FRENCH REVOLUTION IN GRENADA
Arnaud Vendryes
translation by : David Watson and Ernest Wiltshire
In early 1795, citizen Victor HUGUES attempted to raise the
whole of the Windward Islands against the English. In
Grenada, FEDON and his rebels came close to victory.
The following information is abstracted from "A history of
the island of Grenada, 1498-1796" by Raymund P. DEVAS as
well as from the CARAN archives (series: Colonies C/10A/4).
1: The events according to R.P. Devas
In February 1795 Charles NOGUES and Pierre LA VALETTE,
having been appointed Captains, returned from Guadeloupe,
bearing commissions naming FEDON Commander-in-chief of the
rebels in Grenada.
The rebellion broke out on the night of 1st to 2nd of March.
FEDON and BESSON, with a hundred slaves and coloureds, took
the Marquis (Grenville) by surprise; they executed Father
PEISSONIER whose behaviour appeared suspicious.
Simultaneously, another band of rebels, guided by Etienne
VENTOUR and Joachim PHILIP, attacked Gouyave (Charlotte
Town). A notable presence among them was a Catholic priest,
Pascal MARDEL.
The English governor, Ninian HOME, and his entourage were
taken prisoner near Gouyave. In the following weeks, the
English made several attempts to bring the situation under
control, but to no avail. Reduced to taking the defensive,
they were unable to prevent the rebels from receiving help
from Guadeloupe. They did however capture a ship on which a
rebel, Pierre ALEXANDRE, was travelling, and he was hanged
on May 2.
On May 8, the English launched a general attack; it was a
complete failure, its only consequence being the massacre
by FEDON of 48 prisoners, one of whom was Ninian HOME.
Operations ceased during the summer. The English forces were
devastated by an outbreak of Yellow fever (bulam fever).
On October 10th, two French vessels, the "Brutus" and the
"Republican," were captured with reinforcements on board;
nevertheless, some troops, led by citizen JOSSéE, managed to
disembark. The rebels again took the offensive, capturing
several enemy boats; by February 1796, the whole island,
except for the capital, was in their hands. Their success,
however, was limited by dissension in their ranks, and by
the arrival of British reinforcements.
On March 22, British General NICHOLLS again took Post Royal
Hill. During this engagement, FEDON was wounded.
On June 9, Lieutenant-General Ralph ABERCROMBY made an
inspection tour of Grenada, and organised ongoing
operations.
FEDON and what remained of his troops were surrounded on
Mount Qua Qua (Morne Fédon or Fedon's Camp), where they
again massacred their prisoners before surrendering. FEDON
himself disappeared, and his fate remains a mystery. The act
of surrender was signed by JOSSéE on June 10th 1796. One
hundred and twenty men were sent as prisoners-of-war to
England, where they remained in captivity for 17 months.
Thirty-eight French citizens were executed, and others
deported to the coast of Honduras.
The story is told of one Jacques CHADEAU, who was not caught
and executed until June 1807, after being hunted for 10
years.
2: List of French executed
Colonies C/10A/4 lists the names of 29 of the 38 French
citizens executed between July 6th and 8th 1796.
BARBEROUSSE, aged 66
BATARELLE, woman & 4 children
BEAU, Pierre
BONTEMS
BOUCAUD, aged 60, woman & 3 children
CHARPENTIER, aged 62
CHAUTENEL, Clovis, coloured
CLAUZIER, Sainte-Marie, woman & 6 children
DARCOEUIL-CLAUZIER, aged 80
DELISLE
DESUZE, aged 75, & 6 children
DOLABAILLE, Alexandre, woman & 5 children
DOUDUN
DROST, woman & 2 children
DUMONT, Gerbert, woman & 4 children
FOURTEAU, Jean, woman & 4 children
FURGERIE, Charles, coloured
HOULINGUE, woman & 4 children
HYPOLITE, coloured
LABASTIDE, woman & 3 children
LABATTE
LORENCY, woman & 5 children
MARASSE de FAROTTE, woman & 5 children
MORILLON, woman & 5 children
Father PASCAL, priest of Gouyave
RALPH Pierre
RAPIERRE, Edmond, coloured
SIBILAQUE, woman
VILLAR
3: / The prose of Victor HUGUES
The series "Colonies C/10A/4" from the CARAN archives
contains messages sent from Guadeloupe to the insurgents in
Grenada.
One notes, in addition to the usual lively style of Victor
HUGUES, the difficulties of communicating with a Grenada
under an effective English blockade, a relative ignorance of
the events that had occurred on the island, and the bitter
comments on the dissension which seemed to prevail in the
rebel ranks.
* To Citizens NOGUET and VALLéE, officers of the Republic in
Grenada (25 ventôse III - 15 03 1795)
Courage, brothers and friends. We have learnt of your first
successes, but are as yet unaware of the circumstances. We
have dispatched Edmond RAPIER with 8000 cartridges. We are
not sending you any money, as LA VALLEE should not yet have
spent the 150 "moïdes"* that we gave him when he left.
Enable us to better help you, by informing us by despatch-
boat of what has occurred. Annihilate the English, they are
the enemies of mankind: show no mercy. Not content with
wanting to enslave us, they have sought to starve us to
death. Give no quarter, strike hard. St Vincent and St Lucia
have been attacked, and soon the English will be everywhere,
we must wipe out even their very name.
* To Citizen LAGRANGE, deputy, (10 floréal III - 29 04
1795)
The "Modeste" will bring you 100 pikes, 60 rifles, 25,000
cartridges, three barrels of powder, 50 pairs of shoes and a
bag of cockades. If you controlled several ports we could
give you a hundred armed men and a small cannon... We
approve of your decision to appoint citizen FEYDON
provisional commander of the armed forces. Tell NOGUé that
his son is well, so that he need not be concerned for his
fate.
* To Citizen FEYDON, provisional commander of the armed
forces in Grenada (20 prairial III, 08 06 1795)
We have received no news from you; however it would be very
useful to the Republic if we knew what successes or failures
you have had; let us help you to increase the former and to
make up for the latter... Make haste to let us know your
needs and your situation.
* To the same (22 fructidor III, 08 09 1795)
Our colleague has just informed us that in spite of our
advice and our exhortations, there is still dissension
among you... We reiterate that as long as your motivation
remains an ambition to wear epaulettes, and as long as your
passions take precedence over your devotion to the Republic,
you will suffer defeat...
* To the same (3 frimaire IV, 24 11 1795)
We are pained to see how divided you are; the enemy will
hear of it, and will take advantage of it to fall upon you
and defeat you. Let ambition give way to love of the
Republic. It is impossible for you all to be in charge;
obey those who command you and do not force us to use harsh
measures against you. Listen to our appeals, they are for
your own good.
* To the same (3 ventôse IV, 22 02 1796)
If you had followed our advice, you would not have made it
almost impossible for us to help you. Give us the means to
assist you by capturing a position on the coast, and then we
will send you all you need. The "Modeste" and many other
ships sailed around your island but were unable to make
landfall. We hope that the "Lutine" does better and can
bring you the 200 "moïdes" and the various items which she
has on board for you.
* To the same (23 prairial IV, 11 06 1796)
For some time now all the help and ammunition you have
received has been shipped from St Lucia, because of the
proximity and ease of communication between that island and
yours. The English have just captured Morne Fortuné, and we
hasten to send powder and cartridges to you by the
"Modeste", so that you will have the means to repel the
enemy, should they attack. It was only after the most
vigorous resistance, and considerable losses sustained in
the various battles, combined with a lack of ammunition,
that they were able to seize the fort.
A number of republicans who had been defending it left
before the surrender, taking their weapons with them, and
joined other troops scattered throughout the island and 500
French deserters; so the war in this country will become
more active and more intense than ever. We hope that this
failure, far from vanquishing your courage, will give you
new strength, and that although the efforts of the defenders
of St Lucia were not crowned with success, that you will
still use every means at your disposal to achieve victory
yourselves.
You must be on your guard: the enemy will very soon have to
move forces to Grenada. Try to obtain from Spanish Trinidad
the help that island can provide. To prove how easy it is we
have sent citizen GANDELAT, our agent to that government...
To speak to you of zeal, of action, would be to insult you.
Your devotion is well known to us, and we are certain that
you will be faithful to the oath of the Republic: Victory
or death.
* This may be the "moidore", a Portuguese gold coin current
in England in the 18th century [Portuguese moeda d'ouro,
money of gold].
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Révision 26/08/2003