Editing Jean Lafitte (section)

==Galveston==

[[File:Flag of New Granada (1811-1814).svg|thumb|right|200px|The flag of the [[United Provinces of New Granada]], which was later adopted and used by Jean Lafitte from 1817 to 1821 at [[Galveston Island]], [[Spanish Texas]], [[New Spain]]]]
 
In late 1815 and early 1816, the Lafitte brothers agreed to act as spies for Spain, which was embroiled in the [[Mexican War of Independence]]. Collectively they were known as "Number thirteen". Pierre was to inform about the situation in New Orleans. Jean was sent to Galveston Island, a part of [[Spanish Texas]] that served as the home base of [[Louis-Michel Aury]], a French privateer who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary.<ref name=ramsay90>Ramsay (1996), p. 90.</ref> By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. Lafitte visited in March 1817.<ref name=ramsay91>Ramsay (1996), p. 91.</ref> Two weeks into his stay, the two leaders of the revolutionaries left the island.

The following day, Lafitte took command of the island and appointed his own officers. On April 18, he sailed for New Orleans to report his activities.<ref name=ramsay92>Ramsay (1996), p. 92.</ref> With Spanish permission, Lafitte returned to Galveston, promising to make weekly reports of his activities.<ref name=ramsay94>Ramsay (1996), p. 94.</ref>

Lafitte essentially developed Galveston Island as another smuggling base. Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. As part of Mexico, it was outside the authority of the United States. It was largely uninhabited, except by the [[Karankawa]], a Native American people.<ref name=ramsay93>Ramsay (1996), p. 93.</ref> Texas was lightly populated at this time, and the base had no significant populations nearby. It was, at least initially, relatively free of scrutiny from any of the governments in the region.

Lafitte named his colony ''Campeche'', after a [[Campeche City|Mexican outpost further south along the Gulf Coast]]. His men tore down the existing houses and built 200 new, sturdier structures.<ref name=ramsay95>Ramsay (1995), p. 95.</ref> Ships operating from Galveston flew the [[flag of Mexico]], but they did not participate in the revolution. Lafitte wanted to avoid a Spanish invasion.<ref name=ramsay96>Ramsay (1996), p. 96.</ref> Aury returned to Galveston several months later, but he left in July when he realized that the men were unwilling to revolt.<ref name=ramsay97>Ramsay (1996), p. 97.</ref>

In less than a year, Lafitte's colony grew to 100&ndash;200 men and several women.<ref name=ramsay98>Ramsay (1996), p. 98.</ref> Lafitte interviewed all newcomers and required them to take an oath of loyalty to him. The headquarters consisted of a two-storey building facing the inland harbor, where landings were made. The building was surrounded by a moat and painted red; it became known as ''Maison Rouge.'' Lafitte conducted most of his business aboard his ship, ''The Pride'', where he also lived.<ref name=ramsay98and99>Ramsay (1996), pp.98&ndash;9.</ref>  Lafitte forged letters of marque from an imaginary nation to fraudulently authorize all the ships sailing from Galveston as privateers. The letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations.<ref name=ramsay101>Ramsay (1996), p. 101.</ref>

At its peak the colony had more than two thousand inhabitants and 120 separate structures. Annual income reached more than $2 million (${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US|2000000|1818}}}} in today's terms) in stolen currency and goods. Lafitte for a time lived lavishly, complete with servants and the finest housewares and other accoutrements.<ref>{{cite book | title=Galveston Chronicles: The Queen City of the Gulf | date=13 August 2013| editor=Willett, Donald| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IjeACQAAQBAJ | page=14| publisher=Arcadia| isbn=9781625846402}}</ref>

In April 1818, the United States passed a law prohibiting the import of slaves into any port in the United States. The law left several loopholes, giving permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country of origin. Slaves captured in such actions who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits going to the people who turned them in. Lafitte worked with several smugglers, including [[Jim Bowie]], to profit from the poorly written law. Lafitte's men identified slave ships and captured them. Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials.  A representative of the smuggler would purchase the slaves at the ensuing auction, and the smuggler would be given half of the purchase price. The smuggler became the lawful owner of the slaves and could resell them in New Orleans, or transport them for sale in other parts of the [[Deep South]], which was the major slave market of the time.<ref name=ramsay103to105>Ramsay (1996), pp. 103&ndash;5.</ref> It was being developed for cotton culture, as invention of the 
[[cotton gin]] had made short-staple cotton profitable.

In 1818, the Campeche colony suffered hardships. After Lafitte's men abducted a [[Karankawa]] woman, warriors of her tribe attacked and killed five men of the colony. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Karankawa, killing most of the men in the tribe. A hurricane in September resulted in flooding of most of the island, and several people died. It destroyed four ships and most buildings. Only six houses survived as habitable.<ref name=ramsay107>Ramsay (1996), p. 107.</ref>