Battle of Vertières
Attack and take of the Crête-à-Pierrot (4 - 24 March 24, 1802). Original illustration by Auguste Raffet, engraving by Ernst Hébert.
Vertières is located just south of Cap-Haïtien (then known as Cap-Français), in the Nord Department, Haiti. By late October 1803, the forces fighting against the expeditionary troops had already captured most of Saint-Domingue's territory. The only places controlled by French forces were Môle-Saint-Nicolas, controlled by Noailles, and Cap-Français, where French General Rochambeau was waiting with 5,000 men.
English: Monument to the heroes of the battles of Vertières erected under the government of General Paul E. Magloire (1950 -1956).
Historical Overview
The Battle of Vertières was the last major battle of the Saint-Domingue expedition and the final phase of the Haitian Revolution. It was fought on 18 November 1803 between the rebel Indigenous Army under Jean Jacques Dessalines and François Capois and French forces under Donatien de Rochambeau, who were committed to regaining control of the island.
Quick Facts
Indigenous Army
- Commander: Jean-Jacques Dessalines
- Strength: ca. 15.000
- Casualties: ca. 1.200
French Expeditionary Force
- Commander: Rochambeau
- Strength: ca. 5.000 (effektiv)
- Casualties: ca. 2.000
Strategic Context
Final struggle for independence after the failure of the French expedition.
Related Literature
Die Schlacht: Waterloo 1815
Historical Locations
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