Author: Ashley Oliphant

Publisher: University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9781946160720

"Jean Laffite Revealed: Unraveling One of America's Longest Running Mysteries takes a fresh look at the various myths and legends surrounding the life and death of one of the last great pirates, Jean Laffite, exploring the theory that Laffite faked his death in the early 1820s and re-entered the United States under an assumed name. Beginning in New Orleans in 1805, the book traces Laffite through his rise to power as a privateer and smuggler in the Gulf, his involvement in the Battle of New Orleans, his flight to Galveston, Texas and eventual disappearance in the waters of the Caribbean, then picking up the trail as he makes a return into the country under a new identity. The tale follows Laffite's subsequent journey across the South and his eventual end in North Carolina, where he died in 1875 at the age of ninety-five. Backed up by thorough research and ample documentation, the book contradicts the prevailing thought about the disappearance and death of Laffite, making a compelling case that is sure to intrigue and inspire scholars and history buffs for many years to come"--