1792–1793: (Anarchy and the Rise of André Rigaud): By late 1792, Saint-Domingue was nearing total anarchy; white enslavers defied the April 4 decree, while ho…

1792–1793: (Anarchy and the Rise of André Rigaud): By late 1792, Saint-Domingue was nearing total anarchy; white enslavers defied the April 4 decree, while hommes de couleur wanted enslaved Black people kept down. In the South, several thousand noirs occupied the formidable escarpment of Les Platons and defeated three columns led by Governor Blanchelande, who was later recalled and guillotined in 1793. Seeking to implant revolutionary seeds in the “sterile” South, Polvérel commissioned André Rigaud to lead the Légion d’Egalité, composed of enslaved men who would earn freedom through a year of war. However, Rigaud’s forces were decimated at Habitation Desrivaux on June 19, 1793, prompting him to suggest that peace required the deportation of half the white population.