1802, June 7: (The Capture and Deportation of Toussaint Louverture): General Leclerc utilized a French general named Brunet to lure Toussaint into a fatal tr…
1802, June 7: (The Capture and Deportation of Toussaint Louverture): General Leclerc utilized a French general named Brunet to lure Toussaint into a fatal trap by inviting him to a conference at Habitation Georges near Gonaïves. Despite his characteristic suspicion, Toussaint arrived with only two officers and an orderly, where he was immediately arrested at sword’s point and spirited away by carriage to the coast. He was forced aboard the frigate Créole and then transferred to the ship of the line Héros, where his seized wife and sons were already being held. As the ship sailed away, Toussaint famously warned his captors that while they had cut down the trunk of the tree of Black liberty, its roots remained deep and many. His departure marked the end of his rule, but his prophetic words signaled the continuation of the struggle for independence.