Port-au-Prince. Laplume arrived there on 11 May

These reverses suffered by the French made General Rochambeau darker and more suspicious. His distrust turned upon the Black officers and officers of color who until then had given the greatest proofs of devotion to the mother country. He sent General Brunet the order to ship Laplume off to France, while surrounding him with every mark of consideration. For some time Laplume had shown a wish to go to France, thinking that his presence in the colony had become useless. “Laplume’s color, as a negro,” says Laujon, “cast the greatest timidity over all his actions and made the authority with which he was invested give way to the deference he showed the officers of our army, although they were placed under his command. This pernicious deference cost us the inestimable advantages that the most severe measures often bring at the moment when they must be severe.” On 17 floréal Laplume embarked for Port-Républicain, where he arrived on the 11th of the same month. He left for France aboard one of the ships of Admiral Bedout’s squadron. He was put ashore at Cádiz, where he died of a wasting illness, sunk in the most hideous poverty. The French government nonetheless granted some relief to his family. Colonel Nérette had also left for France at the same time. He went to Bordeaux, where he would not even visit a great number of his compatriots whom Leclerc had had deported. He went to Paris to pay his respects to Bonaparte; but Bonaparte did not deign to grant him an audience. Darbois was called provisionally to the command of the arrondissement of Les Cayes; he was replaced in the Grand’Anse by Monfalcon. Berger received the order to take provisional command of the place of Jérémie.