A: Very little is known of the whereabouts of the Laffite brothers at any point in time after the abandonment of Galveston. The impression is that they shifted their operations from the Gulf of Mexico to Central America and the western Caribbean. Leaving Galveston in early May, 1820, Jean Laffite sailed with four small corsair vessels to Yucatan, where part of his crew mutinied and returned to Louisiana (where they were turned over to federal authorities--the resulting district court proceedings describe Laffite's departure from Galveston and the mutiny at Isla Mujeres). The Spanish consul at New Orleans reported that Pierre Laffite left that city in early August, 1820, on board the schooner Two Friends and was rumored to be bound for Santiago de Cuba. Charleston newspapers reported a curious incident involving "Lafitte, brother to the celebrated pirate of that name" (i.e., Jean Laffite) and a schooner called the Nancy Eleanor, which was illegally outfitted in that port for a clandestine voyage to join Louis Aury's forces, then operating out of Old Providence Island off the coast of Honduras. According to these sketchy accounts, Laffite arrived in Charleston sometime in November, 1820, and departed in February, 1821. There is no record of his returning to Charleston.
Charleston was a major seaport with well-developed commercial ties to Cuba and the Spanish Main, so it is likely that they had business connections there. Charleston also had a sizeable French-speaking community and had been a popular port of call for French privateers since the 1790's--[Vogel.]

6. Q: Is it true that the Battle of New Orleans was won because of Laffite?

A: Pierre and Jean Laffite served as volunteers with the American forces defending New Orleans against the British in 1814-1815. It is a matter of historical record that less than 100 Baratarians served in army, navy, and militia units and only about 40 were physically present during the battles on January 1 and January 8, 1815. The privateers contributed no cannon or other arms, and the 1500 pistol flints Andrew Jackson obtained from an unspecified Baratarian source were probably paid for out of public funds appropriated by the state legislature. As Jackson noted in his general orders on January 21, 1815, the Laffite brothers and the other Baratarian volunteers did their duty and earned their government amnesty. It is a little-known fact that neither Jean nor Pierre Laffite (nor any of their associates, save General Humbert) ever bothered to apply for their presidential pardons as prescribed in Madison's proclamation of February 6, 1815. Also worth noting is that nowhere in the historical record is any reference made to Dominique You, Renato Beluche, or Vincent Gambie, the principal Baratarian officers, as being followers or subordinates of the brothers Laffite. The simple fact is that the Laffites opted to fight on the winning side, but their participation did not measurably affect the outcome--[Vogel.]