Bonrepos. Bastien’s squadron flees that way

But during this interval Colonel Larose, at the head of the 8th and of the first two battalions of the 20th, was resolutely attacking the 21st of Léogane, commanded by Sanglaou, and the 3rd battalion of the 20th, drawn up in line of battle west of Sibert. In spite of the fault committed by Louis Lerebours at the beginning of the action, had Sanglaou resisted the 8th with energy, Pétion would not have lost the day. The battalion of the 20th and the 21st, overthrown, took to flight. Larose at once made for the high road to Port-au-Prince, to take General Pétion in the rear. Pétion, learning from the fugitives of this able and daring maneuver of the enemy, sent in haste to Colonel Gédéon, who was engaging himself imprudently, the order to retreat. But Gédéon, carried away by his ardor, pressed on with his successes. His triumphant advance was stopped by the enemy cavalry, 1,200 horse strong, which Christophe, unaware of the success of Larose’s maneuver and believing himself beaten, had just launched to cover his retreat. The dragoons of the North and the Artibonite, under the orders of Étienne Albert and Barthélemy Mirault, hurled themselves furiously upon the soldiers of the 3rd. These, broken and sabered, fell back upon Sibert, which they found abandoned by the 11th, the 21st and the battalion of the 20th, all in full rout. The brave General Yayou made vain efforts to rally the fugitives. A horrible slaughter of the men of Port-au-Prince had already begun. Pétion, from the bridge of Moléard, saw the enemy dragoons plunging into the Batardeau to cross it. He took the road to Port-au-Prince, after ordering the two squadrons at his side to charge to cover his retreat. But his cavalry did not even await the enemy’s shock. Bastien’s squadron, at the sight of Barthélemy Mirault, fled by way of Bonrepos, and Bode’s rushed at full gallop down the road of the Grande-Rivière du Cul-de-Sac, after losing its standard. Learning of Larose’s success, Christophe, on foot at the head of his reserve, armed with a musket and wearing a grenadier’s cartridge box, followed his cavalry at the double. The division that followed him was composed of the 1st, 2nd and 5th demi-brigades, under the orders of General Romain. Colonel Gédéon owed his safety only to the plundering to which the soldiers of the 8th gave themselves up. Christophe joined Colonel Larose on the Sibert plantation. Generals Pétion and Yayou had already crossed the Grande Rivière. Pétion, wearing a laced hat and pursued by the enemy cavalry, saw himself on the point of being taken prisoner; he wished to take his own life; but Meyronnet, his nephew and aide-de-camp, who rode at his side, had taken his pistols from their holsters and was urging on his horse with the whip. Squadron commander Barthélemy Mirault ordered his dragoons to fire at the laced hat. The fugitives, hotly pursued, filled the high road from Blanchard to Port-au-Prince. A young officer, Coutilien Coutard, seeing the danger that threatens Pétion, seizes his general’s hat and puts it on himself. He moves away from his general and plunges into the crowd of fugitives. Pétion, for his part, leaves the high road and takes a path that leads to the Trutier plantation, along the seashore. Coutilien Coutard, drawing the enemy’s blows by his laced hat, is pursued by all of Christophe’s dragoons. When he reached the bridge of Blanchard his horse went down. Before he had time to rise he was cut down with sabers. The dragoons of the Artibonite did not halt until Drouillard. Barthélemy Mirault turned back and presented himself before Christophe, who was leaning against the wall of the Duvivier plantation. He handed him Pétion’s hat, saying: Here, general-in-chief, is the New Year’s gift I offer you. At the same instant the adjudant-general Papalier, seeing that flight was impossible, was standing motionless beside the road; he was taken prisoner and brought to Christophe, who received him with distinction and promised to employ him about his person.