The Battle of Dondon took place 231 years ago

A continuing fight

Despite the Treaty of Basel, concluded between France and Spain, Jean-François and Biassou refused to lay down their arms against the Republic. Their English allies nicknamed their troops "the Vendeans of Saint-Domingue." On October 14, according to Toussaint Louverture, about 4,000 men attacked Dondon, which was held by a small republican troop.

Toussaint's account

The next day, from Marmelade, Toussaint sent a letter to Lavaux to recount the day's events. The attackers had broken through Commander Moyse's cordon during the night, then launched an attack on the town at dawn. Hearing the gunfire from Marmelade, Toussaint left with about fifty men. He found Moyse in a bad position: more than a third of his soldiers were killed or wounded, only one barrel of powder remained, and the grenadiers, out of bullets, were firing stones.

Retaking the town

Toussaint rallied the soldiers and launched an assault on Dondon, then in the hands of the enemy, who also held the forts. The attackers, though far fewer in number, routed the opposing troops. Jean-François was the first to flee. The republicans pursued the enemy as far as Piton des Roches, before nightfall and bad weather stopped them. Toussaint lamented heavy losses. 15 days later, he reported that skirmishes were continuing every day, notably around Saint-Marc.