It is the type of story that history buffs (and moviegoers) love: A small, ragtag army led by a cantankerous, charismatic backwoods general successfully defends its beleaguered garrison against a well-trained force twice its size. Andrew Jackson's heroic 1815 defense of New Orleans meets all of these criteria, but in Winston Groom's hands, this turning-point battle reveals dimensions that might seem implausible even on the silver screen. Standing at the forefront of Patriotic Fire is a most unlikely American hero: Jean Lafitte (c.1780-c.1826), the devilish French pirate whose 1,000-man force helped repulse the army that had defeated Napoleon. High drama against the evocative backdrop of French New Orleans.