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Dessalines and Henri Christophe brings to mind the failed...

Ricart - March 6 2015, 2:30 AM

Dessalines and Henri Christophe brings to mind the failed military invasion of 1805.

In 1805 French troops were still posted on the eastern part of the island (mainly in Santo Domingo), where they were led by the French officer Marie-Louis Ferrand.

He mobilized his troops and ordered them to seize all black children of both sexes below the age of 14 years to be sold as slaves.

Learning of this action, Dessalines was outraged and decided to invade Santo Domingo, with his forces looting several towns, such as Azua and Moca, and finally laying siege to the city of Santo Domingo, the stronghold of the French.

The Haitian general Henri Christophe (referred to as Enrique Cristóbal in Spanish-language accounts), under Dessalines, attacked the towns of Moca and Santiago.

The barrister Gaspar de Arredondo y Pichardo wrote, "40 [Dominican] children had their throats cut at the Moca's church, and the bodies found at the presbytery, which is the space that encircles the church's altar..."This event was one of several documented accounts of acts perpetrated against the Dominicans by General Christophe, under the orders of Dessalines; they were retreating from the Spanish-ruled side of the island after their failed invasion attempt of 1805.

On 6 April 1805, having gathered all his troops, General Christophe took all male prisoners to the local cemetery and proceeded to slit their throats, among them Presbyter Vásquez and 20 more priests.

Later he set on fire the whole town along with its five churches.

On his way out he took along, fashioned like a herd, 249 women, 430 girls and 318 boys, a steep figure considering the relatively low population of the town at that time. Alejandro Llenas wrote that Christophe took 997 from Santiago alone, and "Monte Plata, San Pedro and Cotuí were reduced to ashes, and their residents either had their throats slit or were taken captives by the thousands, like farm animals, tied up and getting beaten on their way to Haiti."

Before leaving Santo Domingo, Dessalines "gave the order to ...

commanders posted in conquered communities, to round up all dwellers and subdue them to prison, in so, at first command, have them stomped by mules and other beasts upon arriving to the Haitian side."

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