Aquin. Geffrard and Riché repulse Dugué Zamor’s assault there.

Acaau resolved to join forces with them at the Bridge of Miragoâne; he sent Dugué Zamor at the head of a strong column, with instructions not to halt until Miragoâne: Dugué Zamor crossed Cavaillon and seized Saint-Louis du Sud without striking a blow. He made ready to march on Aquin, which general Solages held for the Government.

Rivière Hérard had learned of Acaau’s revolt, and the Council of the Secretaries of State, which had remained at Port-au-Prince, also had the news. Hérard Dumesle wrote to general Geffrard, who commanded the arrondissement of Jacmel, to take the field against Acaau, and the President of the Republic dispatched from Azua, against the revolt of the South, general Riché, who set out with two vessels carrying the 6th regiment of the North and some other troops.

General Geffrard, at the head of the national guards of Marigot, of Bainet and of the Côtes-de-Fer, and of the artillery of Jacmel, arrived before Aquin, entered it and found general Solages there.

As soon as Dugué Zamor learned of Geffrard’s arrival, he sent him a deputation headed by the citizen Dautuc, a former officer of the rural police, with the aim of winning him to Acaau’s cause. Geffrard dismissed the deputation, declaring that his duty and his personal resolve were to fight the rebels.

Meanwhile the two vessels dispatched from Azua were passing before Aquin, heading for Les Cayes. Geffrard had signals made to them and they entered the roadstead. On board was general Riché with about five hundred men, and Geffrard and Riché then had some thousand soldiers at hand. Riché, who had been a general when Geffrard was only a private soldier, claimed the command of all the forces; a sharp altercation followed between them; Riché spoke of withdrawing, and he pressed the point all the more because he had not been dispatched to Aquin; yet military honor kept him in that town, to await there the enemy, who was already on the march.

At four o’clock in the morning, on 10 April, Dugué Zamor, at the head of 1,500 men, vigorously assailed the gate of Aquin called the Saint-Louis gate. Both sides fought with fury; Geffrard was in the front rank of his troops and Riché at the head of his own. The insurgents, in spite of the grapeshot, seized the gateway, losing whole lines; making no reply to the fire of the troops, they advanced with pikes and very few muskets; they pushed into the center of the town, where the fighting went on. In spite of the heavy musketry directed upon them, they gained still more ground at the charging pace, crying: forward!! forward! and killing many soldiers and national guards with their pikes. Geffrard and Riché were obliged to fall back to the other end of the town.