Unknown History Of A Significant Event For Human Dignity And Freedom

So, he prepared the largest expedition to ever cross the Atlantic which consisted of the best officers and generals of the French Army, backed up by 20,000 veteran troops and a fleet of 86 ships. And to insure his strategy's success, Napoleon sent his brother-in-law's General Leclerc, one of the toughest generals of the French army to lead the expedition.

Leclerc had a very specific mission to fulfill in a three-month deadline: capture Toussaint Louverture alive, defeat the slave army whose resistance was concentrated in the mountains, and restore slavery. Furthermore, General Leclerc would take Toussaint's two sons, Isaac and Placide Louverture, then students in Paris, in order to trap and bag the Black General.

In the meantime, Toussaint Louverture who was busy preparing his troops, heard that the French had already restored slavery in Guadeloupe, so he quickly alerted Henri Christophe in the North, Jean-Jacques Dessalines in the West, and Alexandre Pétion in the South, and ordered them to be ready for war because the invading forces were on their way. Leclerc, however, was confident enough that his overpowering force would easily pressure the insurgents to capitulate and lay down their weapons, as he sailed for shore and at the same time promised freedom to whoever would surrender.

When Leclerc and his troops set foot to the Cap Français (today Cap-Haitien), on February 3, 1802, he was welcomed with heavy cannon fire. Henri Christophe who was charged to protect the city ordered it razed to the ground and even on the ashes he will continue to fight them. But early promise of amnisty by Leclerc compelled many black troops to desert leaving Toussaint with only half of his army.

Despite Leclerc's well crafted strategy, he and his forces faced another challenge, a deadly yellow fever, which sent approximately 9,000 soldiers to the hospital in the middle of the war. Black Troops for unknown reasons remained immuned to the disease. According to Napoleon's initial plan, the entire expedition should have wrapped up its mission in a matter of three months. Instead, fatalities were multiplying among the French troops along with many wounded soldiers, thus demoralizing Leclerc and forcing him to request to Napoleon Bonaparte an additional 35,000 troops to offset his losses and assume control over the rebel army. But the firm determination of the black fighters to never be slaves again would have a great impact on Napoleon's troops and ultimately decide the war's outcome.

On the other hand, the capture of Toussaint, one of Leclerc's primary agendas, would help shatter the revolutionary spirit of the rebels in Napoleon's mind. But, what Napoleon didn't know is that by capturing Toussaint, he would simply pave the way for a ferocious Jean-Jacques Dessalines who was fighting not against the restauration of slavery, but for the total independence of Haiti.

On June 7, 1802 Toussaint Louverture was captured during a conference set up by General Brunet. There have been different theories surrounding Toussaint's kidnapping. However, whatever the view, a captured Toussaint was believed to be Napoleon's biggest mistake due to the fact Toussaint was considered the most moderate among the rebels' generals.

The toughest and meanest of the black generals, Dessalines, was chosen commander in chief of the indigenous army at a meeting of the army high command. According to historians, Dessalines' unshakable position was pursuing a war of extermination until the enemy is driven to the sea. "Koupe Tet, Boule Kay" (Cut their heads, and burn their houses!) was Dessalines strongest order. He had no room for prisoners of war.

Meanwhile, General Leclerc would later succombed to the deadly yellow fever and was replaced by his second-in-command General Rochambeau in a desperate attempt to put down the revolt. By early October 1803, Dessalines's bloody offensives against the French forces had generated results. Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, Le Cap fell under the control of the slave army who fought their last battle at Vertières on November 18, 1803.