Kite Pèp Mwen An Ale: Let My People Go (Haiti AAR) [updated March 6, 2016]

[Merchant of Venice]

Great to see you including Lamark and the whole tour of the slave fields. I could imagine a very protected Jean-Paul only just realising how slaves were actually treated. At lease code noir is in effect.

[Alwyn]

Thank you, Merchant! Yes, Code noir has been reinstated - but, as happened historically, reimposing this law had unintended consequences...

Chapter Eleven

When Brigadier-General John Cookson landed his army at the town of Port-au-Prince on the west coast of Saint-Domingue, he was surprised to find no resistance. There were no French soldiers – instead, he was met by a delegation of French plantation owners. General Cookson was even more surprised when the Frenchmen welcomed him to Saint-Domingue and invited him to take over the colony. It seemed that the governor, General de Bellecombe, had decided to enforce a French law which would impose huge and unnecessary expenses on the plantation owners. This decision had made de Bellecombe unpopular. The plantation owners would be quite happy to live under British rule, if they could be relieved of the burden of this law. The British General had no difficulty in assuring them that, if he ran Saint-Domingue, no French law would be applied there.

The Frenchmen supplied General Cookson with maps of the colony and indicated what troops were available to General de Bellecombe. General Cookson felt pity for his French opponent. De Bellecombe had a reputation as a brave soldier but courage could not make up for the imbalance of forces. De Bellecombe had just his family regiment and three battalions of poorly trained militia. The British General had four regiments of regular soldiers, trained to deliver regular volleys in the heat of battle. With them were a battery of 12-pounder cannon, a militia regiment kindly donated by the governor of Jamaica, a regiment of Hessian mercenaries and some companies of light infantry.

General Cookson was a veteran of two wars in North America. As he contemplated the battle ahead, he thought about the lessons he had learned from his experiences. Twenty-three years ago, as a young lieutenant, he had served under General Wolfe in the expedition of 1759 to take Quebec from the French. He had watched from the relative safety of a flat-bottomed boat while British redcoats marched up a beach into a storm of musket fire and canister shot from French soldiers behind earthworks. General Wolfe had shown particular bravery, coming to the front line to decide whether there was any chance of penetrating the French defences. But General Wolfe had struggled to decide whether to continue the attack, while redcoats died on a foreign beach, far from home. Cookson could still feel his relief when the general had finally decided to stop the attack, just before he would have been expected to lead his men from the safety of the small boat and into a storm of enemy fire. Cookson, then a young lieutenant, learned that courage is not enough: a good leader must also be decisive. When the captain in charge of Cookson’s company had died at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec, Lieutenant Cookson had stepped into his shoes and become a captain.

A handful of years ago, during the American Revolution, Cookson served under a colonel who was brave, decisive and foolish, sending the regiment ahead without knowing anything about the opponents they faced. The regiment was caught in the flank by withering fire from American militiamen who appeared suddenly from the long grass where they had been hiding. Cookson, then a major, had done his best to keep his men fighting. Cookson was from a land-owning family with a good reputation. On the evening before the battle, he had dined with senior officers who had mocked the lack of training and discipline of the American militia. When his regiment was ambushed, Cookson realised the folly of that mockery. He saw enable volunteer militia beat professional soldiers, with the help of surprise and fighting spirit. The foolhardy colonel was killed. Major Cookson – as he then was - had led the survivors to safety. There was little that Cookson could do to reduce the fighting spirit of his enemies, but he had learned to make use of his light infantry as scouts, unlike the foolhardy colonel.

Cookson had led a successful night attack on an American camp, taking the unusual step of ordering his men to remove the flints from their muskets, so that they would have to use their bayonets. After this, he had been rewarded with the nickname of ‘No-flint Cookson’, command of the regiment and a promotion to lieutenant-colonel. Further promotions followed rapidly, leading recently to his current rank of Brigadier-General. When the government required a commander to lead a small British force to take the rich colony of Saint-Domingue from the French, many experienced officers had found ways to avoid commanding this mission. Service in the Caribbean was risky because so many men died from the yellow fever. Feeling the need to justify his promotion to Brigadier-General, Cookson decided that it would be dishonourable to try to avoid this command, despite the known dangers.

As the commander of this expedition, General Cookson was determined to be brave, decisive – and to avoid the foolish mistakes which he had seen other officers make. When his force left Port-au-Prince on the road to General de Bellecombe’s headquarters in Cap-Français, General Cookson’s light infantry marched ahead, looking out for ambushes. His regiments of foot marched quickly, maintaining good order in a tight column despite the heat, the humidity and the poor quality of the road. They passed the town of Limbé which was the last settlement of any size on the road to Cap-Français.

When the road passed a large patch of woodland, and the view ahead was obscured by a ridge of high ground a few hundred yards away, General Cookson’s shoulders itched and he felt as if he was being watched. He signalled for the column to stop – he was determined not to march into an ambush. He sent a message to the light infantry companies, telling them to keep scouting ahead. He sent the Hessian mercenaries to march through the woodland, looking for any enemies. He felt calm, confident and in command of the situation.



That was strange … was that thunder? There seemed to be small clouds of white smoke rising from the ridge ahead. Suddenly General Cookson was surrounded by scenes of horror. Cannon-balls had struck all along his tightly-packed column. How could this be? He had been told that the French General did not have any cannon. The cannon must have come from their warships, General Cookson realised suddenly. The harbour of Cap-Français had provided a refuge for the French ships of the line which had survived the Battle of the Saintes. Ships of the line carried many large cannon – and gunners who were trained to use them - and those cannon could be removed from the ships to be used on land. A good general is brave, decisive and wise, thought Cookson, but a great general has the ability to surprise his enemy. This de Bellecombe is a great general. A moment later, a cannon-ball killed his horse and he was thrown to the ground. All around were the screams of injured and dying men. He struggled to rise and realised that one of his legs must be broken. He felt intense, burning pain and the dampness of blood. The sounds of battle ran together and his vision blurred.

Realising that they were under fire, the column marched ahead towards their tormentors. The Hessian mercenaries, hearing the attack, burst from the trees at a run and moved quickly to reinforce the skirmish line of light infantry. Ahead, the British skirmishers could see a thin line of men in white uniforms, under the white-and-gold flag of the French Bourbon monarchs. On one flank of the French line marched men in blue coats, the regiment of regular soldiers raised by de Bellecombe. Above the line of French musketeers, the British infantry could see more smoke rising from the line of cannon on the ridge. As the column marched on, many dead and dying men were left behind.



The British light infantry followed their training, aiming their muskets and picking off individual targets. The line of French soldiers kept coming. “Steady, men, we have to hold them back until the column can form line behind us”, said a young British captain, hoping that the fear was not showing in his voice. But by the time the column, shocked by cannon-balls tearing through tightly packed ranks, caught up with the skirmish line, the light infantrymen had been engulfed by the advancing tide of French soldiers.



The men in the British column saw the wide line of French musketeers fire a deadly volley and then advance confidently. They saw a pitifully small number of British light infantrymen running for their lives. They could see the Hessians fighting in a hopeless melee on their left flank. Their general was nowhere to be seen. The British soldiers in the column had seen too many men die. They saw no hope of victory. One after another, the British regiments broke and ran. Perhaps, if they could just escape the cannon fire, they could march back to the safety of the ships which had brought them to this terrible place.

Historical Note

General Cookson is a fictional character whose history is loosely based on the life of a British General, Sir Charles Grey, who served in the French and Indian War under General Wolfe. He also served in the American Revolutionary War where he ordered his men to remove the flints from their muskets so that they would only use bayonets in a night attack, becoming known as ‘No-flint Grey’. General Grey commanded a British expedition to the West Indies, capturing Martinique (in 1793, during the French Revolutionary War): source .

Historically, the British did land troops in Saint-Domingue. As in this story, this British invasion was supported by plantation owners and was linked to the desire of plantation owners to maintain their system of slavery without interference: “In London, representatives of the Saint-Domingue colonists signed a secret treaty with the British, promising to help the latter occupy the colony in exchange for assurances that slavery would be maintained there.”: Jeremy D. Popkin The Concise History of the Haitian Revolution (Wiley Blackwell 2012) p. 54. According to Popkin, the commissioners sent by revolutionary France reissued the Code noir and said that this law (which required better treatment of the slaves – see the previous chapter of this AAR and its historical note) would be enforced. The reinstatement of this law led to the secret treaty between the representatives of French colonists and the British.

Historically, there were occasions when naval cannon were removed from ships to be used in land battles. For example, Dan Snow in his book Death or Victory: The Battle for Quebec and the Birth of Empire (Harper Press 2009) reports that the British took naval cannons from warships to use on land in their campaign to take Quebec from France in 1759. General Cookson's memories of serving in that campaign are based on details from Dan Snow's book.

[Merchant of Venice]

Great chapter and wonderful thinking for de Bellecombe to use the ship cannons to such devastating effect. What will happen to Cookson now, though? And what about those traitorous plantation owners??

[Johnadiw26]

Poor Cookson , wonderful update Alwyn

[Alwyn]

Thank you, Merchant (Cookson might have survived and could reappear in a future chapter. You'll find out what happened to the treacherous plantation owners in this one) and Johnadiw26 (Poor Cookson, indeed!)

Chapter Twelve

Would God listen to the prayer of a traitor? Brother François asked himself as he knelt before the altar in the chapel of the governor’s residence in Cap-Français. Another monk from the Jesuit Order had arrived, looking for Brother François. This monk was dressed like a humble missionary, but Brother François recognised him as one of the senior assistants for the Superior General, the leader of the Jesuit Order. The senior monk had orders; Brother François reacted with horror and disbelief.

“By doing this, you will save our Order. King Louis and his ministers believe that the Jesuits are interfering in politics-” the senior monk said.

“We are interfering in politics! We are doing God’s work. I am making progress. General de Bellecombe’s son has realised that slavery is not only evil, it is something which can and should be eradicated. If I could have more time-“ said Brother François, interrupting.

The senior monk did not allow Brother François to finish his sentence. “There is no more time! The King will suppress the Jesuit Order throughout all French lands unless someone persuades him otherwise. The comte de Rochambeau has powerful friends in the King’s court. Rochambeau’s friends will persuade the King to allow our Order to survive. Rochambeau will do this for a price, the destruction of his enemy, General de Bellecombe.”

“I have served this family since Jean-Paul was a young child. Now you are asking me to betray his father,” Brother François said.

“I am not asking you to do this,” replied the senior monk. “You have sworn an oath of obedience. You know who this order came from.”

“I am a Jesuit. I exist only to serve,” replied Brother François bitterly. "What would the Superior General of our Order have me do?” asked Brother François.

“When General de Bellecombe returns from his battle with the British army, you will tell him that the slaves at Cayes in the South Province and Mirebalais and Saint-Marc in the West Province have rebelled against their masters. De Bellecombe will be forced to split his troops, sending soldiers to these distant locations to restore order,” said the senior monk.

“He will ask me how I know this,” objected Brother François.

“You will tell him that another monk visited you and warned you,” replied the senior monk. “Everyone knows that our Order keeps a close eye on events and de Bellecombe’s servants saw me arrive here.”

“De Bellecombe is no fool. He will realise that he has been lied to-“ Brother François began to say.

“I have had enough of your excuses and objections!” said the senior monk coldly. “You will not be lying to him. Agents of Rochambeau have supplied weapons to slaves in those areas and encouraged the slaves to rise up. When some plantation owners treacherously supported the British attempt to invade Saint-Domingue, de Bellecombe confiscated their lands in the name of King Louis. Your de Bellecombe is a good man but he can be ruthless. His ruthlessness will cost him dearly. The slaves on the plantations where the owners were forced out are already preparing an uprising, without the plantation owners to stop them. The rebellion would have started already, but General de Bellecombe ordered that the Code noir be implemented and this law is supposed to stop the plantation owners from treating slaves so brutally. This gave the slaves hope that their conditions will improve. Now, a spark is needed to ignite the rebellion. You will provide that spark. When de Bellecombe sends troops to put down the rebellions which you will tell him have already started, the slaves will believe that they are about to be captured and killed. Sending the troops will cause the rebellion to begin. By the time the soldiers arrive in those regions, slave rebellions will be in progress across this colony, including here in Cap-Français.”

“You said that Rochanbeau’s agents supplied the slaves with weapons. Why would Rochambeau do that?” asked Brother François. “He despises slaves. As governor, he refused to enforce the Code noir.”

“The slave rebellion will give Rochambeau what he wants,” said the senior monk. “The rebellion will destroy his rival, de Bellecombe. The rebellion will give Rochambeau an excuse to take back control of Saint-Domingue. King Louis depends on the income from Saint-Domingue to pay his army and keep control of France. You will enable Rochambeau to remove his enemy and take back this colony with the wealth and influence which it provides. In exchange for your actions here, Rochambeau will persuade the King to allow our Order to continue our work. One good man will die, yes – but our work must continue. You will obey orders and you will tell no-one about this, is that clear?”

Brother François nodded. His voice shook as he pleaded, “Please, may I help de Bellecombe’s wife, Angelique, and their son, Jean-Paul, to escape the uprising? They are innocents, they had nothing to do with the enmity between Rochambeau and de Bellecombe. Please allow me to help them, even if I can do nothing for Jean-Paul’s father.”

The senior monk replied, “Yes, you may help the wife and the son to escape. But, for the father, nothing. That is the price of the survival of our Order in French lands.”

For some time after the senior monk left the chapel, Brother François continued to kneel in prayer, wrestling with his conscience. When he eventually left the chapel, he saw Angelique de Bellecombe arriving. Angelique was surprised to see tears streaming down the face of Brother François. She touched his arm and asked what was wrong.

Brother François replied, “It is … Rochambeau, your husband’s enemy.” He thought, I care about her, her husband and their son. If she asks me now then I will confess what I have been ordered to do. I cannot hide my treachery anymore. He took a deep breath, and continued, “Rochambeau - he has hurt people who I care about very much.” He thought, What I really mean is, he is going to hurt people who I care about – and he will use me to do that.

This poor man, thought Angelique, Rochambeau has made him suffer – he is not the only man who is loyal to my husband because Rochambeau’s desire for power has hurt people they care about. She was tempted to ask him what had happened, but she saw that he was very upset and her compassion stopped her from asking. She simply nodded, said, “I understand, Brother François. I will pray for you,” touched Brother François gently on his shoulder and walked into the chapel to begin her prayers.


Historical Note

The image of a Jesuit missionary (said to be a painting from 1779, three years before this story is set) came from here.

Historically, the Jesuit Order (the Society of Jesus) were suppressed in France in this period in history (source). In the list of characters in chapter 1, I mentioned that this suppression did not happen, in the alternative history in which this story exists. This chapter shows why I wanted the Order to still be operating in French lands in this story. In parts of the Americas, "The Jesuits were often the only force standing between the Native Americans and slavery" (source). This historical opposition to slavery (shown powerfully in the film The Mission) - and the commitment of members of the Order to social justice - are the justifications for the fact that, in this story, Jesuits such as Brother François are working to undermine slavery in the Caribbean.

[RickyVilla262]

Brilliant story so far Alwyn. I am really enjoying it.

[Alwyn]

Thank you, RickyVilla262 and welcome to TWC!

[Merchant of Venice]

Wow, that was a surprising turn of events. Poor Brother Francois. I wonder if he'll go through with it or be unable to. de Bellecombe's position is starting to look very untenable.

[Alwyn]

Thank you, Merchant. Readers are about to find out whether Brother Francois went through with it - and what this might mean for de Bellecombe.

Chapter Thirteen

The militia regiment marched in a column under darkening skies. The men, who were sweating after a long march on a hot and humid day, felt the rain soaking through their jackets. They did what they could to keep their muskets dry. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky ahead, as the road narrowed between the two halves of a forest. A moment after the lightning came the roar of thunder, like mighty drums in the distance.

At the narrowest point in the gap between the two halves of the forest, a group of men in ragged clothes were standing. The lightning illuminated the metal of sharp blades which they carried, machetes from the sugar plantation where they had worked. When they saw the ragged men ahead, the regiment was ordered to halt while its officers decided what to do.

Colonel Regnard was puzzled. They must be the escaped slaves we are looking for. Why do they simply stand there? They have swords, we have muskets – and I have twice as many men. Surely they know that they cannot win.

“Perhaps they wish to negotiate terms of surrender?” suggested one of his captains, seeing the puzzlement on his colonel’s face.

“You could be right. Even so, we must be prepared in case they are foolish enough to attack us,” replied Colonel Regnard. He raised his voice to shout, above the hissing rain, “The regiment will form line and advance!”




Even if some of our muskets misfire in this weather, Colonel Regnard thought, those escaped slaves are not soldiers. My men should be able to send them running with a volley. I hope.

As the regiment approached them, the ragged men stood still and silent. Colonel Regnard had a queasy feeling in his stomach. This does not make sense. They should be putting down their weapons or running into the forest. Something is wrong.

Finally, Colonel Regnard saw the men ahead putting down their blades. Good, they have seen the futility of a fight, thought the colonel. Suddenly the colonel’s train of thought was interrupted by a crackle of musket fire. How dare they fire without my order, thought the colonel for a moment, the slaves are surrendering. Then he realised that the musket fire had not come from his regiment – there was no smoke, all along his line of men. Looking further, he saw smoke to his left, on the edge of the forest. More ragged men were emerging from the forest to the left and the clouds of smoke surrounded them. Small groups of them were taking turns to level their muskets and fire. Sloppy discipline, thought the colonel automatically, that’s not how you fire a proper volley.




Colonel Regnard felt someone pulling his sleeve. The captain was trying to get his attention, above the sound of musket fire. The captain pointed ahead. The escaped slaves who had put down their blades had picked up muskets, removed cloths which had kept them dry, and were levelling their guns at his regiment. Above the men ahead, the colonel saw an unfamiliar flag raised, half red and half black. Whose flag is that? The colonel wondered. More former slaves were emerging from the woods to the right. Soon, the militia regiment would be surrounded.

Colonel Regnard ordered his men to open fire, but he already knew that this was a hopeless fight. All around him, he saw his men dying.




I have to get out of here. I must warn General de Bellecombe that the escaped slaves have muskets and they are well-organised. But we are surrounded. Then an escaped slave’s musket fired and the colonel thought no more, his body collapsing.

***

“We have heard nothing from Colonel Regnard since he marched south to investigate the report of a slave uprising?” asked General de Bellecombe.

“We have heard nothing, sir,” replied Captain Mercier.

“He should have returned by now. We must assume that the rebels attacked him with overwhelming numbers, perhaps by surprise. If they overwhelmed a militia regiment, then they will have taken their muskets, gunpowder and shot,” said de Bellecombe.

“They could have defeated other militia garrisons as well,” said the captain. “The North Province alone has a hundred thousand slaves. If they join this uprising, then we cannot hold them all back.”

“We must end this uprising before it spreads any further. How many companies of African militia are ready for service?” asked de Bellecombe.

“They are barely trained – and we might not be able to rely on them, especially fighting against freed slaves,” replied Mercier. De Bellecombe looked at him sharply. Mercier continued, “If we take every man who can reload and fire a musket, then we will have a regiment of African militia alongside the de Bellecombe family regiment.”

“That will have to be enough,” said de Bellecombe, “I wish we could take the cannon with us, but we must move quickly and the great guns are too slow. Get the men ready to march, as soon as you can.”

The servants Moïse and his brother Aaron stood with Jean-Paul, son of de Bellecombe, as they watched the two regiments marched out from the town of Cap-Français. The skies ahead were darkening. On the horizon, sugar plantations were burning fiercely, sending clouds of smoke into the air. Jean-Paul had a terrible feeling that he would never see his father again.

[waveman]

oh, keeping us in the dark ALwyn, not nice

But that ambush was executed quite nicely

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Really great story Alwyn, love the historical notes at the end. Rivalry between de Bellecombe and de Vimeur has been well-portrayed, looks like its about to come to a head. Your quote from Exodus 5:1 can't stop me thinking about the role of Moïse and Aaron, who have largely been in the background so far, and how they will impact the ongoing events in Saint-Domingue.

Great work. +rep

[Merchant of Venice]

Oh no this feels like it isn't going to end well.

[theSilentKiller]

I just read through all chapters that are out until know and...woah!!! It feels like as if it's written by an professional writer (srsly I really have this feeling ) And the story is just so good. I have read many ARRs but by far this one is my favourite!
Really awesomend

[Alwyn]

Thank you waveman (sorry for keeping you in the dark), Shankbot (you are perceptive), Merchant (indeed) and theSilentKiller (you are very kind!). Chapter 14 was previously posted during the period for which all data was lost when the forums rolled back (December 25 to January 12), here is Chapter 14 again:-

Chapter Fourteen

As General Guillaume de Bellecombe looked across the northern plain of Saint-Domingue, he saw the smoke pouring into the sky from burning sugar plantations across the horizon. As he led his men along the south road out of Cap-Français, he felt as if he was leading his soldiers into Hell. He expected that the rebel slaves would want to ambush his men – he believed that the rebels had probably ambushed Colonel Regnard’s militia regiment which had disappeared.

Cavalry scouts could enable him to detect an ambush – if only he had cavalry! He thought for a moment. He was not bringing the cannon on this expedition. The great guns moved too slowly and he needed to stop this rebellion before it expanded further, if he could. The more plantations were burned, the more slaves would join the rebels. Since he was not bringing the artillery, the horses which were used to haul the cannon could be used for a different purpose. That was the solution! The artillerymen could ride their horses and scout ahead. The gunners were not trained to fight on horseback, but General de Bellecombe did not need them to fight, he simply needed them to ride ahead and report what they found.

***

On the morning of the next day, Jean-Paul, the general’s son, with the servants Moïse and his brother Aaron, watched the south road nervously for any sign of General de Bellecombe returning. Jean-Paul had struggled to sleep as he worried about his father. When he saw Captain Mercier, the general’s aide, riding into the town of Cap-Français with a few unfamiliar men, Jean-Paul’s face fell.

“Is my father…” Jean-Paul began to speak, and hesitated.

“Your father is alive!” cried Captain Mercier. “He used artillerymen on horseback to scout ahead and they spotted rebel slaves hiding, ready to ambush us. Your father’s quick thinking saved the lives of his men. The rebels heavily outnumber us, so your father fought a brilliant defensive skirmish and is falling back towards here. He sent me ahead with the artillerymen,” Mercier indicated the other riders who were with him, “and instructed them to prepare the cannon. Your father will use his infantry and the artillery to defend Cap-Français. The rebels are numerous but they have not don’t have the discipline of trained soldiers. We hope to turn them back with musket volleys and canister shot. We must move quickly – your father and our infantry are not far behind us and the rebel army is not far behind them. Go back to the Governor’s House, it is dangerous for you to be out here. The rebels are coming!”

***

Vincent Ogé was a young businessman in Cap-Français, his family owned a coffee plantation. Like many people in Saint-Domingue, he had both European and African heritage; like many people from wealthy families, he had been educated in France. His family’s wealth and his education put him above suspicion. No-one suspected that he was the leader of the slave rebellion in the North Province of Saint-Domingue. The soldiers and the towns-folk were watching the smoke from burning plantations on the horizon, they were not looking for rebels among them, already in the town.

Ogé watched with satisfaction as the smoke from burning plantations got closer, which showed that the rebel army was approaching Cap-Français. The rebel army was led by Ogé’s second-in-command, a competent man who had planned to ambush de Bellecombe. Ogé hoped that General de Bellecombe would fall into the ambush – but he knew de Bellecombe’s reputation as a brilliant commander. When he saw Captain Mercier return with the artillerymen, he realised that it was time to get moving.

Ogé was successful in business because he planned ahead. He had applied his mind to the problems of defeating an experienced general and professional soldiers in this rebellion. He had anticipated that de Bellecombe might avoid the ambush. He expected that de Bellecombe would fall back to Cap-Français. Imagining himself in the position of de Bellecombe, he had realised that de Bellecombe would rely on the cannon – as well as the determination of the French soldiers to protect the colony’s capital from the rebels. The cannon were the key, Ogé had realised. With just a few men, he could take control of the artillery and deprive de Bellecombe of his trump card.

Ogé had a small force of rebel fighters in Cap-Français. Like him, they were free men who had both African and European ancestry. Like him, they were fighting because they hated slavery and because they were inspired by the American Revolution. A few of them had served on the French frigate Patriote – they knew how much gunpowder to use to fire a cannon without putting the gun-crew in danger. Ogé waited with his small force until de Bellecombe’s artillerymen had positioned the cannon to cover the south road. Ogé and his men struck quickly, taking possession of the guns. Ogé had anticipated that someone in the town might see his men at the cannon and warn de Bellecombe. So his men took the long coats and hats from the bodies of the artillerymen, put them on and hid the bodies. From a distance, it would appear that nothing was wrong.

As he approached Cap-Français, General de Bellecombe was riding ahead of his infantry soldiers, thinking about his plan for the battle ahead. He knew that the rebel army was close behind – he could see them – and they were getting closer. After fighting a skirmish and marching quickly under the heat of the Caribbean sun, the French soldiers were weary. De Bellecombe needed to win – and win quickly, while his men still had the energy to fight. He was depending on the cannon, and he was pleased to see that the great guns were already in the perfect positions to fire at enemies approaching Cap-Français on the south road, where he was riding and where the rebels would soon be. He saw the artillerymen, busy preparing their guns. His instincts warned him, too late, that something was wrong.

The general and the officers riding with him were easy targets for the long line of cannon. De Bellecombe saw the smoke around the great guns and realised that he was under attack. Thinking quickly, he turned to give an order to the officer beside him. But he did not get the chance to speak. The front rank of his infantry, marching behind, watched in horror as the general and his officers were cut down by cannon fire. De Bellecombe would fight for France no longer.



De Bellecombe’s soldiers had been inspired to serve by the reputation of their general. Now they had seen their legendary commander taken from them. They faced canister shot from the cannon ahead. The army of rebel slaves, approaching from behind cheered and started to run towards the French soldiers. The French soldiers were exhausted from fighting a skirmish and a long march in relentless heat. They did not stand their ground for long. Now, no-one stood between Cap-Français and the rebel army.



Historical Note

Vincent Ogé was a historical leader of the slave rebellion in Saint-Domingue, you can read about him here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Og%C3%A9

[Merchant of Venice]

I believe I commented before the forum got rolled back but excellent chapter, I wonder what life has in stall for Jean-Paul now.

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Nice chapter.

I want to know how long it'll be before that scheming, evil Rochambeau gets his comeuppance.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Can't believe de Bellecombe got the chop, but I fear it will have a big impact on the fate of Cap-Français - and what of de Vimeur, will he be pleased his rival was killed before he had a chance to fully put his plans into action?

Great job.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

double post, delete

[Alwyn]

Thank you, Merchant, Caillagh and Shankbot, for your kind comments. Shankbot, we will hear more about de Vimeur soon.

Chapter Fifteen

Moïse would always remember the day that Jean-Paul cried.

When Jean-Paul heard the news that the rebel slaves had killed his father and that his father’s army had been destroyed, he had no time to cry. Like the servants Moïse and Aaron, and everyone else in the governor’s residence, Jean-Paul was focused on escape. A wave of former slaves had broken through the lines of French soldiers and was entering Cap-Français. Already, smoke was rising from buildings on the outer edges of the town.

Moïse had expected that they would join the crowd who were heading for the harbour, hoping to board a ship and escape Saint-Domingue. But Jean-Paul’s tutor, Brother François, insisted that they go into the woods north of the town instead. Brother François spoke to Jean-Paul’s mother, Angelique de Bellecombe, giving her directions to a house in the hills where they could find refuge. Brother François watched Jean-Paul, his mother and their servants leave the governor’s residence. Then he hurried back into the town to find Claude Petit, the family doctor, who was caring for the sick in the town hospital.

As they left Cap-Français, Moïse saw the reason for the decision to escape inland, instead of trying to board a ship. A huge crowd of desperate people was filling the streets which approached the harbour. The crowd was moving slowly – too slowly. Moïse could only imagine the panic in the harbour, as would-be refugees fought to get on board overcrowded ships and as the ships’ captains decided how long they dared to remain before leaving.

When they reached the woods, Moïse began to feel safer, now that they were hidden by the trees. They walked on for many hours. Moïse was glad of the shade which the trees provided from the hot Caribbean sun, especially as they were walking steadily uphill. When they eventually emerged from the forest onto the summit of a hill, Moïse looked back to see smoke rising from the centre of Cap-Français, which was now in the far distance. Looking ahead, he saw what appeared to be an abandoned coffee plantation. He was surprised when Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the Royal Botanist, emerged from the plantation’s large farm-house to welcome them.

The house of Lamarck became their sanctuary from the slave rebellion which swept across the plains below. Still, Jean-Paul did not cry, he showed no reaction to his father’s death. Angelique and Jean-Paul, and the servants who had escaped with them, threw themselves into work. They helped Lamarck to grow food and to care for coffee bushes as well as more unusual plants which Lamarck had collected for his studies as Royal Botanist. As well as helping with the work on the plantation, Moïse and Aaron kept watch for any intruders, but almost no-one came to this remote location.

The only visitor was a man dressed in the habit of a Jesuit monk. Moïse was surprised when the man pulled back his hood to reveal the face of Claude Petit, the de Bellecombe family doctor. Petit explained that, when Cap-Français fell to the escaped slaves, Brother François had found him and led him to safety in a house used by the Jesuit Order. The house was in a quiet location, far away from the fighting between the army of escaped slaves and a few scattered groups of surviving French soldiers. Petit had news: the escaped slaves now controlled most of the colony. He added that, according to Brother François, the Jesuits had heard that Rochambeau had supplied muskets to the escaped slaves. Moïse saw Jean-Paul’s stunned reaction to this news. Moïse could guess what Jean-Paul was thinking: Jean-Paul’s father would have survived, if not for the actions of their bitter enemy, Rochambeau. Jean-Paul’s face turned as bleak as a cold winter, but he still did not cry.

Weeks later, a small fleet of line-of-battle ships arrived in the harbour of Cap-Français, flying the white-and-gold flag of France’s kings.



Moïse and Aaron hid in a small alley to watch hundreds French soldiers come ashore in small boats. There was no sign of the rebel slaves. Angelique de Bellecombe decided that her household should remain hidden in their hill-top sanctuary. She was unsure of the intentions of this French army. Perhaps they had simply come to restore order – or had they come to restore Rochambeau, her family’s bitter enemy, as governor of Saint-Domingue?

It soon became clear that the new governor was not Rochambeau, but that one of his regimental commanders was Rochambeau’s son. Angelique and Jean-Paul suspected that the new governor was an ally of Rochambeau. When a government newspaper was distributed widely around Saint-Domingue, this suspicion was confirmed. Moïse would always remember seeing Jean-Paul sitting on the open-air porch of the farm-house, clutching a copy of the newspaper in shaking hands. Moïse sat down next to Jean-Paul and looked at the page which he had been reading. Moïse and his brother Aaron had learned to read alongside Jean-Paul; the de Bellecombe family believed in educating their servants as well as their children.

The headline read, “General de Bellecombe Declared a Traitor to France!” The newspaper claimed that the family of the General de Bellecombe had supplied muskets to the rebel slaves and encouraged them to overthrow their masters. The story even said that Jean-Paul’s father had deliberately led his soldiers into an ambush, allowing the slaves to seize control of the colony. Apparently, King Louis had declared that the entire de Bellecombe family were traitors. The family estate in France had been seized by the King’s men - and the family had been sentenced to death for treason. As he looked at Jean-Paul, Moïse realised that tears were running down Jean-Paul’s cheeks.

[Johnadiw26]

i wonder what kind a man Jean-Paul will grown up after tragedy befall to his family right know
Great update as usual, Alwyn Rep (+)