The Official Early(pre-1950s) Haitian History Thread

[Bawon Samedi]

Now...Lets go back to the man who fought in the American revolutionary war when he was younger.

Connecting the dots:

Henry Christophe

​

In 1767, Henri Christophe was born on the island of Grenada, a British colonial acquisition. His parents were slaves brought to Grenada with thousands of other west Africans to work in the sugar industry. The Africans that the English used as slaves in the sugar industry were known for their fierce and determined nature to resist the institution of slavery. The revolutionary nature of Henri Christophe has its roots deeply embedded in his African ancestry.

Henri's obstinate, argumentative, and obdurate nature led his father to sell his services to a French ship's Captain as a cabin boy, before had reached the age of ten. The ship's captain sold Henri to a French sugar planter in the French province on the island of Saint Dominique called Haiti, which was a Carib Indian name meaning "the land of the mountains." The brutality of the French planters led to much discontent among the slaves in Haiti. These acts of brutality were witnessed by Henri and set the stage for his role in the Haitian revolution.

Christophe participated in the American Revolutionary War in the French contingent. Sergeant Henri Christophe was among the five hundred forty-five Haitian free Negroes known as the Fontages Legion. Fighting to make men in another country free from oppression created a thirst for freedom within Christophe.

In June 1794, Haiti was threatened with the threat of the Spaniards and the English who wanted to share the wealth created by the sugar industry. The Spaniards constituted the greatest threat and a battle for control of Haiti ensued. The three principal figures in the Haitian revolution were Toussaint L'Overture, Jean Jacques Dessalines, and Henri Christophe. Toussaint joined the French forces against the Spaniards and became a general of the slaves and marched to several villages, liberating his brothers who immediately joined his forces. After having distinguished himself in battle, Christophe was made a sergeant by Toussaint and later made a General by Dessalines. The French forces were defeated and Haiti was declared an independent republic on November 27, 1803. The republic of Haiti was divided into two states and Christophe was elected president of the Northern State in February of 1807, and Alexandre Petion was elected President of the Southern Repbulic of Haiti in March. The division between the republics was to last for a decade.
Source:
http://www.polymernotes.org/biographies/HTI_bio_christophe.htm

​

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Sans-Souci Palace
The royal residence of King Henri I (better known as Henri Christophe). Constructed in 1810 and was completed in 1813...

 

[Remote]

Haiti won their freedom from France, and it literally set the template for every other rebellion in the region. Haiti's independence and its importance cannot be overstated.

But their battles with the DR and the subsequent taking and re-taking of land over the last 200-some odd years was brutal for both sides, and unfortunately there are some strong hateful feelings between the two nations.

There's no sugarcoating it. A lot of Dominicans have racist views towards Haitians.
It's really sad.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Another important figure in the Revolution:

Jean Jacques Dessalines

Defeat of the French Army by the Haitian Rebels:

​

After the deportation of Toussaint Louverture in 1802, one of Toussaint's principal lieutenants, Jean Jacques Dessalines, continued the fight for liberty because he remembered the declaration of Toussaint Louverture: “In overthrowing me, you have done no more than cut down the trunk of the tree of the black liberty in St-Domingue it will spring back from the roots, for they are numerous and deep.”
Dessalines defeated the French army numerous times but the only place left was Vertières. During the night of 17–18 November 1803, the Haitians positioned their few guns to blast Fort Bréda, located on the habitation where Toussaint Louverture had worked as a coachman under François Capois. As the French trumpets sounded the alarm, Clervaux, a Haitian rebel, fired the first shot. Capoix, mounted on a great horse, led his demibrigade forward despite storms of bullets from the forts on his left. The approach to Charrier ran up a long ravine under the guns of Vertières. French fire killed a number of soldiers in the Haitian column, but the soldiers closed ranks and clambered past their dead, singing. Capoix’s horse was shot, faltered and fell, tossing Capoix off his saddle. Capoix picked himself up, drew his sword; brandished it over his head and ran onward shouting: "Forward! Forward!"
Rochambeau was watching from the rampart of Vertières. As Capoix charged forth, the French drums rolled a sudden cease-fire. Suddenly, the battle stood still. A French staff officer mounted his horse and rode toward the intrepid Capoix-la-Mort (Capoix-the Death). With a great voice he shouted: "General Rochambeau sends compliments to the general who has just covered himself with such glory!" Then he saluted the Haitian warriors, returned to his position, and the fight resumed. General Dessalines sent his reserves under Gabart, the youngest of the general and Jean-Philippe Daut, Rochambeau’s guard of grenadiers formed for a final charge. But Gabart, Capoix, and Clervaux, the last fighting with a French musket in hand and one epaulette shot away, repulsed the desperate counterattack.
A sudden downpour with thunder and lightning submerged the battlefield. Under cover of the storm, Rochambeau pulled back from Vertières, knowing he was defeated and that Saint-Domingue was lost to France.
Another leader of the fight at Vértieres was Louis Michel Pierrot, the husband of the mambo Cécile Fatiman who had led the vodou ceremonies at Bois Caïman on 14 August 1791 together with Boukman.

Results of the Battle​

By the next morning, the general Rochambeau sent Duveyrier, to negotiate with Dessalines. At the end of the day, the terms of submission were settled. Rochambeau got ten days to embark the remainder of his army and leave Saint-Domingue. The wounded French soldiers were left behind under key until well enough for return to France, but they were drowned a few days later. This battle occurred less than two months before Dessalines' proclamation of the independent Republic of Haiti on 1 January 1804 and delivered the final blow to the French attempt to stop the Haitian Revolution and re-institute slavery, as had been the case in its other Caribbean possessions. The Battle of Vertières marked the first time in the history of mankind that a slave army led a successful revolution for their freedom. November 18 has been widely celebrated since then as a Day of Army and Victory in Haiti.
Source:
Battle of Vertières - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean Jacques Dessalines defeated the French AGAIN at The Battle of Crete a Pierrot​

The Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot was a major battle of the Haitian Revolution.
The battle took place at the fort of Crête-à-Pierrot (in Haitian Creole Lakrèt-a-Pyewo), east of Saint-Marc in the Artibonite River valley. General Charles Leclerc's French colonial army besieged the heavily barricaded fort, which was defended by Haitian forces under Jean-Jacques Dessalines. The fort was significant as it controlled access into the Cahos Mountains. The defenders, running short of food and munitions, eventually abandoned the fort but were able to force their way through the French lines and into the Cahos Mountains. The French, although gaining control of the fort, had suffered heavy losses, including the death of General Charles Dugua.
This was the deciding battle that forced the French to withdraw from the war. The fort was never captured
Source:
Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bawon Samedi]

What did Dessiline do after the revolution?

Connecting the dots:


During February and March, Dessalines traveled among the cities of Haiti to assure himself that his orders were carried out. Despite his orders, the massacres were often not carried out until he actually visited the cities himself.

The course of the massacre showed an almost identical pattern in every city he visited. Before his arrival, there were only a few killings, despite his orders. When Dessalines arrived, he first spoke about the atrocities committed by former white authorities, such asRochambeau and Leclerc, after which he demanded that his orders about mass killings of the area's white population should be put in effect. Reportedly, he ordered also the unwilling to take part in the killings, especially men of mixed race, so that the blame should not be placed solely on the black population. Mass killings then took place on the streets and on places outside the cities. In parallel to the killings, plundering and rape also occurred.

Women and children were generally killed last: Dessalines did not specifically mention that the white women should be killed, and the soldiers were reportedly somewhat hesitant to do so. In the end, however, they were also put to death, though normally at a later stage of the massacre than the adult males. The argument for killing the women was that whites would not truly be eradicated if the white women were spared to give birth to new Frenchmen. Before his departure from a city, Dessalines would proclaim an amnesty for all the whites who had survived in hiding during the massacre. When these people left their hiding place, however, they were killed as well. Many whites were, however, hidden and smuggled out by sea by foreigners.

In Port-au-Prince, only a few killings had occurred in the city despite the orders, but on the arrival of Dessalines in 18 March, the killings escalated. According to a British captain, about 800 people were killed in the city, while about 50 survived. In 18 April 1804, Dessalines arrived at Cap-Haïtien. Only a handful of killings had taken place there before his arrival, but the killings escalated to a massacre on the streets and outside the city after his arrival. As elsewhere, the majority of the women were initially not killed. Dessalines's advisers, however, pointed out that the white Haitians would not disappear if the women were left to give birth to white men, and after this, Dessalines gave order that the women should be killed as well, with the exception of those who agreed to marry non-white men. Contemporary sources claim that 3,000 people were killed in Cap-Haïtien, but this is considered unrealistic, as only 1,700 white people remained in the city after the French evacuated.

One of the most notorious of the massacre participants was Jean Zombi, a mulatto resident of Port-au-Prince who was known for his brutality. One account describes how Zombi stopped a white man on the street, stripped him naked, and took him to the stair of the Presidential Palace, where he killed him with a dagger. Dessalines was reportedly among the spectators; he was said to be "horrified" by the episode. In Haitian Vodou tradition, the figure of Jean Zombi has become a prototype for the zombie.

By the end of April 1804, some 3,000 to 5,000 people had been killed and the white Haitians were practically eradicated. Only three categories of white people, except foreigners, were selected as exceptions and spared: the Polish soldiers who deserted from the French army; the little group of German colonists invited to North West Haiti before the revolution; and a group of medical doctors and professionals. Reportedly, also people with connections to officers in the Haitian army were spared, as well as the women who agreed to marry non-white men
Source:
1804 Haiti Massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Speaking of the Polish...

Connecting the dots:

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

powerful posting, will definitely check out breh

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Another important figure in the revolution.

François Capois

Capturing of Port-de-Paix and Tortuga Island (L'ile de la Tortue)
​

After receiving new troops from France, Rochambeau dispatched General Clauzel against Port-de-Paix which Capois was forced to evacuate, but the fearless black general redeemed his defeat by storming the Petit-Fort where he captured the ammunition, of which he was in great need. After his success at Petit-Fort, he decided to attack Tortuga island. The most difficult problem he had in this attack was how to reach this island without ships. He made up for this lack by building a raft consisting merely of planks held together by lianas. On the night of February 18, 1803, 150 soldiers under the command of Vincent Louis were huddled together on this frail means of transportation in tow of 2 rowboats. They fell unexpectedly on the garrison of Tortuga and for a while seemed to be the conquerors. But the French, who soon got over their surprise, rallied and defeated Vincent Louis, who succeeded in making his escape with some of his companions. The unfortunate blacks who were taken prisoner by the French were tortured to death in expiation of the audacious attempt. The failure did not discourage the energy of Capois. On April 12, 1803, Capois stormed Port-de-Paix, and soon after, Vincent Louis on his raft was again on his way to Tortuga. He succeeded this time in taking possession of the island, which the French never recovered.

Battle of Vertières​

On November 18, 1803, Jean-Jacques Dessalines had ordered Capois to take Vertières, a fort situated upon the mount. Capois-la-Mort advanced with a demi-brigade which, horribly multilated, soon recoiled before the cannon fire coming from the fort. He led it back for a second time, but was again driven to the bottom of the hill by the mitrailleuse. Boiling with rage, Capois ran to seek other new troops and, mounting his horse, advanced for the third time; again the thousand deaths that vomited from the fortress repulsed him and his brigade. Now for the fourth time, he asked his men to follow him by saying "Forward! forward!." While he was at the head of his men, his horse was hit by a cannonball—he fell,but Capois took his sword, got up, and ran to place himself again at the head of his black soldiers by shouting "Forward! Forward!" His cap, garnished with plumes, was carried away by a shot. He replied to the insult which left him hatless by drawing his sword and again throwing himself into the assault. Observing this, Rochambeau and his men shouted: "Bravo! bravo! bravo!" The firing in the fort ceased. Suddenly, the battle was still. A French staff officer mounted his horse and rode toward the intrepid Capois-la-Mort. With a great voice he shouted: "General Rochambeau sends compliments to the general who has just covered himself with such glory!" Then he saluted the Haitian warriors, returned to his position and the fight resumed. The next morning a French officer followed by his companions led to the headquarters of the Haitian army a horse caparisoned, and delivered him with these words: "The Captain-general (Rochambeau) offers this horse as a mark of admiration to the "black Achilles" to replace the one of his that the French army regrets having killed."
Source:
François Capois - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bawon Samedi]

I'll continue this thread later.

 

[iMajor]

 

[Soundbwoy]

 

[Ego Noir]

5 star thread. One issue I have though is the first section on the discourse of Boukman and Bois Caiman.

Whoever was the author of that piece seems heavily biased on showing Muslim influence in all of this that I'm not buying. It comes off as an agenda.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

5 star thread. One issue I have though is the first section on the discourse of Boukman and Bois Caiman.

Whoever was the author of that piece seems heavily biased on showing Muslim influence in all of this that I'm not buying. It comes off as an agenda.

Thanks!



Also are you talking about the very first post with with Boukman. The the latter two by the author Sylviane A. Diouf? Because the latter is a heavily researched book which was published by a serious academic press and she only theorizes that Boukman was a Muslim due to his name. But IMO he was most likely a voodoo priest.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Also with the idea of Haiti going to sh*t and being a failed state right after the revolution, how was it that this was able to be built for preparation for another French invasion? How would a failed state be able to construct this?

Connecting the dots:

Citadelle Laferrière or also known as Citadelle Henry Christoph​

Built by Henri Christophe, who was one of the leaders during the Haitian slave rebellion, after Haiti gained independence from France at the beginning of the 19th century. Built just in case the French ever invaded again.

Again a weak poor state wouldn't be able to construct this.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Also one should note that Henri was able to bring over African warriors from the Kingdom of Dahomey(Benin):

He brought African warriors from Dahomey (present-day Benin), whom he dubbed Royal Dahomets. They served as the primary agents of his authority. Incorruptible and intensely loyal to Christophe, the Dahomets brought order to the countryside.
Source:
Christophe's Kingdom and Pétion's Republic

Many people say Haitians descend from Benin. But the big question is, how would a weak state be able to import skilled warriors from a powerful kingdom?