1792: (The Siege of the Cap and the Northwestern Revolt): After negotiations and the armistice collapsed, the slave leader Biassou launched a fierce night at…
1792: (The Siege of the Cap and the Northwestern Revolt): After negotiations and the armistice collapsed, the slave leader Biassou launched a fierce night attack on Cap Français on January 22, 1792, to rescue his mother, who was a slave in the hospital of the Holy Fathers. During the assault, he killed the patients in their beds before successfully retreating to the hills in triumph. Simultaneously, the previously undisturbed northwest peninsula erupted in revolt, with the flames of burning plantations visible as far as Môle St. Nicolas. In a notable shift, the insurgent Candy changed sides and, with 600 affranchis, defeated Jean-François at Jacquézy. This period highlighted the Colonial Assembly’s willingness to negotiate with gens de couleur like Candy while continuing to scorn Black leaders whose offenses had been no different.