Vertières, Battle of
1803 CE
The Battle of Vertières (in Haitian Creole Batay Vètyè) is the last major battle of the Second War of Haitian Independence, and the final part of the Haitian Revolution under Jean Jacques Dessalines.
It is fought on November 18, 1803 between forces made up mainly of legally liberated former enslaved people, and Napoleon's French expeditionary forces, who are openly committed to re-enslave the former enslaved people and regain control of the island.
Vertières is situated just south of Cap-Haïtien (known at this time as Cap-Français), in the Départment du Nord, Haiti.
By the end of October 1803, the forces fighting the expeditionary troops have already taken over most of the territory of St. Domingue.
The only places controlled by the French forces are Môle St. Nicolas, held by Noailles, and Cap-Français, where, with five thousand troops, Rochambeau is at bay.
Subject
Related Events
Showing 1 events out of 1 total
Capois le Mort, at 4 AM on November 18, 1803, leads part of Dessalines' forces in an attack on Breda, one of the outlying forts in the north.
Rochambeau, surprised in what is known as the Battle of Vertieres and reduced to holding only Le Cap, is besieged and in danger of starvation.
On November 19, he begs for a ten-day truce to allow the evacuation of Le Cap, thus giving Haiti to the Haitians.
Rather than face the retribution of the rebel leadership, Rochambeau flees Le Cap on November 20 and surrenders to the British fleet.