Star. — London, England, 1802-04-19 00:00:00

- 411VC.6*. ARMY OF ST. DOMINGO. THE GENERAL IN CHIEF TO THE MINISTER OE N/RINK. Head-quarters. Greta Morne, Bth Ventofe, Feb. 27, tab year of the Froch Republic. Citizen Minilter—Agreeahly to the information which I have already had the honour of fending to you, I opened the campaign on the 28th tilt'. neo (January 7,) and on that day General Drs. runtime's divifion advanced to the Limbe ; Ge neral HARDY'S divifion advanced to the Great Loucan and to the Mornets, while that of General ROCHANSI,AU proceeded to the Tannerie and to the Bois de l'Ame. A (mall force, compoled of the g arrifnns of the. Cape and of Fort Dauphin, marched towards St. Susanne, Tron. and Velliere. Thefe divifions had actions of a difficult nature to encounter, from the local advantages poffeifed by the Natives, inafmuch as the rebels concealed themfelves in the underwood and impenetrable foreils that filcher the vallies, and who poirelTed, ' , lien they were repulfed, a fecure retreat in the' Moines. The troops whom I ordered to advance, have, notwithilanding, made themfelves wafters of the politions which I had Oven them orders to take. On the i Rth, General DESIOURNEAUX'S di vition I took a polition near Plaifance ; HALDY'S divition polled themfelves at Donlon ; and Roc ma t4lllAll'S :it St. Raphael. Thefe three divifions dircomfited the enemy in all direaions, with the greaten im rctinaity. One mull be acquainted with the country, in order to form a competent idea of the eiffkulties that are to be firuggled with in every encounter. :. experienced nothing in the Alps to be compared with them. On the 19th, INSFOIIIIII.AUX'S divifion polled themfelves at Plaifance, without meeting with any ohnacle. This diltria was commanded by J. P. Du masa e 1., a man of excellent chanter, who took the firft opportunity Of a parley with General DISfOURNEAUX. He had under his command 200 cavalry and ;0o infantry,and M2lll - the generous reibliition of Caving his country in fpite of the order iffued be Toossaiiir to let every thing on fire. HARDIT;S divifion polled it (elf at Marmelade. Previous to its arrival they made themfelves mailers of the Morne at Borfpen, one of the moil formidable politions which I have ever had occafion to attack lince I entered into the military profeffion. This divifion entered Marmelade with fixed bayonets, though it was a poll defended by General CHRerror N a in perfon, who had under his command taco men of the line, and an equal number of common labourers. Every thing gave way to French impetuolity.— On the fame day General Roca an 'Leo took a petition at St. Michael, where he met with very little refinance. His right column, which was to pall by Mate-ada-Roche, which was entrenched and defended by artillery and a body of aoo men, carried that pofition with the bayonet, without f.ing a fingle (hot, and joined the General in the evening at St. Raphael. I was well aware that it was the enemy's intention to defend the Canton of Ennery and of Gonaives, and for that rea(on I banded them in that pofition as much as was in my power. With that view I difpatched General Desiet.i.e to Port de Pair, at the head of a divition, and he had inftruitions to prefs hard, and drive back General MAURIPAS upon the oouaives. The latter General had under him JOOO troops of the line, and as many cultivator, entrenched about two leagues from Port-de-Paix, in the narrow pals of the Trois Rivieres. I thought it of great advantage to annihilate this corps, sill° had obtained fame advantlg w over General 1.11/12BART. I gave orders to nil BOODIT to advance by Mirahelais, towards the Petite Riviere, in order to cut off the enemy's retreat, whom I bad hopes of difcomfiting at the Gonaives. Of thefe two diritions I coldd not avail myfelf, in order to give fuccefs to that operation. General Dust's, who, according to my calculations,. Humid have landed his troops at Port-de-Pail on the 18th, could reach it only on the loth, and that very late. The Eatlern winds, which prevail upon the coal), having failed during the pillage from the Cape to Port-de-Paiz. On the tit Ventofe (February to), General De- ULLA proceeded to attack General MAMMAS; but a dreadful fall of rain which came on prevent. ed the column which was intended to turn the ene eny's pofition from arriving in time. The columns which attacked the front of the polition were over powered with fatigue and could not carry it; and as to the column that was to turn the enemy's po fition, it employed twenty-four hours in executing that manoeuvre, having been obftruited in its march by torrents and bad roads ; it was more over attacked by the whole force of the rebels col leaed together againft it. It effe9ed, however, a *treat in very good order. General Diem.' had advanced to favour its motions. Bout:orris divi finn, on letting out from Port-au-Prince, marched towards the Cron-de•Bouquets, to which the rebels tit fire on feeing him approach. General DISSA t im a s, who commanded at this point, made a feint to retreat to the Montagne des Grands-Bois ; but by a rapid march, he advanced towards Leogane after palling by the Montagne-Noire. I had left orders for General BOUDAT to difpatch a frigate to take poffeffion of Lcogane, but his forces were unable to prcferve the town, which Dessau's'', had ordered to be Pet on fire. From thence DF2- *ALINES advanced againil Jacmel, from whence he addreired a letter to me, figned by all the inhabi tants of the commune, in which there wretches ex prelled their regret at not being under the barba rous and ferocious Government of Tou ssainT.— Never were heads cut off with more facilit7 at Con ltantinople, or ballonadings bellowed with more g..nerolity than at St. Domingo under the Govern ment of Toussaisr and his adherents. Peneral lloutar, who mit aware of the intent' of Ge neral LA PLUMS, who fimmoned the th eme, dinria to fubmit to the French Go , 1 114 not think it expedient it to depart from that . .... litt ing quarter. He difpatched thither tgoomai On der the command of Adjutant Diteaois, in order to force General DISSALIIIRS to Vitreat, and to determine the fubmiffion of Gam* lui rLuse: rusts retreated with his followers into the Grands Bois, and General LA Puma fent me a certificate of his fubmirion. Since that time I received no communications from General BOUDIT lam only informed, that the day before yefterday he entered Saint Mark, which he found in part con fumed •by fire. On the loth February the dif ferent divifions remained in their refpative port dons. On the 19th the weather was abominable, and continued fo till the 2oth. On the siß,DEssoua :RAUl'sdivifionadvanced within two leagues of Plaifance. HARDY'S divifion took poffelfion of Ennery with the bayonet, as ufual. This poll was alfo defended by CH R two? a, who had under him moo troops of the line and :too Cultivators. I learned that General CHRIS. Top H E had retreated to the Plantation hayonnai : I immediately ordered General HARDY to difpatch thither the brigade of General SAP.. This bri. gade, which had performed a very fatiguing march on the sift, continued, neverthlefs, to march the whole of the night, and, on break of day of the 22d, carried the pofition of CHRISTOP HR. They, moreover, made confiderable booty, having got I polliffion of a depot belonging to the rebels. On the std, Romistsames divifion polled Will at the head of the Ravine-a-Couleuvre ' which leaves theCoupe-a-Linde to theleft,andtheMornes, where CHRISTO/Hs had entrenched himfelf, to the right. On the fame day, General Dssrou RIM Aux came and potted himfelf before Ennery, where Ge neral HARDY alto affembled his divifion. On the 23d, DISIOURNIAUX'S divifion marched to Coupe-a-Pintade, where they fell in with the enemy. I had ordered that divifion to be fupport ed by DESPLArmyes and HARDY'S brigade. Ge neral DESTOURNIAUX attacked the enemy, and drove them to Gonaives, which had been burnt two days before. The enemy being vigoroufly purfued could no longer make head, but retreated towards the river Eller, leaving aoo men killed upon the field of battle. Sm.sesbrigade, belong. ing to HARDY'S divifion, came the fame day and took its pofition at the Piteau, in face of La Coupe- a-Pintadc. On the fame day the divifion of ROC N • I SSEAU entered the Ravine at Couleuvre. It was there that General TOIYSSAINT, with his Guards, forming a body of t goo Grenadiers, drawn from different demi-brigades, and about 1200 men, chofen from the heft battalions of his army, together with 400 dragoons, expcfted to be able to defend him felf. The Ravine at Couleuvre is enclofed on an fides in an extraordinary manner. It is flanked by mountains, the tops of which are covered with woods, in which were placed more than 2000 armed cultivators in addition to the troaps al ready enumerated. The rebels had collated a number of materials for the purpofe of obartiaing the pafage, and were poffeffed of the entrenched pofitions which commanded the Ravine. A poll. tion to uncommonly thong as this would have de. terred Amon any other man but General Roca* se- BLAU he,however,made his difpofitions with the rapidity of lightning, and attacked the entrench. ments of the enemy. A combat of man to man commenced ; the troops of Toussaint fought with great courage and obllinacy ; but every , thing yielded to French intrepidity. Ton s s AIN? evacuat ed his pofition, and retired in diforder to Petite Riviere, !caving 800 of his troops dead on the field of battle. On the sth I arrived at Gonaive. I was extremely anxious about the fate of Generals MULLS and Bounty, of whom I had received no intelligence. On the 24th I difcovered by means of my fpies that Genera! Mutts had not fucceeded in repul ling General MAMMAS. I gave orders to the divifion under General DESIOURNIAUX to march to Gros Monte on the road to Port de Paix, and to General RocNAMasau to advance to the bridge of Eller, and to pufh forward on the right and left, for the purpofe of gaining intelligence of Ge neral Bomar, and the retreat of the enemy. On the 25th I gained intelligence that General Bouosr had made himfelf mailer of St. Marc.— I law in this quarter no other enemy but Maitre. pas to encounter; I gave orders to General Hearty to march to Gros Morne with five companies of Grenadiers and 800 men drawn from his divifion. I added to this body a company of my Guards, confining of too men. I marched in perfon with this body, and on the evening of the 7th took up a pofition within two leagues of Gros Morne. 'My intention was to march with the divifion of Ds s. FOURVIZAUI, and tsoo men of HARDY'S divifion, for the purpofe of taking up a pofition on the 27th two leagues further in the rear of General May az pas, with a view of attacking him at break of day on the 28th, in concert with General Ds es Lt.,: whom 4 had apprized of this movement. But Ge neral MAUR a PA:, who had no means of retreat left, had previoufly fent deputies to General Dsastta, whom my letters had not then reached, offer ing to furrender on the terms fpecified in my proclamation, in which I offer to continue thole Officers who (ball fulmit in their refpeaive ranks. To this propofal General Daiwa affented, and notwithnanding the excellence of my pofition I though it my duty to confirm what General Dxsitt.a had done, and gave orders to General MAPILIPAS to join the army at Gros Moyne, where I was waiting his arrival. I have fent back the body dram from the divifion of therm to Golui yes, to which place I (hall march for the parpofe of recommencing to-morrowthe purfuit pfToussatw r. Since the affair of the 334 the inhabitants confider TouIll•INT as loft ; the cultivators return to their habitations, the foldiers defert his ltandards, apd already it is the opinion of all that we are matters of the colony. General Ds:ironer/taus bellows particular praife on GRANDST, Chief of Brigade; General Hazor gives great credit to the exertions of DY arta,' op s s, Adjutant Commandant, whom I haieappointed General of Brigade ; General S4t.st is aline highly fpoken of. ; hare appointed Goo osAlf p Chief of Battalion, formerly a Chief of Brishe in the s ith Light, on the fie ld of battle. This entire Olfrer is Grace dead of the wounds which prOcured for him this acccifion of rank. General 4444,432*u (peaks in high terms of the services of Baunrr, General of Breade ; of La, 41.1.1114 tq4 451444.1 ! Adjuwit ompapsisiqui tuts of tAliZee MT. Utter or 1110anithie sth Light. Citizen LACHATRF, one of this General's Aid-de-Camps, was killed in forming Fort Dail. phin. I have every reafon to be fatisfied with the exertions of BRUYERI. my Aide-de-Camp Chef d'Efeadron, and of Bittcoutz holding the fame rank, who is attached to the General Staff. The exertions of the whole army dcferve my particular acknonledgments ; the sth, tith, and 17th Light, and the 3t ft and 68th of the line, have particular ly difinguifhed themfelves. General Bpurnyr is liberal in his commendation of PAIMIILS LA CROIX and DAUM* ' Adjutant Commandants. As Coon as the returns from the different corps than reach the Chief of the Staff, a detailed account on this point will be tranfmitted to you. He will fend you a lift of thofe brave individuals to whom I have judged it proper to affign rewards. I have to beg Of you to require a confirmation of them ' from the CHIP? CONSUL. Thus has the Army of St. Domingo, in the !pace of a campaign of fifteen days, dilperfed the principal bodies of the Rebels, got poffellion of a great part of their baggage, and a contiderable portion of their artillery. Among the number of Officers who have fubmitted arc CLERVAuK, LA PLUME and MAUREPAS ; a number of other Ne gro Chiefs or Men of Colour, have alto fubmitted to our arms. The whole Plantations on the South are preferved. The whole of the Spanilh part of the Maud is in our hands. Health and refpeet... (Signed) " LECLERC. " ADMIRAL TILLAILET JOYIVIE TO THE MINISTER OF TN MARINE AND THE COLONIES. On board the jemappe. Cape Francois Road, 13th Ventofe (March 4), year to. Omni Minisrsa—Since my laft difpatches, dated February 19, feveral events have taken place in the molt important parts cf St. Domingo, which teem to me to fecure the conquelt of the Wand te. the arms of the Republic. Every thing forebodes that our troops, inllead of ftruggling to fupprefs a and organifed rebellion, will only have to deflroy era a partial fyftem of plunder, exercifed by wandering hordes, under Chiefs without authority, without afylum, and without deign. I cannot feparate thefe events from the account it is my duty to give you of the operations of the naval army, fince onr only obje& has beep to prepare or to confirm the fuccefs of the land army. I begin, then,with the details which have reached me from St. Domingo. Capt. BERNARD, commander of the frigates la Fraternite and la Precienfe, having on board a body of troops under the orders of Ge neral KERTERSEAUX, on the 2d February, pre tented himfelf before the ancient capital of the Spa nith part. PAUL. LOU•ENTURF, brother of Toys- SAINT, commanded in this place, and in all the Department of Ozama. To the fummons com manding him to deliver up the city to the troops of the Republic, he replied agreeably to the fyilem of delay and diffimulation which had been pre fcribed to him that he waited for orders from the Governor Get;CrAl. You will learn, Citizen Mi nifter, without afloniffiment, that he waited for thefe orders on the 14th February, the date of the laft difpatches of Capt. BSRWARIN The force of General KIERTSIISSAUX did not permit him to attack the place, and it was neceffary patiently to cape& the refult of the known difpofitions of the inhabitants In the night of Feb. 9, thole to whom the yoke of TOUSSAINT was the molt intolerable, took one of the forts fword in hand, and opened to us the gates of the city. But this effort of cou rage was utiles, from the difficulty of combining., it with the operations which ought to have fupport ed it. The greateft exertions were made to difem bark the troops upon a rocky flare, which no where prefented the leaf filcher. The boats were upfet and filled with water, without a tingle man being able to get to land. Happily no lives were loft, and the brave infurgents, teeing the whole garrifon marching down upon them, eva cuated the city and the fort without lots, and dd. petted themfelves over the country, which had al ready rifen again(' the tyranny of the Blacks.— They returned to the charge on the r ith, and took one of the outpofts. On the isth all hopes of en forcing fubmiffion having vanithed, the frigates quitted the road, which was commanded by the fons,.and have fince clofely blockaded the mouth of the Ozama, where they have flopped two Ame rican Blips loaded with provifions. However, the reft of the ci-devast Swills part is brought under fubjellion to the Republic. The natives are in arms, and the General in Chief has fupponed them by a body of troops, which are to join General KSAVIIIISSAUX, to ena ble him to re duce the only place which rethains in the power of the rebels. I have every reafon to believe that it is now reduced, and that the adherents of Too s satin. do not poffefs an inch of ground in the two !raft departments to the call of the Ifland. (I learn this inftant that General Kw av RSLAUX entered St. Domingo on the 3d Ventofe (Feb. zn ), without any of fion of blood. He had kept the place for a confiderable while hefieged by lea and land. It appears that the fubmiffion•ef Ci.savaux, and the reft of the Spanith part ' was the immediate caufe of the fall of St. Domingo.) The Department of the South, where the Black General LA PLUS'S commanded, tubmitted with out ftriking a blow. The (hips Punion, mince, and le Dugatrouin, detached from the fquadron of Rear- Admiral LATOUCHE, have high ly contributed to the maintenance of order and fithordiainion in this quarter, both by tranfport ing the thither, which General BOUDST judged nect ro ttry to be fent, and.by mounting the flag of the Republic at alithe pofts where private commanders might have thought of refilling. Thus from Petit Goave as far as Jeered, making the circumference of the Southern Peninfula, ail is prererved. The rich plain Des Cayes, and the beautiful diftri& of Saramin, will offer valuable refourece to the national commerce. It is not owing to TOUSSAINT and DIIISALMIS that they were unr entirely deftroyed. Their intercepted correfpondence l 'which is corroborated' by the Fide;-cle-Camp taken prangs, proves that the general and abfolute orders of diefe fanguinary Chiefs were to maffacre the Whites, and to.fet fire to all the flaptations, upon*, appearance of Vrc4o Nipickon• • tne retreat at Desirtitill;"the Aver saute reduced the fort of Leogane ; and the com manding Adjutant DAR 8013 having diftmbarked. at this point, defiroyed a body of soon Blacks, entrenched among the neighbouring hills. '11 : , Eagle and fome light veffels carried 9ca men to Arcahaye. General BOUDET, hxvinrl fecurcd the tranquility of the Department of the South and Port Republicane, difembarked himfelf at Mont Roui with the reft of his troops, to march againft St. Mark ; and the Hero, together with feveral other Sips of war, have been cruising off Go naives, to furnith fupplies to our army, and to in tercept all communication between the different ; bodies of the Blacks. _ _ . _ ...-..- - 44 In the North, the march of the General in Chief, combined with the movements of General BOUDIT will, no doubt, put a fpeedy period to the bloody devallations which have ruined the Ic. partment of the Well. The army left the Cape on the 29th Pluviofe (i Bth Feb.), and on the fame day forced the polls of Dondon and St. Raphael. Toossaiet and CHRISTOPHE were not able to maintain thefe formidable politions agai.i.t the Divifion of General ROCHAMDEAU, WhiC4 likewile drove them from St. Michael de l'Attalave. At the fame time General HARDY got poifetlion of Marmalade and Eanery—the head-quarters of the rebels; and General Dv s mufti( Eit u x penetrated to thefe places by the way of Plaifance. There three Divifions were, on the azd February, at the diflance of nine leagues from Gonaives, which was to be attacked on the 24th or 25th. The rebels will then be confined to the heights or to the plain of Artibonite, between the army of the General in, Chief, and she corps led by General Botmtr. I expert to hear decisive news of their fate before the doting of thefe difpatchcs. General Leczsac, Ner to gain, the grand ob. jell of his expedition, vtz... the complete deßrue nob of the two brigands, whom by his proclamai tion of the 27th February he had put out of the lootedion of the law, in his rapid march, bad over. oked Come (mall bodies of rebel negroes t who might Wall his rear, and who daily fit Ere to the houfes in the neighbourhood of the Cape ; Gen., Boyce, who commands in this city, ordered them to be attacked by acro men in the poet of St. Su zanne, and the fort of k See. They were driven out at the point of the bayonet, the works being firft blown up, the cannon rolled to the bottom a the hill, and the ammunition, gun carriages, dm burned. They left behind them 29 killed. and go wounded. On his part Rear-Admiral MARcom Advanced from Fort Liberte to Caracole, at the head of a (mall detachment. Being attacked by the rebels he killed 6t, and made ag prifoners, among. whom was the head of this divifion of the rebels. He was inflantly shot. Thae two expeditions fe, cure the tranquillity of the neighbouring ditlri.ls, facilitate convoys and communications, and pre, ferve buildings which are the hope of commerce, and the pledge of future profperity. It remains to me, Citizen Miniller, to fay a few words of Port.cle-Paix, where the navy, sharing in all the dangers of the land forces, rivalled them in courage, and fignalized its devotion with equal fplendour and ufefulnefs. On the t gth February t difpatched from Port-de-Paix the Jean Bart with a reinforcement of aoo men, which allowed the Fit rieufe frigate to come to the Mole, and to fecure this important poi/. A hundred marine artillery men were fufEcient to occupy Jean Rahel, where too Blacks, who had for three years wandered in . the woods under the command of a perfon of the name of GOLARD, that they might efcape front the yoke of TOUSSAINT, came to join us. At the mole the Captain of the Furieufe was received as A deliverer,with falutes of artillery from the city and all the fortifications, and goo men who have beese fent thither fince, now ficure the place from infuh. Letters were found from Toussare r to the Com mander, in which he earneftly requells the print ing prefs, all the threes and pillols in the magazine, four 24-pounders, and two mortars. On the 16th Feb. General Li etzsg, defiling to•go up the country, judged it proper to difpatch :goo men to Port de Paix, with an ulterior deli- nation confided to General DEBELL E. Rear Ad, miral LINOIS had the charge of this expedition, with the Chip l'lntrepide, and the frigates which were in the roads. In all the different occafions where they have had an opportunity to ael, the Marines and Naval Cadets have merited the warmest praife from the land Officers. You will fee with me, Citizen Minlfter, how jug it is to encourage the zeal and emulation of Ode young men who conftitute the faire ft hopes of the Navy by the promotion they have fo well deferved. iI have no doubt that you will con fi rm a ll t h e pro motions I have made. MAURIPAS, the Black General, who had made head againn General Dianct apprized of the vietonous march of the Commander in Chief, and of his arrival in hilvear, as well as of the precis pitate flight of TOUSSAINT, did not judge it pru dent to run the rifk of farther refinance, and en tered into a capitulation. On the 27th Feb. after difcharging 8000 negro cultivators ferving under his command, he entered Port de Nix with 2000 regular troops and 17 pieces of cannon, which he placed at the difpofal of the G e n era l s of the Re public. A few hours after he fet nut with Gene ral Dsseccs to join the Commander in Chief, and the divifion of 'Rear-Admiral Liao' s arrived on the 28th in the road of the Cape, leaving at Port de Paix only the frigate la Muiron. Appritesi of thefe decifive events I have difpatchcd the cor• vette is Mignone to joitil2 Cigogne in the Bay of Acul, where this hail sad lay, with 70,000 ra tioni of bifcuit, ready to be placed at the difpoial of the Commander in Chief. They are to be con veyed to Gonaives. I have fent off the Arnbtifcade ,to Rear Admiral Larouctss,,and I have aationed the cutter l'Aiquille to cruife on the neighbouring emits for the puspofe of intercepting the commn pications of the Rebel Negroes who are difpethd over various points, and who form bodies of an in confsderithle number. Such is, Citizen Minii4r, a faithful piEture of our operations, and of the event; which have occurred up to this day. (Signed) pccas ET. P. B. This difpatch was intended to have bun fent of in two days with the divilion of AdmirJ