Thomas Maitland

Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Maitland (1759 - 1824) was the Commander-in-Chief of the British expeditionary force to Saint-Domingue and a Colonel of the British 10th West India Regiment (1798 – 1802). "He was an able if unscrupulous man, an experienced and crafty soldier who later became Governor of Malta." (unattributed... Parkinson?)

"Not yet wholly without hope of winning over to English views their most formidable opponent, the English, by their representative, General Maitland, rendered the highest honors to Toussaint L'Ouverture. The attempt met with deserved failure. Toussaint could see through the covered designs of his old foes. He had no faith that the freedom of his race would ensue from English domination; and he knew that their equality before the law had been recognized by France." (Beard p.88)

After Maitland's defeat by Toussaint Louverture in October of 1798, the General retreated back to Jamaica, leaving his black troops behind.

Maitland was the Governor of Bristish occupied Saint-Domingue from March 21, 1797 to October 2, 1798.

On May 23, 1799 Edward Stevens, Consul General of the U.S. to Saint-Domingue, wrote to General Maitland, formerly the head of the British forces: "The Agency of San-Domingo had received positive orders from the Executive Directory to invade both the Southern States of America and the island of Jamaica. Gen. Toussaint Louverture was consulted on the best mode of making the attack." (Korngold, p. ix.)

Toussaint Louverture refused to carry out this attack.