1802, July–September: (The Failed Disarmament and the Spreading Revolt): Despite the official peace, Leclerc was unable to disarm the colony, as some 140,000…

1802, July–September: (The Failed Disarmament and the Spreading Revolt): Despite the official peace, Leclerc was unable to disarm the colony, as some 140,000 muskets remained in the hands of the Black population. Insurgency flared as Black leaders like Scylla, Sans-Souci, and Charles Belair retired to the mountains to launch new revolts against the French. Leclerc was forced to rely on his remaining noir generals to carry out “fearful” tasks, famously referring to Dessalines as his “butcher” for the ruthless execution of 300 prisoners. However, Dessalines used this proximity to power to eliminate his own rivals, betraying Charles Belair and his wife Sanite to a French court-martial that led to their execution by a Black firing squad on October 5. By mid-September, Leclerc’s army was nearly destroyed, with 20,000 men already lost to combat and disease since the start of the occupation.