Fort Pierre-Michel. Its troops withdrew into Le Cap at night.

The soldiers stood face to face for a moment, each side seeming to fear the other. At last the French continued their march unmolested. Dessalines had sent the order to let them enter the town; for it would have meant fighting a useless combat. The high road to Le Cap lay open; the Indigenous spread out over the savanna of Champin; and intrepid light infantrymen of the 9th went to raise the alarm as far as the Barrière-Bouteille, leaving behind them Fort Champin, still held by the French. The 4th and the 10th at once set up gabions opposite this fort. The soldiers of these corps brought enormous bundles of dry wood, set fire to them and flung them against Champin. Dessalines intended to assault the fortification at daybreak if he did not succeed in setting it ablaze. The troops holding Pierre Michel, taking advantage of the darkness of the night, withdrew into Le Cap. At the same time the garrison of Bréda made a sortie; but, assailed by the Indigenous, it was forced back into the fortification. Dessalines had won the battle. In that memorable day the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 14th demi-brigades had covered themselves with glory; the other corps had engaged only feebly. The Indigenous counted more than twelve hundred men killed and two thousand wounded. This victory, so dearly bought, was to produce a great result: the French, driven back on every side into the town, would be compelled either to capitulate or to perish to the last man defending it. Rochambeau, seeing that the Indigenous had overcome every obstacle that might have kept them from reaching the gates of the town, feared that Le Cap, falling the next day, would be given over to the most horrible carnage. The national guard had so far shown itself devoted to France; there was no conspiracy in the town in favor of the Independents. Rochambeau had long since thinned the ranks of the citizens by making away with those Black and mixed-race men who were animated by energetic sentiments.