What was going on in the swamps of Barataria below New Orleans? Rumors flew from mouth to mouth. Some said that the men of the swamps were pirates and smugglers. Ah, no, said others. Was not their leader, Jean Lafitte, a true gentleman? Such a one could not be a pirate.

There were other mysteries about Jean Lafitte. Where had he come from? What were the secrets of his past life?

In this book, Robert Tallant tells what is known about Jean Lafitte. He describes, too, the colorful and daring men who served as Lafitte's lieutenants.

Here are Dominique You with his great roaring laugh and his equally great courage; Gambi, who alone among the band admitted that he was a pirate; Nez Coupe, who was stingy with gold doubloons, but not at all stingy with his devotion to Lafitte and to the young United States; Rene Beluche, who later became famous in the history of Venezuela; and Jean's brother, Pierre Lafitte.

Here too, are Governor Claiborne and General Andrew Jackson—at first bitter enemies of Lafitte. How they came to be friends, and the part that Jean Lafitte played in the famous battle of New Orleans, is the core of the tale!

Pirates! Mystery! A stirring battle! Mixed together, they make an exciting story. Add true events and real people, and the result is an amazing chapter from American history that will thrill all readers.

From the book