The forwarding of Santo Domingo takes place of December 1801 at December 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte, then Consul load Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc, its beautiful brother, to reconquer the colony of Saint-Domingue and to restore there the order and the authority of France.

Context

French revolution involves serious upheavals social, of which most important is the revolt of the slaves which leads to the Abolition of slavery in 1793 by the civil police chiefs Sonthonax and Polverel, (decision endorsed and generalized with the whole of the French colonies by the Convention six months later). The black All Saints' day Louverture, appointed Governor by France, after having restored peace and having driven out the Spaniards and the English who threaten the colony, restores prosperity by daring measurements. But it is too far promulgating a constitution separatist.

The February 9th 1801, the Autrichiens separate from the second coalition and sign with France the Traité of Lunéville. Naples signs then peace with Florence, and the Russia of Paul Ier takes his distances until its successor Alexandre Ier concluded a convention from secret peace with Bonaparte the October 10th 1801. With the the United Kingdom, William Pitt is reversed the March 13rd 1801. The isolated British consider peace.

Bonaparte can then be devoted to its problems of interior policy. The troops are idle, the officers dream of in découdre. Under the influence of the Creoles and traders, the First Consul decides to send to his brother-in-law the general Leclerc, with for instructions of sparing All Saints' day, to offer to him the role of lieutenant of France, the confirmation of the ranks and the goods acquired by its officers, the guarantee of freedom of the Blacks, but with the positive authority of the metropolis, represented by the general captain. In order to prove at All Saints' day the benevolence of the government, have sends its two sons raised in France to him, accompanied by their tutor.

Bonaparte nevertheless envisages a probable resistance on behalf of All Saints' day, and all measurements are taken to overcome it: Louverture lays out at most that 16.000 men, Leclerc will thus receive the command of 30  000 men, coming from about all the French Armies, as well as disciplinary bodies.

Forwarding

Peace not being yet definitively signed with England, the December 14th 1801, a fleet, being ordered by Villaret de Joyeuse, and being composed of 21 frigates and 35 linerships, of which one is armed with 120 guns, leaves Brest, Lorient, Rochefort carrying 7 with 8  000 men.

This fleet is followed squadron of the Rear-admiral Ganteaume, which leaves Toulon the February 14th, with 4  200 men, then by the squadron of the rear-admiral Linois, who leaves Cadiz the February 17th, with 2  400 men. In the months which followed, several ships, will leave France, carrying fresh troops, of which a Dutch division and a Polish legion. It is advisable to still add the 4  to it; 000 men of marine artillery.

On the whole, 31  131 men will unload with Saint-Domingue. Among them coloured men are, as André Rigaud which in 1799 engaged in a brigade of volunteers to take part in the Guerre of independence of the United States of America, and Alexandre Pétion which directs a revolt of free coloured persons , with Jacmel in 1799.

The ships have appointment in bay of Samaná. The admiral Villaret de Joyeuse reaches the January 29th that point followed little by Latouche-Tréville. Without awaiting Ganteaume and Linois, the ships present are distributed in various ports, in order to surprise All Saints' day. The Kerverseau general must go to San-Dominguo in the Spanish part of the island. The general Boudet, led by Latouche-Tréville, must seize Port-au-Prince. The chief of forwarding, led by Villaret de Joyeuse sets sail towards the Cape.

When All Saints' day discovers the ships in bay of Samaná, it gives the order to Christophe chief of the department of north, to Dessalines of the department of the west and to Laplume of the south, to answer the summations of the squadron, that they do not have order to receive it, then if she insists and in the event of unloading to threaten to destroy the cities and to massacre the white before withdrawing itself in the mountains.

The reconquest

Villaret arrives the February 3rd in front of the Cape. The attack is done by ground and sea, the February 5th. Christophe carries out the orders, the city is in flame, part of the cut the throat of white population.

The February 6th, Rochambeau unloads in bay of Mancenille and seizes Fort-Dauphin. After having extinguished the fires and process with some work, Leclerc established its general headquarter with the Cape, and sends some ships to make supply towards the American continent.

During this time Latouche-Tréville and Boudet seize Port-au-Prince and Léogâne and obtains the rendering of the Laplume general. Unloaded with San-Dominguo with 2  000 men, the Kerverseau general takes possession of a good half of the Spanish part, directed by Paul Louverture, brother of All Saints' day.

In the first ten days, the French occupy the ports, the cities and most of the cultivated grounds. Taken refuge in the solid mass of the Artibonite, All Saints' day Louverture has nothing any more but some brigades under the orders of the Maurepas generals, Christophe, Dessalines. But it holds also a great quantity of white which were taken along as an hostage. To dislodge it throats should be crossed boxed and made impenetrable by the tropical vegetation, where the Blacks tighten ambushes on ambushes.

But the soldiers receive the reinforcements of Ganteaume and Linois which has just unloaded. Leclerc with kept its joker: two children of All Saints' day which it brought of France. Both are carrying a letter of the First Consul promising the second authority of the island to the former slave who however does not yield.

The February 17th Leclerc lance the simultaneous attack of divisions which it constituted. Rochambeau on its left starts from Fort-Dauphin to go to Saint-Michel, Hardy goes on Marmelade and Desfourneaux goes on Plaisance, while Humbert must unload with Port-of-Peace and go up the throat of Three-Rivers and that Boudet must go up south in north. The goal is to surprise the enemy, to force it to fold up on Gonaïves and to encircle it.

In spite of the difficulties of the ground and the resistance of Maurepas which ended up going to the general Humbert, the plan has as a whole well functioned. The February 23rd, Desfourneaux division enters to the Gonaïves which is in flames. The general Boudet occupies Saint-Marc also burnt, and flooded of the blood of the colonists cut the throat of by Dessalines which manages to escape from the trap. Maurepas still resists, but ended up going with 2  000 valorous warriors.

A seat in rule is necessary to take the fort of Peak-with-Pierrot. Besieging are attacked with reverse by successive attacks of Dessalines and All Saints' day which tries to carry helps to besieged. But the fort must finally go. Inside one finds quantity of weapons and ammunition but also much of assassinated white.

In Verrettes, the army discovers a horrible spectacle. With end of force, not managing more to follow the unrestrained walk of revolted, 800 men, women, children and old men were cut the throat of. The assassins are continued with excess, no district is not made with those which are caught up with.

With end of resource, their increasingly restricted space of freedom, the rebels are discouraged more and more. Christophe dream to deposit the weapons in exchange of the same treatment as that which was reserved for Laplume and Maurepas. The rendering of Christophe involves that of Dessalines and finally that of All Saints' day. Assigned with residence, Leclerc restores to him, rank and properties.

At the end of April, at the beginning of May, the order restored little by little in the island. The trade includes in the ports. The insurrectionists preserved their goods and their rank and seems to put up with their condition.

The defeat

In its retirement of Ennery, where it is assigned with residence, All Saints' day dream with its revenge, and watches for the progress of its best allied, the Yellow fever which makes devastations in the rows of the French and striking particularly the last arrived on the island. 15.000 men approximately perish thus in two months. All Saints' day does not cease corresponding with its trustworthy, the incentive to be held ready. Some however, not wanting any to start again the war, inform the general-in-chief. In June, feeling the danger, Leclerc convenes the rebel with an interview and the fact of stopping. Taken along on board a boat, it is sent in Europe and is kept captive with the Fort of Joux.

The news of the re-establishment of slavery in Guadeloupe, comes from to Saint-Domingue. The revolt thunders. Leclerc judge more careful to make disarm the Blacks, but that exite even more their anger.

With Low-Ground, in Guadeloupe, the Yellow fever striking too. The September 3rd Richepanse has just succumbed. Boudet replaces it. Rochambeau which succeeds to him, hates the Mulâtre S more still than the Blacks. Stone, this former enemy and rival of All Saints' day Louverture, is requested to embark for the the United States. In the south, where they are more numerous, the Mulâtre S thus offended, are linked with the blacks. The wind of revolt which blew particularly in north, is spread in the south.

The French Army, which counts nothing any more but 8 with 10  000 men, hardly in a position to be useful, is overflowed. Taken refuge on the island of the Tortoise, to try to escape the disease, Leclerc succumbs in its turn, on November 1st 1802.

Being oldest, Rochambeau takes the command and tries to repress the insurrection, but it cannot face. The Cape seems to be the last bastion of the French. When it reaches that point, Christophe with already removed one of the forts. Rochambeau takes it again. With the noise of the battle, in the roads, on board the boat which is used to them as prison, some 1  200 Blacks, throw the crew over edge.

The November 18th 1803, close to the Cape-French, the French are overcome with the Bataille of Vertières by the general rebels Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

At the end of December, the last French soldiers leave the island. At the time of the crossing, Rochambeau is captured by the Britanniques, as a prisoner on parole, is sent to the the United Kingdom where it is interned during almost nine years.

Consequences

Few 31.000 soldiers sent to Santo Domingo, it hardly remains about it more than 7 with 8  000. More than 20 generals also perished.

January 1st 1804 Dessalines proclaims the independence of Haiti. the colony becomes the second State independent of America.

Dessalines is made initially general governor with life, then the October 6th 1804, it is made crown emperor under the name of Jacques Ist It makes massacre the last French colonists present in Haiti and continues a policy of agrarian militarism , without slavery itself, intended to maintain the profits of the sugar industry by the force. He perishes assassinated the October 17th 1806.

The country is divided then between a kingdom in the north, directed by Henri Christophe and a republic in the south, directed by Alexandre Pétion.

In 1826 Charles X claims an allowance of 150 franc million gold to the young republic so that France recognizes the independence of Haiti. Reduced in 1838 to 90 franc million, this debt will be regulated in France.

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