Born a slave in Haiti, Louverture learned to read and write and led a slave revolt against the French in 1791. He joined the Spanish forces that invaded Haiti from the east, but rejoined the French when the English threatened. The most powerful military leader in the colony, he defeated the British, then unified Haiti and successfully invaded the Spanish half of the island. Napoleon sent his brother to recapture the island, which they did, and Louverture was arrested and died in a French prison in 1803. LS in French, one page both sides, 7.25 x 9.25, May 9, 1798. In full (translated):
“Toussaint Louverture General in Chief of the Army of Santo Domingo.
Citizen Raimond* representative of the people of Santo Domingo, deputy to parliament.
Do not attribute my silence towards you the last few days, my dear representative, to anything other than the hope that I nourish of embracing you and telling you in person all my heart feels for you; but the (military) operations in the campaign I've undertaken under your auspices, having brought about the happy result that we yearned for, both of us, obliged me to sacrifice my personal satisfaction to the voice of my duty. Remember, my dear representative, that I was determined to pursue the enemy unto the last points that he occupied in the colony. My campaign had that object in view, and finally after victories the like of which would bring glory to the armies of Europe I believe, we have succeeded in the complete evacuation (of enemy troops) of the West. For this it was necessary to constrain the English…We might have been able to succeed in forcing out enemy troops from the whole colony by force of arms. But French blood would have flowed. Fire, devastation and death would have marked the flight of our enemies.
In the interest of France, for the prosperity of the colony, and for the well-being of the betrayed French, I was obliged to prefer the manner in which the evacuation was effected - without turmoil and upheaval. My soul bathes in the joy and satisfaction felt by these new children whom I have just given to the republic. You who have such a sensitive soul, share in it too.
I'm writing you from St. Mark, such a rebellious city for so long. We took possession of it yesterday. L'Arcahaye, Port Au Prince, la Croix…will follow in the same fate desired for so long by the French who have stayed.
The English are confident in a site very advantageous to them for the defence of the pier…with their forces. They will soon find out that nothing is impossible to a free republican army fighting for universal freedom. That will be the end of my labors and if I have the good fortune of succeeding, as I hope, the only reward I ask for is to return to the bosom of my family where I can then enjoy the esteem of my fellow citizens, the approbation of the Executive Directory (the French government) and your friendship." Intersecting lines of light toning long folds, mild show-through from writing on opposite sides, making the text slightly difficult to read, otherwise fine condition. Accompanied by a fine engraving of L’Ouverture in uniform.
L’Ouverture was the preeminent figure of the Haitian Revolution who defeated British, Spanish, and French troops, emancipated the slave population, and oversaw the country's initial attempts at reforming its political and social structure. Historians maintain that his extraordinary efforts at reaching across lines of race and class set him apart from his contemporaries with many of his actions ahead of their time. The recipient, “Citizen Raimond,” was Julien Raimond, a wealthy planter who during this time was an agent of the French government in Haiti and worked with L’Ouverture to create the 1801 Haitian constitution. A year before this letter was written, L’Ouverture was named commander-in-chief of the French republican army in Saint-Domingue, and as referenced here, successfully led his small band of troops to gain strategic defeats and the withdrawal of 10,000 British soldiers. In 1798, the British made a last-ditch attempt to oust L’Ouverture, an unsuccessful venture that resulted in L’Ouverture signing a treaty agreeing to leave the ports open to commercial shipping of all nations in exchange for the British withdrew from the colony. An important piece of correspondence from Haiti’s independence. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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