Dominique You
Encyclopedia
Dominique You was a privateer
, pirate, and soldier
.
Born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue
(which is now Haiti
) in 1775, You joined the army of Revolutionary France as an artillerist
. He served in the French Republic's artillery corp. In 1802 he accompanied General Victor Leclerc to Santo Domingo
to quell Toussaint Louverture's slave revolt. Yellow fever
took the lives of many of the French soldiers including General Leclerc. Afterwards You went to New Orleans where he joined his half brothers Jean Lafitte
and Pierre Lafitte
, where he became the captain on the French Corsair Le Pandoure. He was nicknamed "Captain Dominique" by the French and "Johnness" by the Americans. He acquired quite a reputation for being very bold and daring. During the next few years he and his brothers became quite successful smugglers in the Louisiana
bayous, and as privateers preyed on Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico
, doing extensive damage to Spanish commerce in the gulf. On one occasion, a storm on the Mississippi River
caused severe damage to the Pandoure and almost killed Captain You.
In July 1814 You was falsely convicted of piracy
in the gulf, but the Americans failed to capture him. You was in the camp at Barataria
when it was raided by the British
in 1814, but he managed to escape capture. He offered his services to the American authorities, and was appointed commander of a company of artillery
, which was composed of the best gunners drawn from Lafittes' ships. His men fought with such courage and effectiveness in the Battle of New Orleans
on January 8, 1815, that they were mentioned in General Andrew Jackson
's general order of January 21 as "having shown uncommon gallantry and skill in the field". Because of this, all charges against Dominique You were dropped, and he settled quietly in New Orleans where he became a politician
and supporter of General Jackson. You died in New Orleans in 1830. He was given a military funeral paid for by the public.
His grave is found in the historic New Orleans St. Louis Number 2 Cemetery. With the words attributed to Jean Lafitte, his grave bears the simple yet expressive inscription of an honored fighting man, which clearly conveys his place as patriot, privateer, and loyal friend:
"Intrpide guerrier, sur la terre et sur l'onde,
Il sut, dans cent combats, signaler sa valeur
Et ce nouveau Bayard, sans reproche et sans peur
Aurait pu sans trembler, voir s'crouler le monde."
Translated as:
"Intrepid warrior on land and sea
In a hundred combats showed his valor
This new Bayard
without reproach or fear
Could have witnessed the ending of the
World without trembling"
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
, pirate, and soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
.
Born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(which is now Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
) in 1775, You joined the army of Revolutionary France as an artillerist
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. He served in the French Republic's artillery corp. In 1802 he accompanied General Victor Leclerc to Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
to quell Toussaint Louverture's slave revolt. Yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
took the lives of many of the French soldiers including General Leclerc. Afterwards You went to New Orleans where he joined his half brothers Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
and Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte
Pierre Lafitte was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was the historically less-well-known older brother of Jean Lafitte...
, where he became the captain on the French Corsair Le Pandoure. He was nicknamed "Captain Dominique" by the French and "Johnness" by the Americans. He acquired quite a reputation for being very bold and daring. During the next few years he and his brothers became quite successful smugglers in the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
bayous, and as privateers preyed on Spanish ships in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, doing extensive damage to Spanish commerce in the gulf. On one occasion, a storm on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
caused severe damage to the Pandoure and almost killed Captain You.
In July 1814 You was falsely convicted of piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
in the gulf, but the Americans failed to capture him. You was in the camp at Barataria
Barataria Bay
Barataria Bay, also Barrataria Bay, is a bay of the Gulf of Mexico that is located in southeastern Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, United States....
when it was raided by the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
in 1814, but he managed to escape capture. He offered his services to the American authorities, and was appointed commander of a company of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, which was composed of the best gunners drawn from Lafittes' ships. His men fought with such courage and effectiveness in the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
on January 8, 1815, that they were mentioned in General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
's general order of January 21 as "having shown uncommon gallantry and skill in the field". Because of this, all charges against Dominique You were dropped, and he settled quietly in New Orleans where he became a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and supporter of General Jackson. You died in New Orleans in 1830. He was given a military funeral paid for by the public.
His grave is found in the historic New Orleans St. Louis Number 2 Cemetery. With the words attributed to Jean Lafitte, his grave bears the simple yet expressive inscription of an honored fighting man, which clearly conveys his place as patriot, privateer, and loyal friend:
"Intrpide guerrier, sur la terre et sur l'onde,
Il sut, dans cent combats, signaler sa valeur
Et ce nouveau Bayard, sans reproche et sans peur
Aurait pu sans trembler, voir s'crouler le monde."
Translated as:
"Intrepid warrior on land and sea
In a hundred combats showed his valor
This new Bayard
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard
Pierre Terrail LeVieux, seigneur de Bayard was a French soldier, generally known as the Chevalier de Bayard. Throughout the centuries since his death, he has been known as "the knight without fear and beyond reproach"...
without reproach or fear
Could have witnessed the ending of the
World without trembling"