Battle of Vertières

Battle of Vertières
Part of the Haitian Revolution
Date 18 November 1803 Location Haiti Result Haitian victory
Belligerents
France	Haitian Rebels
Commanders and leaders
Donatien de Rochambeau	Jean-Jacques Dessalines François Capois
Strength
2,000 men	27,000 men
Casualties and losses
1,200 dead and wounded	1,200 dead 2,000 wounded
Location within Haiti

The Battle of Vertières (in Haitian Creole Batay Vètyè) was the last major battle of the Second War of Haitian Independence, and the final part of the Haitian Revolution under Jean Jacques Dessalines. It was fought between Haitian slave populations and Napoleon's French expeditionary forces on 18 November 1803 to Saint Domingue to restore slavery for France. Vertières is situated just south of Cap-Haïtien (known then as Cap-Français), in the Départment du Nord, Haiti. By the end of October 1803, Haitian rebels slaves had already taken over all the territory from France. The only places left to France were Môle St. Nicolas, held by Noailles, and Cap-Français, where, with 5000 troops, Rochambeau was at bay.

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 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 before 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. Capois, 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. Capois' horse was shot, faltered and fell, tossing Capois off his saddle. Capois picked himself up, drew his sword; brandished it over his head and ran onward shouting: "Forward! Forward!" En avant.... en avant... He screamed. Mesmerized by his valiant courage, the French soldiers had a temporary cease of fire when they all applauded Capois.