew the bayou, and knew how to use it to their advantage. Luckily, he knew where to find them.

There were few who knew the waters around New Orleans better than Jean and Pierre Lafitte. They’d operated a very successful import and marine salvage business here for years - in other words, they were smugglers and pirates. Good ones, too, who had amassed a small fortune and assembled a small fleet. But they’d also broken the first rule of piracy - they got caught. And were now sitting in a cell.

So Jackson arranged for Jean Lafitte to meet him on the second floor of the Old Absinthe House, to try and convince him to work for the Americans in the upcoming battle. Lafitte made the general an offer - they’d fight in exchange for Presidential pardons for himself, his brother and all their men, as well as the return of their fleet. Jackson readily agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Today the Old Absinthe House still operates as a bar and event space in the heart of the French Quarter. It welcomes thousands of guests each year - including, it seems, Jean Lafitte! Many people have seen him in the bar, sharing a beer with none other than Andrew Jackson, while others have heard and even walked in on Lafitte and his men throwing a wild party on the second floor.