Battle of Vertières

The Battle of Vertières was fought on 18 November 1803 near Cap-Français, where Haitian forces defeated the French army in the final major battle of the Haitian Revolution.

Haitian Revolutionary Army: The military force that fought to end French rule in Saint-Domingue and establish an independent Haiti. Its coordinated attacks forced the French defenders to abandon Vertières.
Haitian Revolution: A revolution in Saint-Domingue from 1791 to 1804 that ended slavery and French colonial rule, creating Haiti. Vertières was the revolution’s decisive final battle against French forces.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines: A Haitian revolutionary leader who became Haiti’s first ruler after independence in 1804. He commanded Haitian forces during the final campaign against the French.
Haitian Declaration of Independence: The 1804 proclamation that declared Haiti independent from France. The French defeat at Vertières made the declaration possible.
Vertières: A site near Cap-Français in northern Saint-Domingue, where the decisive battle of 1803 was fought. The battle took its name from this fortified position.
French colonial army: French forces maintained to defend and govern France’s overseas colonies. Its remaining troops in Saint-Domingue faced Haitian forces at Vertières.
French expedition to Saint-Domingue: A French military expedition sent in 1802 to reassert control over Saint-Domingue. Its survivors formed the French force that fought at Vertières.
François Capois: A Haitian general of the revolution, remembered for leading an assault at Vertières. His troops advanced under heavy fire during the battle.
Independence of Haiti: The establishment of Haiti as an independent state on 1 January 1804. Victory at Vertières removed the remaining French military obstacle to independence.
Cap-Français: The principal French colonial port and administrative center in northern Saint-Domingue, now Cap-Haïtien. The battle threatened the city and forced the French to evacuate it.

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