The deportation of Toussaint Louverture following André Rigaud's, opened the eyes of the natives. Blacks and mulattoes all realized now that only a close and firm union could save them from the fate in store for them. There was no longer any possible doubt as to the aim of the mission entrusted to General Leclerc: white supremacy was to be restored and the power of the natives annihilated. The first Consul, elated with his success in Europe, anticipated an easy victory in Saint-Domingue. He did not take the least trouble to conceal his plans: the French Government went to the extent of adopting a law maintaining slavery and the slave-trade. At Guadeloupe Vice-Admiral Lacrosse had immediately restored this barbarous institution. These reactionary measures served to alarm the former slaves of
Saint-Domingue who had achieved their liberty by force of arms. General Leclerc made no effort to dispel their anxiety; for to him it seemed to be the easiest of tasks for the invincible soldiers who had subdued Europe to crush such unworthy opponents as he deemed the blacks to be. In consequence, he proceeded deliberately in taking the measures by which to carry out the great schemes of the first Consul. The possible humiliations of the natives mattered little. Above all it was necessary to place them once again beneath their former yoke. The Captain-General began by annulling the military grades conferred by Toussaint Louverture; he afterward distributed the native troops among the various regiments arrived from France; and he ordered the disarmament of all the cultivators. Upon his summons, a Colonial Council met at Cap-Français. The colonists who were in this body, with no restraining influence over them, went so far as to request the restoration of slavery in the presence of Christophe, who shouted in reply to their demand: "If there is no liberty, there will be no colony!" Leclerc thought that the surest way to keep the natives on the plantations was to prevent them from acquiring real estate; to this end he instructed the public notaries not to authorize any sale of land of less than fifty carreaux. The cultivators were prohibited to marry women who were not on the plantations to which they belonged; and they were not permitted to go from one place to another without a permit (cartes de sûreté). The gendarmerie had the right to sabre all those who were found without these cartes de sûreté. To crown the situation, Bonaparte adopted, on the 2d of July, 1802, a decree forbidding the blacks and mulattoes to set foot on the territory of France.
These blundering tactics exasperated the indigenes. General Leclerc did not scruple to hang and to drown the imprudent persons who voiced their complaints too loudly. The disarmament principally caused the greatest discontent. The cultivators felt that, by taking from them the arms they had used for the defense of the colony against the English and the Spanish, the French were depriving them of the surest means of protecting their liberty. In consequence they were unwilling to obey General Leclerc's orders. Dessalines, Pétion, Christophe, etc., were determined not to miss this opportunity to prepare the people for the anticipated struggle by showing them that they would henceforth be at the mercy of those who thought of restoring slavery. In consequence they were very active in carrying out the mission entrusted to them. Thus the quantity of confiscated rifles so pleased the Captain-General that he left for Tortuga Island, feeling sure of having secured peace. The apparent devotion of the native officers tended to increase his illusions. As a matter of fact the situation was very critical. Yellow fever had made its appearance. The disease was mowing down officers and soldiers indiscriminately. Generals Debelle and Hardy were among the first to succumb to its effects; the hospitals were filled to overflowing.
At Plaisance a black man, Sylla, who had never been subdued, was enlisting new followers. In the West Lamour Dérance, who through fetishism knew how to rouse his companions, was threatening Léogane and even Petit-Goave. In the South there were disturbances at Baradères, Saint-Louis, and Torbeck.
Leclerc had no sooner left Tortuga to return to Cap-Français than the blacks rebelled and set fire to the plantations. All these uprisings, though isolated and without cohesion, were nevertheless evidences that great discontent existed among the natives; this unrest was the prologue of the great drama which was in preparation. Insurrection was smoldering in all hearts. For the success of the audacious step which had been planned it was above all necessary to secure an authorized leader and to bring under control the unmanageable energy of the various bands of insurgents who were fighting on their own account: this in itself was a difficult task at a time when the bravery and the jealous independence of all were so quick at resenting the slightest restraint. The leader of the future war of independence was already determined on—it was Dessalines, whose heroic defense of the Crête-à-Pierrot, his military rank, and his unquestionable courage designated him for the first place. All that remained was to induce the chiefs of the different insurgent bands to recognize his authority. To attain this end, two men, Pétion and Geffrard, devoted their energy and tact.
However, Charles Belair took upon himself to play the part of liberator. In August, 1802, incited by his wife, the stern and fearless Sannite, he took up arms in the mountains of Verrettes, styling himself "Commander-in-Chief of the Indigenes." The disturbance reached the mountains of l'Arcahaie. Charles Belair's uprising was untimely; and his pretensions to the supreme command were detrimental to the cause of liberation. It became thus a necessity to subdue him. Dessalines and Pétion set out against him. These two men were very influential ; since Toussaint Louverture's deportation, the former had been considered as the leader of the blacks, and Pétion, since the exile of Rigaud, was regarded as the leader of the mulattoes. They met at Plaisance. Leclerc's ill-advised methods of procedure had served to unite the two officers who, while fiercely fighting against each other in 1800, had each learned to esteem the other's courage. The bad feelings of the past gave place to the great hopes they had in the success of the struggle they were planning. These two former opponents shook hands and their reconciliation decided the independence of Haiti. At Plaisance, Pétion not only recognized Dessalines's authority, but also admitted that he was the only man who could succeed in expelling the French from the island. They were not long in reaching an agreement and in deciding on the plan of the campaign. They had now but to wait for a favorable opportunity to begin hostilities.
In the mean time war was to be waged against the unfortunate natives who had anticipated the time fixed for the deliverance of the country. The followers of Sans-Souci were compelled to take shelter in the depths of the forests. Charles Belair was defeated and his wife, Sannite, fell into the hands of the French; in the hope of saving her life, he voluntarily gave himself up; but his chivalrous action did not move his unmerciful victors. Less than six hours after their arrival at Cap-Français man and wife were handed over to a court martial which, on the 5th of October, sentenced them to death; they were executed the same day. Sannite died bravely; considering the attempt to blindfold her as an insult to her courage she boldly presented her breast to receive the fatal shot.
Their momentary defeat had not depressed the insurgents. Sans-Souci rallied his followers and again assumed the offensive. He even compelled Pétion and Christophe to retreat. Charles Belair's friends gathered their forces in the mountains of l'Arcahaie. The French General Pageot, who was sent after them, failed in his mission; he was obliged to return to Port-au-Prince. Numerous bands of rebels threatened Jacmel and Léogane. Rochambeau, accompanied by the French Generals Pageot and Lavalette, undertook to subdue them. His arrival at Jacmel was signalized by a horrible crime: by his orders, about 100 natives, who were only suspected of having little zeal for France, were thrown into the hold of a man-of-war, the hatchways of which were tightly closed; the men were then suffocated by the fumes of the ignited sulphur, their corpses being afterward thrown into the sea.
These atrocities did not have the desired effect of intimidating the people; on the contrary, they became daily more and more aggressive. Lamour Dérance, whose authority was acknowledged by such leader as Larose, Sanglaou, etc., distributed his warriors about the mountains of Port-au-Prince and in the plains of Cul-de-Sac and Léogane.
In the North the French Generals Brunet and Boyer, notwithstanding the assistance of the black General Maurepas, did not succeed in subduing the rebels. In order to terrify the country-people, Brunet, then in the parish of Gros-Morne, caused some unoffending peasants to be hanged. This uncalled-for act of barbarity was speedily avenged by Capois. Deserting the use of France he took possession of Port-de-Paix, where he put to death all the whites with the exception of the women and children.
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