Prince. Pétion arrives there

In the first days of June, Nicolas Louis, learning that Fort Pageot at Port-de-Paix was without a garrison, came out of Les Moustiques with a company of sixty grenadiers and entered that fortification by night. The next day, at five in the morning, he had reveille beaten there. Christophe’s troops, seized with astonishment, ran to arms. Colonel Nicolas Louis mounted the fort and called to General Romain. Romain came to the foot of the fortification, followed by his soldiers, within hailing distance. “I have a proclamation of President Pétion to hand you,” Nicolas said to him. “I am coming to take it,” Romain shouted back. At once he rushed at the fort, marching in three columns, one on the left, another in the center, the third on the right. When this last, which had a four-pounder, reached the Laciente plantation, it received the fire of a few grenadiers whom Nicolas Louis had placed in ambush there. It fell back quickly and joined the two others, which were advancing frontally against the fort delivering fairly brisk platoon fire. Romain made three assaults and was three times repulsed with loss. While Christophe’s troops were withdrawing, the soldiers of the 9th came out of the fort, slipped through the trees, and took the cartridges that filled the cartridge boxes of the enemy dead. Romain attempted a fresh assault, in which he was seriously wounded and repulsed. Despairing of making himself master of Pageot, he evacuated Port-de-Paix for Le Cap, carried on a litter.

Nicolas entered the town and immediately afterward dashed along the road to Le Cap in pursuit of the enemy, whom he could not overtake. He returned to Port-de-Paix, fortified himself there, and awaited the help that President Pétion had promised the insurgents. The rest of the 9th and a crowd of armed cultivators, full of enthusiasm for the Republic and of fury against Christophe, gathered in the town. But it soon became known at Port-de-Paix that Bazelais held Les Gonaïves. Nicolas Louis at once left with Colonel Gabriel and marched against the Daussiny plantation, at Le Gros-Morne, to force the enemy cordon and open communication with the republicans, masters of Les Gonaïves. He attacked Christophe’s troops and was about to seize a stronghold in which they had taken refuge when a body of cavalry appeared on the field of battle and forced him to retreat. He was compelled to return to Port-de-Paix.

In the Artibonite, too, there was strong agitation in favor of the Republic. The military commandant Guillaume Prunier attempted to rise against Christophe; but he was arrested and beheaded by Colonel Cottereau. His secretary suffered the same fate.

Meanwhile the advance guard of the army of the Republic, commanded by Yayou with General Wagnac under his orders, had reached the Boucassin on the afternoon of the 25th of May. Yayou at once had a fort held by the enemy attacked by Colonel Vancol at the head of the 17th, but he was repulsed.

The next day, the 26th, President Pétion left Port-au-Prince with the rest of the army at three in the morning and arrived at the Prince plantation at ten the same day. He blamed General Yayou for having had the fort of the Boucassin attacked without his orders. By one in the afternoon the whole army was assembled at the Boucassin.