Pugnalé. The army of the North halts on its banks, and later crosses the Pugnale mountains

The Haitian troops, having left Santiago, halted on the 27th at eight in the evening on the banks of the river Pugnalé. On the 28th they followed the road to La Véga, where they arrived at eight in the morning. They were struck with admiration at the sight of a small, fresh, well-built town full of pretty buildings. They did not find a soul there; the whole population, on learning the outcome of the battle of Santiago, had hidden in the woods and the mountain gorges. The army continued its march; at seven in the evening of the same day it halted at Gua, and on 1 March it bivouacked on the banks of the Youna. On the 2nd the priest of the town of Cotuí came out to meet Christophe and made his submission to him. Christophe, after assuring him that his parishioners would be respected, entered Cotuí. There he rested his troops and severely punished those of his soldiers who had given themselves up to excesses. On 4 March he resumed his march and crossed the river of Narano, the savanna of Patience, the mountains of Pugnale and Padaves, the rivers of Bermégo, and the plains of San Pedro and of La Guia. On the 7th at noon the army halted four leagues from Santo Domingo, and at two in the afternoon Christophe was in the presence of the divisions of Pétion and Gabart.