Hyacinthe

Hyacinthe was a houngan who was very active in the 1791 slave uprising in Saint-Domingue. According to Alfred Metreaux, an historian, Hyacinthe distinguished himself at the battle of Croix-des-Bouquets and he is said to have convinced his men not be afraid of canon fire. Léger states that "Hyacinthe believed that an ox-tail which he always carried in his hand had the power of preserving him from bullets ; he was regarded as invulnerable."

"Whilst Saint-Leger was at Leogane endeavoring to restore harmony and concord between the colored men and the whites, the planters of Port-au-Prince tried to surprise the army of the "affranchis" quartered at La Croix-des-Bouquets. Being warned in time of the approach of the troops despatched against them, Beauvais and his companions retreated into the mountains of Grand-Bois and Pensez-y-Bien. Incensed by the perfidy of the whites, the "affranchis," who up to that time had been very moderate, resorted to radical measures : they roused the slaves of the Cul-de-Sac plain to rebellion. Headed by Hyacinthe, an intelligent and gallant black, these slaves attacked the colonists at La- Croix-des-Bouquets, defeated them and pursued them as far as the neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, which was again besieged (April, 1792)" (Léger p. 55)