Grande Rivière (Cul-de-Sac). Birthplace of Chavannes; Ogé’s men disarm its whites.

There was not a moment to lose. The men of color, 250 in number, took up arms, disarmed the whites of the Grande-Rivière (28 October 1790), put Vincent Ogé at their head, named Chavannes adjutant-major of the camp and several of their number captains. Thinking that his claims, backed by an imposing force, would be heard, Ogé sent the governor, de Peinier, a letter reproaching him for not having had the decree of 28 March 1790 promulgated. This was an error; the decree was published, but the government interpreted it only in the colonists’ favor. He ended his letter with these words: “No! no! Monsieur le Comte, we will not remain under the yoke as we have been for two centuries; the rod of iron that struck us is broken. We demand the execution of that decree; avoid, then, by your prudence, an evil you could not allay. My profession of faith is to have the decree executed that I helped to obtain, to repel force by force, and in the end to put an end to a prejudice as unjust as it is barbarous.” His letter produced in the governor nothing but a feeling of pity.