Jean Lafitte was a pirate, a smuggler, a privateer, and so on. He used New Orleans as a base, where he was often harassed by U.S. officials. His pirate fleet had eventually been attacked by the U.S. Navy with many ships captured. How does such a fine, upstanding person end up with a National Historical Park and Preserve named after him?

Simple. Support the U.S. military in a moment of great need, receive a pardon, and fade into history!

The name given to the Historical Park is really just one of convenience. Though there is some information about Lafitte due to his actions in the Battle of New Orleans, the park covers several separate units across southern Louisiana, of which I was only able to visit a few. Within the city of New Orleans, one will find the main Visitor's Center (which also acts as Visitor's Center for New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. This center anchors the "French Quarter" unit of the park.

Other units are the Chalmette Battlefield (site of the War of 1812 battle), Barataria Preserve south of the city, and three Acadian Cultural Centers to the west. Two of the cultural centers were closed during my visit. For me (and my love of history), the Chalmette Battlefield was the most interesting.

Most American school children learn of the Battle of New Orleans (see Johnny Horton) and are told it was a battle fought after the war was over (due to the length of time it took to get the message from Europe where the peace treaty was signed to New Orleans). At this park I learned, though, that this was not entirely true.

A peace treaty had been agreed to in Ghent but had not been ratified by the British Parliament nor the U.S. Congress. Had Britain prevailed in this battle, it is quite possible Parliament does not ratify, and Britain takes control of the Mississippi. I discuss the battle more in my blog entry as I found it fascinating.

I did visit the Barataria Preserve, which is about 20 minutes south of the city. There are several trails, including boardwalk trails, through the preserve. I walked one for a short distance, but the leg pain I had been experiencing throughout this trip compelled me to turn around.

There really is a lot to see in this park unit. My back and leg pain limited what I could see, meaning I will have to return again in the future. After all, it IS New Orleans!