1883, October 27 – 1884, January: (Malheurs sans Nombre: The Death of Bazelais and the End of the Liberal Insurrection): Salomon’s terrible revenge broke the…

1883, October 27 – 1884, January: (Malheurs sans Nombre: The Death of Bazelais and the End of the Liberal Insurrection): Salomon’s terrible revenge broke the back of the Liberals. Barely a month later, on October 27, worn out by siege, bickering lieutenants, and dysentery that would not stop, Boyer-Bazelais expired in the ruins of Miragoâne. His followers hung on — back in August the rebels had bought and armed an old British steamer R.M.S. Eider, renamed La Patrie, which for two months ranged the Gulf of Gonâve despite Salomon’s attempt to have her declared a pirate. In mid-November, Salomon’s newly acquired Dessalines, under an American commander, ran down La Patrie along the south coast and drove her into Jacmel full of holes, never to sail again. Salomon celebrated this victory with naval bombardments of Jérémie and Jacmel on November 19 and 21 — from the latter the German warship S.M.S. Freya evacuated 150 women and children to Jamaica — and the president warned the Jacméliens that misfortunes beyond number awaited them. On December 1, the Miragoâne defenders took a sad ballot: nine voted to surrender, six to fight on. Jérémie surrendered on December 26; that same day consuls in Jacmel escorted Liberal emissaries to negotiate terms that seemed generous — exile for leaders, amnesty for all others — but when the government army marched in on December 31, executions rather than amnesty were meted out, with at least forty-seven persons shot in batches. On January 8, the able-bodied defenders of Miragoâne cut their way out and made for the hills, leaving behind twelve too weak to move, of whom eleven were promptly shot. Pursued for their lives, the fugitives made for Morne St. Éloi behind Petit-Goâve, but when they ran for foreign ships in the bay on January 13 the way was barred and only a handful slipped through — Boileau Laforest, like Goman, was never seen again, and Legros was captured, interrogated, and shot. A grim roster kept by military secretary Anselme Prophète logged 113 executions by name at Miragoâne alone, while at Petit-Goâve 25 rebels were killed in action or shot impromptu and 12 more received the formality of a firing squad. Thus, in utter futility as it had begun, ended the Liberal insurrection.