Louisiana's No Man's Land - by Scott Debose (Paperback)

About the Book

With the stroke of a pen, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory, but few people know the rest of the story--that the purchase almost started a war, that a former vice president tried to make the land his own empire and that an American general sent to protect the territory was a Spanish spy. For almost twenty years, West Louisiana was not part of the United States. With no government, no police and no military, it soon became a no man's land--full of outlaws, murderers and smugglers. But it was also a land of opportunity for settlers willing to brave the danger to start a new life. Author Scott DeBose shares the story of this wild era and the almost two centuries it took to tame the region. --

Book Synopsis

Join author Scott DeBose on a rugged journey through Louisiana's No Man's Land. Most Americans know the basics of the Louisiana Purchase, but few know that West Louisiana was left out of the purchase. They also don't know that in 1806, the United States and Spain almost went to war over the boundary, and it was only an agreement negotiated by the American and Spanish commanders that prevented full scale war. But it wasn't out of patriotism that James Wilkinson, commanding general of the US Army, negotiated the agreement. He was not only a Spanish Spy, but he was involved in Aaron Burr's conspiracy. America now had a 40-mile wide and roughly 500-mile-long strip of land they could not station troops or police, and outlaws soon flocked to the region. This book will tell the story of how No Man's Land was created, the conspiracy behind its creation, the outlaws, smugglers, and pirates who used the region as a base (such as Jean Lafite, Jim Bowie and John Murrell "The Reverend Devil"). But it wasn't all outlaws--those folks will get their due, as well.

Review Quotes

Two decades of anything goes in West Louisiana

About the Author

Scott DeBose has spent most of his life living in no man's land. He became interested in the history of the region at an early age, listening to stories of outlaws and treasures. Mr. DeBose spent several years working at Fort Jesup State Historic Site in college and now serves as the president of the Friends of Fort Jesup Inc. and was involved in the No Man's Land Bicentennial Celebration at Fort Jesup in 2019. This is Mr. DeBose's second book published by The History Press; his first came out in 2022 and is titled Fort Jesup: A History. Mr. DeBose holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and anthropology and a Master of Music.