Battle of Vertières

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Vertières (in Haitian Creole Batay Vètyè), the last major battle of the Second War of Haitian Independence, the final part of the Haitian Revolution. It was fought between Haitian rebels and French expeditionary forces on 18 November 1803 at Vertières.

Haitians led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines attacked the strong French-held fort of Vertières, near Cap Français (now known as Cap-Haïtien). Dessalines' forces won a decisive victory over the French colonial army under the Viscount of Rochambeau and forced him to capitulate the same night. The Haitian Ninth Brigade under François Capois played a crucial role in the victory.

As a result, the independent Republic of Haiti was proclaimed on 1 January 1804.

18 November has been widely celebrated since then as a Day of Army and Victory in Haiti.

[edit] Battle of Vertieres

This last large battle of the Haitian Revolution, the Haitian War of Independence, was fought between Haitian rebels and French expeditionary forces. This decisive blow was a major loss for France and its colonial empire.

Haitians led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines and François Capois attacked a strong French-held fort of Vertières, near Cap François (in the north of Haiti) and won a decisive victory over French colonial army under General Comte de Rochambeau and forced him to capitulate the same night.

The Haitian Ninth Brigade under François Capois played a crucial role in the victory and caused Napoléon's troops to abandon their stronghold. This battle occurred less than two months before Dessalines' declaration of independence (On January 1, 1804) and delivered the final blow to the French attempt to re-institute slavery, as had been the case in the other Caribbean possessions, and to stop the Haitian Revolution.

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 August 14, 1791 together with Boukman.