orward to the point of
danger, and clearing the breastwork of the entrenchments, leaped,
cutlass in hand, into the midst of the enemy, followed by a score of his
men, who in many a hard fought battle upon his own deck, had been well
tried.

Astonished at the intrepidity which could lead men to leave their
entrenchments and meet them hand to hand, and pressed by the suddenness
of the charge, which was made with the recklessness, skill and rapidity
of practised boarders bounding upon the deck of an enemy's vessel, they
began to give way, while one after another, two British officers fell
before the cutlass of the pirate, as they were bravely encouraging their
men. All the energies of the British were now concentrated to scale the
breastwork, which one daring officer had already mounted. While Lafitte
and his followers, seconding a gallant band of volunteer riflemen,
formed a phalanx which they in vain assayed to penetrate.

The British finding it impossible to take the city and the havoc in
their ranks being dreadful, made a precipitate retreat, leaving the
field covered with their dead and wounded.

General Jackson, in his correspondence with the secretary of war did not
fail to notice the conduct of the "Corsairs of Barrataria," who were, as
we have already seen, employed in the artillery service. In the course
of the campaign they proved, in an unequivocal manner, that they had
been misjudged by the enemy, who a short time previous to the invasion
of Louisiana, had hoped to enlist them in his cause. Many of them were
killed or wounded in the defence of the country. Their zeal, their
courage, and their skill, were remarked by the whole army, who could no
longer consider such brave men as criminals. In a few days peace was
declared between Great Britain and the United States.

The piratical establishment of Barrataria having been broken up and
Lafitte not being content with leading an honest, peaceful life,
procured some fast sailing vessels, and with a great number of his
followers, proceeded to Galvezton Bay, in Texas, during the year 1819;
where he received a commission from General Long; and had five vessels
generally cruising and about 300 men. Two open boats bearing commissions
from General Humbert, of Galvezton, having robbed a plantation on the
Marmento river, of negroes, money, &c., were captured in the Sabine
river, by the boats of the United States schooner Lynx. One of the men
was hung by Lafitte, who dre