Written by Kat Featured

Jul

4

2012

Haiti History 101: Haitians’ Hand in Helping U.S. Independence or The Battle of Savannah

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It’s time for another episode of Haiti History 101, beloved pupils.

Did you know that Haitians fought for U.S. Independence?

Yes, dames and gentlemen, they did. In 1779, a ship sailing from St. Marc headed to the United States carrying gallant soldiers from Haiti. They were known as Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, and they were part of what is often referred to as The Siege of Savannah or The Battle of Savannah.

The British had captured Savannah, which was an extremely important port, and thereby financial resource for the about-to-be-formed United States. Major General Benjamin Lincoln needed a little hand in regaining this port, and the French came to the aid of the future United States of America by sending Charles Henri d’Estaing (being a Frenchman his actual name was Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector d’Estaing).

Centuries later, it was a well-known fact among some in the USA. In 1922, in an address made to the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, Professor of Sociology in the University of Pennsylvania Carl Kelsey declared:

D’Estaing embarked at Sainte Dominique, with 800 mulattoes and blacks. These sons of Haiti came to America and shed their blood in the effort of the French and American troops to recover Savannah from the British. Amongst those Haitiens [sic] who fought under our Flag were Beauvais, Rigaud, Chauvannes [sic], Jourdain, Christophe, and others later distinguished in the subsequent struggles of their own countrymen for independence.

In the 1883 book History of Georgia by Charles Colcok Jones the Franco-American forces operating before Savannah in the fall of 1779 are listed. The Division of D’Estaing included 156 Volunteer Grenadiers from Cape Francois, 545 Volunteer Chasseurs from Sainte Dominique, and these included troops from Port-au-Prince and the Cape, as Cap Haitien was then known.

D’Estaing reportedly had 3500 troops, whether the free blacks and mulattoes’ number were at 800 or 1500, historians differ. Simon S. Nerelus writing in the book Haiti and Haitians: from Challenges to Triumph – the 9-1-1 Call puts the number of non-French volunteers drafted from Haiti at 1500.

And the Battle of Savannah was not the only battle in which Haitians were involved. Historian and journalist Ralph Pezzullo points out at another battle that took place at Lynnwood Harbor off the coast of Florida in 1781, in which British commander Lord Cornwallis was defeated by a fleet from St. Domingue (Haiti’s French colonial name).

Historians point out that the Battle of Savannah was a pivotal part in the U.S. fight for independence from England, and that it was one of the bloodiest battles (even d’Estaing, a veteran of the Austrian War was wounded).

For years though, the wonderful gentlemen and women writing history books would often, well, not mention this. Haitians’ participation in the United States battle for independence was practically a little known world history fact. In 2007, after endless lobbying and fundraising, the Haitian American Historical Society had a monument erected to commemorate the contributions of the Haitian soldiers. It stands on Franklin Square in Savannah, Georgia today.

This has been another episode of Haiti History 101. Report to class next time beloved pupils for another session.

Image Credit: Steve Bisson

posted in Culture

7 Comments to “Haiti History 101: Haitians’ Hand in Helping U.S. Independence or The Battle of Savannah”

1. pOLO says:

   July 4, 2012 at 2:58 pm

   Henry Christophe was among them and he later ruled Haiti.

   Reply
2. Gro jo says:

   July 5, 2012 at 9:25 am

   Anachronism is the word that best describes this claim. How could Haitians have fought for U.S. independence when Haiti didn’t exist? Haiti was the antithesis of Saint Domingue. Who ever claims that Haitians fought for U.S. independence is putting the cart before the horse. France fought for U.S. independence and recruited volunteers from their colony of Saint Domingue. Haitians became Haitians when they decided they would no longer tolerate slavery in their midst. Haitians fought to liberate Colombia and other south american states from Spain in part because we wanted slavery to end in these lands. No Haitian shed his blood for the slave state known as the U.S.A. The U.S.A and Haiti didn’t enjoy diplomatic relations until the U.S. Civil War. It’s silly of you to engage in this kind of nonsense, leave this type of backhanded compliment to the Haitian people to BS artists like Bill Clinton, the sweatshop king of the NGO republic of Haiti. Where did you learn to spell Saint Domingue as “Sainte Dominique”?

   Reply
3. KreyolGal says:

   July 5, 2012 at 10:51 am

   This should be brought at forefronts. Funny how Haitians contributed to USA’s independence and some of us still have to beg for TPS.

   Reply
4. Kat says:

   July 6, 2012 at 12:20 pm

   The Saint Dominique reference is what the speaker (quoted by Carl Kelsey) referred to St. Domingue as [sic!]. I think we all can sit there and debate about when did Haitians actually become Haitians. By 1779, most of the Tainos (the original Haitians) had been wiped out. French planters and their families, and African slaves and their descendants had been living in Haiti for centuries now (let’s not forget that the first Africans were brought from Africa sin)…they had to have some sort of nationality. Can we really say that this entire time when the slaves had not yet had their successful revolt, those aforementioned members of the population were void of nationality? And could not claim to be Haitian?
   Your central question: “Could Haitians have fought for U.S. independence when Haiti didn’t exist?” But Haiti did exist! It was more the territory’s name than St. Domingue was since it was the original name of the island…the name given to it by the Tainos. Your argument that Haitians became Haitians and Haiti became Haiti when the slaves fought for their independence is well-taken. I suppose that’s a point-of-view that I can respect.

   Reply
   • Gro Jo says:

     July 6, 2012 at 5:29 pm

     Ms. Cherie, The Africans living on St. Domingue didn’t have a nationality because they were property. Does a chair have a nationality? How about a horse? I say no. One can speak of a French chair or horse only because these things belong to a Frenchman. The struggle of the “Gens de Couleur” during the colonial period was to be recognized as full fledged Frenchman. Chavannes and Oge died to get that recognition, as did Toussaint Louverture. Haitians became Haitians after they realized that no matter what they did they would never be made true members of the French nation. Bonaparte’s answer to their claim was to send an army to decimate them and return them to slavery and racial oppression, or exterminate them. Any talk of Audubon,Point du Sable or the chasseurs being Haitians is nonsense, They were Frenchmen born in the French colony of St. Domingue. extending Haitian nationality to them is anachronistic. The French of St. Domingue were French, their slaves were their property. The “gens de Couleur” and free Blacks aspired to be French, and the Tainos were long gone, that’s how things stood before the birth of Haiti.

     Reply
     • Kat says:

       July 6, 2012 at 9:54 pm

       You made some really insightful points. Thank you.

       Reply
       • Gro Jo says:

         July 8, 2012 at 8:46 am

         Ms. Cherie, You can thank me by refraining from the habit some writers have of calling French slaves “Haitian slaves”. I just read something on Alexandre Dumas wherein his grandmother is referred to as a “Haitian slave”.

         Reply