TLP:Requested Articles

Caribbean Studies Departments

Would like to compile a list of university Caribbean studies departments and other relevant institutions where Haitian historians work and study.

Polish Soldiers

The following is from an email to the Haiti List in August, 2004. My grandfather also told me once that there were many "Fritz"es in Haiti, an apparent effect of Polish immigrants. Does anyone know any more than this?

From: jacqui Labrom <voyageslumiere@haitelonline.com>

Regarding the Polish soldiers in Haiti - the following information is what I can give you from a book which was printed in 1983 called 'Présence Polonaise en Haiti' by Laurore St. Juste & Frère Enel Clérismé. It was printed in time for the visit of Pope Jean Paul II.

The first part of the book is about the Polish Legion in St. Domingue 1802-1803. A lot of documents were sent by H. Altman Directeur Général from the Archives Centrales des Documents Anciens à Varsovie in the collection entitled "Le portefeuille du Général Jean-Henri Dabrowski. There is some correspondence to this General as well as the Inspector General of the Infantry Kobylanski, Captain of the 3rd Polish Brigade. Some of the names of the Captains were Dziurbus, Kobylanski, Pnogowski, Zabokrzycki, Gramlich etc. and among the Lieutenants were Marczewski, Moskorzewski, Manusterski, Tarsza etc. There is a whole series of correspondence between these people.

There is nothing there about anyone blowing themselves up.

You know of course that before the end of the fight, many of the Polish soldiers went over to the slaves and fought with them against the French. And when Independence came around 4,000 of them asked Jean Jacques Dessalines if they could stay. So they were told to stay in 4 different places, so they wouldn't get killed - Cazales - the most famous one, which I've visited. St. Jean du Sud, St. Michel du Sud, and Fond de Blancs - all in the South.

Hope this helps a little in your research.

Jacqualine Labrom