Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ... THE LAST PHASE Lbclerc's last days were tortured by new misfortunes. On October 10, the mulatto general, Clervaux, suddenly revolted and carried with him all his troops. This spectacular desertion was another result of the reactionary legislation in Prance and Richepanse's measures in Guadeloupe. In July, Napoleon had formally reestablished all the mulatto discriminations of the Old Regime,1 while at about the same time Richepanse had restored the color line for Guadeloupe and its dependencies. This enraged the mulattoes of San Domingo as much as the restoration of slavery had infuriated the negroes, and since caste feeling was much stronger among the colored people than among the blacks, the mulatto leaders soon initiated decisive action. Their plans had been so quietly laid that this mulatto defection took the French army by surprise and exposed it to the danger of absolute destruction. Up to this time the colored people had been the negroes' most savage opponents, and Clervaux's mulatto troops had made up the greater part of the garrison of Le Cap itself. For the moment the city was defended by only a few hundred French troops and the white National Guard numbering one thousand infantry and two hundred horse. All this was well known to Clervaux, and two days after his desertion he made a bold attempt to storm Le Cap by a sudden assault. Backed by fully ten thousand negro rebels his mulatto troops flung themselves upon the city lines, but the whites defended themselves with superb courage and forced the baffled Clervaux to draw off with great loss.2 Le Cap was saved, but the mulatto revolt decided the black generals' attitude. On the following day Christophe joined Clervaux, the other black commanders in the North quickly followed his...
