Grande-Rivière-du-Nord

Grande-Rivière-du-Nord (19°35'N 72°11'W; Department: Nord), is a Haitian town located 21 km (13 miles) south of Le Cap. There is also a river by the name Grande Rivière du Nord in the area.

Birthplace of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Jean Baptiste Chavannes
Grande-Rivière-du-Nord is the birthplace of Jean-Jacques Dessalines (born September 20, 1758 Habitation Comiers). Jean Baptiste Chavannes, an associate of Vincent Ogé was also born in Grande-Rivière-du-Nord around 1748.

Location of Charlemagne Péralte's Camp
During the U.S. occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century, Grande-Rivière-du-Nord was the town near in which Charlemagne Masséna Péralte (also Charlemagne Péralte), the leader of the guerrilla struggle against the U.S. forces had his camp. He was betrayed by one of his officers, Jean-Baptiste Conzé, who led a disguised USMC second lieutenant Hermann Hanneken to the the camp. Péralte is considered a national hero in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Place of Vincent Ogé's Headquarters
It was also the location of the headquarters of mulatto leader Vincent Ogé. Ogé, a member of the Amis des Noirs, led a rebellion in the North of Saint-Domingue, less than a year before the Boukman Rebellion that launched the Haitian revolution.

Various sources give different birthplaces and/or dates for Jean-Jacques Dessalines, but respected Haitian historians such as Madiou, come to the conclusion that Dessalines was born in the North of Haiti, then Saint-Domingue..

Reference

 * Grande-Rivière-du-Nord. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America, edited by Saul B. Cohen. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. www.bartleby.com. [Accessed on 1/24/2006].