Conflicts with Great Britain and the United States Victor Hugues

vitor hugues proclamation abolishing slavery

even though abolished chattel slavery, still maintained system of unpaid obligatory work. reorganised army, recruiting large number of african former slaves, until armed force amounted around 10,000 men. soldiers of both african , european descent integrated same units no racial distinctions.

he ruled 4 years before being recalled france , replaced general edme desfourneaux. during time, purged island of counter-revolutionaries, using guillotine brought france, , worked create viable post-slavery regime, in island s farms , plantations still functioned.

hugues perhaps best known authorizing privateers attack shipping through caribbean, brought great wealth island part of tensions between france , united states (known quasi-war in american history).

with army composed of white, mulatto , ex-slave soldiers, hugues worked export revolution neighboring islands, including dominica, saint-martin, grenada, saint vincent , saint lucia. on 18 april 1795 landed in saint lucia 600 soldiers. joined 250 local republicans , 300 blacks, of them carrying spikes rifles captured british. british castries landed on thousand troops @ vieux fort , marched them overland soufriere. attacked on april 22 @ fond doux , rabot. however, after heavy fighting english forced withdraw castries. defeated on june 19, , fled island. royalist planters fled them, leaving remaining saint lucians enjoy “l’année de la liberté”, “a year of freedom slavery…”