Haiti
Heroes by
W.F. Burton Sellers Heritagekonpa
Magazine Speicial  In
October 1802, Dessalines arranged a meeting with Alexander Sabes Pétion,
a mulatto leader then fighting for the French, to discuss the possibility of a
united front against Napoleon. Pétion’s loyalty to his country was
greater than to his cast.
After
a two day conference at Arcahaie, he agreed to join his forces with those of Dessalines
against the French. It
was at this meeting that the Haitian flag was born. It was created by Dessalines,
who tore the white stripe from the French tricolor, thus eliminating the symbol
of the white man from the emblem. The Haitian coat of arms was superimposed on
the blue and red fields to complete the flag. This flag was officially adopted
on May 18, 1803. The
combined forces of Dessalines and Pétion, aided by fever among the French
and with the assistance of a British naval blockade, enjoyed great success against
the French under Leclerc’s successor, Rochambeau, particularly in the south
and the west. With 10,000 men Pétion and other leaders invaded the plain
of the Cul-de-Sac on Sept. 16, 1803. Joined
by an additional 6,000 men coming from Jacmel on the south coast, a series of
winning engagements soon led the forces to the environs of Port-au-Prince and
its siege began. After three weeks of resistance, the French commander, fighting
famine and the terroristic acts of the local population, capitulated and the rebels
took over the capital on Oct. 17, 1803. The
remaining French forces, decimated by the struggles and disease, entrenched
themselves behind a series of small fortresses outside the city of Cap Haïtien
in the north. Dessalines gathered all the black combatants under François
Capois, Henri Christophe and other leaders at Limbé, a few miles southwest
of Cap, with the intention of capturing the city and driving the French from the
country.
Capois And The Battle Of Vertieres At
4 a.m. on Nov. 18, 1803, part of the forces began an attack on Breda, one of the
outlying forts. Rochambeau surprised, left Cap and took a position with his honor
guard on the entrenchments at the fort of Vertieres, between Breda and Cap. To
take the objective specifically assigned to him, François Capois and his
troops had to cross a bridge that was dominated by the fort at Vertieres. Capois,
on horseback, and his men met a hail of fire as they advanced. Despite a bullet
passing through his cap, Capois urged his men forward. Even a bullet which leveled
his horse and another which again passed through his cap did not stop Capois from
flourishing his saber and leading his men onward with his continuing cry of "Forward!"
Observing this, Rochambeau’s guards applauded. Rochambeau
caused the firing to be stopped and sent a hussar forward with compliments for
Capois! Then the battle recommenced. Despite
repeated and furious charges by Capois, who dealt death to many of the enemy,
the battle was indecisive and Capois survived, earning the sobriquet "Capois-la-Mort"
(Capois the Death). The
attacks on the fortresses continued and ultimately Rochambeau had to withdraw
and evacuate the fort at Vertieres. The success of Dessaline’s forces in
taking the heights of Charrier, which dominated all of Cap’s outer defenses,
forced Rochambeau to withdraw all his forces into Cap, and on November 19 he signed
a convention that delivered Cap to Dessalines. Ten
hours later on November 20, Rochambeau was already a prisoner of the British. Dessalines,
at the head of the triumphant indigenous army, entered Cap on Nov. 30, 1803. On
December 4, the French also surrendered the northwestern peninsula and Mole St.
Nicolas to the victors and the French occupation and control of Haiti ended forever.
On an
earlier occasion Dessalines had been introduced to a Boisrond-Tonnerre. Though
very different in both physique and education the two formed an instant bond.
They shared the same violent characteristics and both were driven by the same
implacable hatred of all whites. In anticipation of proclaiming the independence
of Haiti on Jan. 1, 1804, Dessalines had one of his secretaries prepare the necessary
proclamation. When
the leaders were reunited at the home of Dessalines on Dec. 31, 1803, to review
it, Tonnerre felt that it was much too mild and declared it should be written
on parchment made from the skin of a white! When the same group met at 7 a.m.
the next day at the Place d’Armes in Gonaives for the independence ceremony
Tonnerre was missing. Soon
found, it was learned that he had spent the entire previous night rewriting the
proclamation, which was the one actually read. It was not on human parchment,
but was vindictive and considered sublime by Haitians and classified Tonnerre
as the father of the Act of Independence. Boisrond-Tonnerre was accorded heroes
recognition on . On
Jan. 1, 1804, Haiti indeed became the first independent black country. Dessalines
was named Governor General for life with the power to name his successor. Dessalines
is now considered Haiti’s true national hero....
read more Special
thanks to: Suzette
A. E. Chaumette, MPH
Health Education Coordinator
Maternal and Child Health
Program
Department of Health and Hospitals
Louisiana Office of Public Health
325
Loyola Avenue, Room 612
New Orleans, LA 70119
504-568-6342
504-568-8162
fax
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