1816, January 1 (The Paternal advances to the South): During the independence anniversary, King Henry Christophe asserted that his “paternal advances” toward…

1816, January 1 (The Paternal advances to the South): During the independence anniversary, King Henry Christophe asserted that his “paternal advances” toward the Southern districts had not been thrown away, even if total reunion was not yet achieved. He expressed a belief that the majority of Haytians in the South, having been “hurried on in error” by Pétion, were beginning to see the “light of conviction.” The King framed the ongoing civil division not as a war between two nations, but as a temporary separation of “brethren” caused by the “vile and ambitious” leadership of a single man. This rhetoric was intended to maintain the moral high ground and invite the Southern population to return to the “banners of your Majesty” without fear of reprisal.