The confederate army fought at the Pernier plantation, with Pétion commanding the vanguard.

Beauvais resolved to abandon the camp of Diègue, for provisions were already lacking there; he betook himself to the Trou-Caïman, at the foot of the Grands-Bois, in the neighborhood of the Mirebalais. Three advantages were to result from this movement: the first, to find in these quarters abundant provisions of food; the second, the most powerful, to find, in case of reverse, the support of the Council of the Representatives of the Commune; finally the third, to be able to direct more easily the movements of the plain of the Cul-de-Sac. The army moved to the Métivier plantation. From there, on 2 September, it was heading for Croix-des-Bouquets to regain the high road; it was skirting the Pernier plantation; the vanguard, commanded by captain Pétion, was already far ahead when word came that there was an enemy camp on that plantation. In fact there were there, under the command of captain d’Anchon, of the 9th regiment of Normandie, five hundred national guards, detachments of Artois and of Normandie, and two hundred sailors of the royal squadron and of the merchant marine. Captain Aubran, who commanded the rear guard, had this movement halted; without awaiting the order of the generals (1), he crossed the barrier and ordered an advance at the charge. Captain Pétion ordered his company to retrace its steps. A terrible fire greeted it; at the head of his soldiers he gives the example of the greatest coolness and the rarest intrepidity.

Our young heroes, who were making the first trial of their arms, fight like soldiers long inured to war. The enemy is obliged to abandon the savanna and to throw himself into the cane fields. These fields are surrounded; fire is set to them to force the fugitives to leave their retreats. The fire spreads suddenly with intensity; the unfortunate colonists, seeking the edge of the fields, come to expire under the blows of the victors. Captain d’Anchon, who after having displayed a noble courage had also taken refuge in the cane plots, seized by the flame, comes and gives himself up as the prisoner of Pétion. Trembling, bewildered, he had read on the brow of the native captain severity joined to the generosity of the warrior (1). Pétion was reassuring him about his fate when a soldier by the name of Momain Dupouille, who had just seen one of his relatives fall at his side, fires at the unfortunate captain a shot that shatters his arm. Pétion, indignant: “You wish to kill this unfortunate man,” he says, “and what fruit do you expect from your shameful action? The shame of not having known how to respect a defenseless man? I declare that even at the peril of my days such excesses shall never be committed in my presence. I take this captain under my protection.” And seeing two other European officers, he added: “And these (1).” This single trait would suffice to immortalize a man. One loves to relate such acts of magnanimity; for they do honor to humanity; thus this one ought to elevate the mind and call forth imitators.