Henry Christophe

From TLP
Revision as of 12:26, 23 October 2004 by Stumax (talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

Henry Christophe (sometimes spelled Henri) – Negro, General of the revolutionary army under Toussaint Louverture, later Emperor of Haiti. A freed slave, Christophe had been a waiter at a hotel in Le Cap. He was illiterate, but learned to speak English and French fluently and was an effective ruler. (James, p. 257)

When Leclerc's expedition arrived to retake Saint-Domingue, it was Christophe who warned the French general not to land his men on the island, threatening to burn Le Cap to the ground and to fight on the ashes. (Korngold p. 255)

References

  • James, C.L.R. (1989). The Black Jacobins. Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. (2nd Ed., Revised) New York: Vintage Press. ISBN 0-679-72467-2.
  • Korngold, Ralph (1944). Citizen Toussaint. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. LCCN 44007566.